June 4th 2022 was an unforgettable - and historic day in Formula E history with our first race in Jakarta. A sellout crowd of 60,000 attended the E-Prix and the festival at Ancol Beach, with President of Indonesia Joko Widodo leading the guests of honour for Round 9 of Season 8.
Hosted at Indonesia’s first purpose built race track, the Jakarta International E-Prix Circuit, history was made early in the day during qualifying when DS TECHEETAH duo Jean-Eric Vergne and Antonio Felix da Costa became the first teammates to battle each other in the final of the Duels.
Vergne defeated Pascal Wehrlein and Mitch Evans to reach the final stage, while da Costa had beaten Swiss pair Sebastien Buemi and Edoardo Mortara.
Yet more history was made shortly after when Vergne outqualified his teammate in the final, earning his 15th Julius Baer Pole Position in the process - a new Formula E record.
The double Formula E Champion took his momentum into the early stages of the race and kept his lead into lap one, ahead of da Costa and Mitch Evans in third.
The safety car was introduced at the end of lap one when Mahindra Racing’s Oliver Rowland lost a wheel from his car, but just 90 seconds later, full action was back underway in Jakarta
With a record-breaking TV audience of 13.4 million people watching the race across Indonesia, a thrilling tactical battle soon ensued. After Evans overtook da Costa for second place shortly after the restart, the battle was on for victory between the Jaguar TCS man and the French supremo ahead of him and the rest of the field.
What followed was a story of suspense, with Vergne and Evans sharing the lead of the race when each driver activated their first ATTACK MODE.
Searing track temperatures added to the drama and energy management became increasingly important at the conclusion of each lap. As the clock ticked down, tyres began to fail as the tarmac sizzled.
The pivotal moment was soon to follow. A well-timed second ATTACK MODE from Evans on lap 25 kept the New Zealander in second with plenty of time and energy to attack his French rival from behind.
Evans made the most of his additional power to land less than half a second away from Vergne with ten minutes to go, before unleashing the defining move of the race three minutes later as he passed the leader on Turn 7 with a typically opportunistic move.
The fireworks hadn’t finished, however. With minutes remaining, added time ensured energy management would have to be rectified, and Evans went from an expected victory to unexpected combat.
Jean-Eric Vergne would not give up the fight and he was joined in the heat by Edoardo Mortara, who made the battle for victory a three-way clash heading into the final lap of the race.
What followed was a lap for the ages, with three multiple race-winners fighting nose-to-tail to the very last, with the scorching weather conditions perfectly matched by the phenomenal action on track.
Finally, after heroic defending from the top two, it was Mitch Evans who crossed the line first to claim his fifth Formula E win, less than a second ahead of Vergne and Mortara.
With one incredible race already in the books in Jakarta, you can expect more of the same this weekend at the Jakarta International E-Prix Circuit.