Maserati’s Stoffel Vandoorne hit the jackpot with his race strategy and converted his advantage into a Formula E win in a wet Tokyo E-Prix on Saturday at Tokyo Big Sight.
The Belgian’s triumph was to the dismay of the loyal Nissan fans at the track, with championship leader Oliver Rowland slipping down to second after starting on pole.
Vandoorne was the lone driver to make his mandatory recharging Pit Boost stop when last year’s winner, Maximilian Guenther, stopped at the side of the track on the 13th lap with a mechanical issue. That prompted a red flag and another standing start, reducing Vandoorne’s deficit and allowing him to pass the field when the rest of the drivers took their stops.
Rowland made his stop at the start of the 24th lap, momentarily dropping him down to eighth.
Nissan’s Oliver Rowland leads the pack at a rainy Tokyo E-Prix on Saturday. Rowland finished second after an untimely red flag benefited Maserati’s Stoffel Vandoorne.
| Sam Byford
The British driver, who has taken the checkered flag for Nissan three times this season and has a large lead in the race for the drivers’ title, worked his way back up to second to repeat his performance at last year’s Tokyo race.
McLaren’s Taylor Barnard, who had a heavy crash on Friday during the first practice session, finished in third.
Barnard nearly caught Rowland on the final lap as the Nissan driver ran low on energy but he was unable to pass him before the line.
Steady rain throughout the day forced organizers to cancel qualifying, putting Rowland on pole because he had the fastest time in Saturday morning’s practice session.
The rain stopped in the final hour before the planned start of the race.
The 22 drivers will be back at it Sunday for the second race of the Tokyo E-Prix.
