The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is set for a fifth trip to Brooklyn’s Red Hook neighbourhood and a fourth double-header in New York City on 16 & 17 July. We're taking a look through some of our best moments in The Big Apple.
Formula E's back in Brooklyn and ready for its return to the Brooklyn Street Circuit, which has served up eight classic encounters over four double headers past - with a fifth to be added to the roll call this weekend in New York City.
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Titles have been decided by E-Prix in the shadow of Manhattan's unmistakable skyline with everything on the line as the event marked the climax of both Season 4 and Season 5. It's always been a favourite of fans, teams and drivers alike and we're in for more of the same drama this year.
Bird's double
More than 20,000 people descended on Red Hook for New York's first racing action since CART's PPG Cup back in the 1980s and the city's first all-electric street races.
Sam Bird - then of Virgin - flew from fourth to take the win in the inaugural New York City E-Prix in 2017 before doubling up a day later; the Brit heading the field home from pole position.
Bird fended off the attentions of Daniel Abt as he passed the Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler driver for the least on Lap 16 and held fast during the car swap before a Nick Heidfeld shunt brought out the Safety Car. Bird was then forced into defending from Jean-Eric Vergne, with the fiesty Frenchman's TECHEETAH looming large in his mirrors through the final throes before JEV chanced his arm with an attempt on Bird's lead on the final lap.
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Bird carried his form into Round 10, sticking the car on pole. Despite Felix Rosenqvist getting the better of the Virgin racer off the line, Bird harried his way by after getting the better of the Swede by staying out an extra lap prior to the car swap. That extra efficiency meant job done, and two in two in Brooklyn for Bird.
Bird's flying recovery
Sam Bird (Jaguar TCS Racing) pulled a storming recovery drive out of the bag in the ABB New York City E-Prix Round 10 to reward his team's "unbelievable" efforts that saw his car completely rebuilt between Free Practice 1 and qualifying.
Bird had set the fastest time through the first and second sector on a flying lap late in FP1 but an overzealous third sector proved costly, with the Brit clipping the wall at the apex of Clinton Wharf, a tricky quick left-hander, which spat his I-TYPE 5 out into the barriers.
The team set to work and were able to complete the job with just six seconds to go before parc ferme ahead of qualifying came into force. Bird made it out on-track and despite lacking a proper setup on his car, and a tangle with Oliver Rowland, he managed 20th on the grid.
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From there, a storming recovery drive yielded points and ninth spot, plus the TAG Heuer Fastest Lap. Bird's optimistic for Round 11 on Sunday, too, as long as he makes it easy for himself in FP3 and gets some laps - and a setup - in the bag.
His tenacity didn't stop there, and sensing he potentially had the quickest car on the grid in Red Hook – especially with time to work on setup for Sunday’s race – Bird saw an opportunity to put things right in the best possible way. Duly, he stormed to pole position and dominated Round 11 on the way to victory, rejuvenating his and Jaguar’s championship hopes heading to their home race in London.
Season 5 showdown
In the memorable battle for Brooklyn that closed out the 2018/19 campaign, Sebastien Buemi (Nissan e.dams) and Envision Virgin Racing's Robin Frijns took a race win apiece.
It was Jean-Eric Vergne (DS TECHEETAH) who dominated the headlines, though. Heading into the Season 5 finale in front of that passionate New York crowd, Vergne led the Drivers' Championship by 32 points.
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The Frenchman maintained that margin throughout the two-race event to etch his name into the history books as Formula E's first two-time and back-to-back champion - this despite his closest competitor - Nissan e.dams' Sebastien Buemi - doing all he could with a podium followed up by a convincing Round 13 victory.
Vergne's cushion after a rich run resulted in wins in both Monaco and Bern, sandwiched by a podium in Berlin, meant 15th and seventh spots were ultimately good for the title.
Spoils shared between Di Grassi and Vergne
Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler's Lucas di Grassi bested teammate Abt to take the honours in Round 11 of the 2017/18 season with Vergne following up with top spot a day later to secure his maiden Formula E crown.
Di Grassi scythed through field from 11th on the grid - the second furthest any driver has clambered from to victory. The Brazilian also holds the record - dicing through the pack from 15th to first at the 2017 Mexico City E-Prix.
Buemi proved to be quick in qualifying but less so come the race - sealing pole position for both encounters but eventually slipping to third and fourth on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
The Swiss followed up those two qualifying benchmarks with pole a year later in 2019, meaning he's the most successful qualifier in Formula E history at the Brooklyn Street Circuit.
Daniel Abt is historically the quickest around here, though, with the fastest lap of the circuit - set in 2019 - still in his possession. The German managed three TAG Heuer Fastest Lap awards in Brooklyn over the years and that record will stand a little while longer yet, with no other driver securing more than one.