The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is known for its close racing, but sometimes a driver can put on such a dominant display that they zoom off in a league of their own. With Andretti’s Jake Dennis doing just that at the recent Diriyah E-Prix, we wanted to look back at who else managed such a big gap from first to second at the chequered flag. Here are the top five largest winning margins in the all-electric championship’s history.
Season 2 - 13.884s (Lucas di Grassi, ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport)
The biggest winning margin in Formula E so far occurred in 2015, when Lucas di Grassi managed to beat the DS Virgin Racing of Sam Bird around the streets of Putrajaya. However, this wasn’t a simple light to flag victory for the Brazilian, as he only took the lead on Lap 24 of 33. Lucas had qualified sixth, but was promoted to fifth after Stephan Sarazin (Venturi) had to start from the pit lane. He made his way up the grid, and was able to pull a healthy gap as chaos unfolded behind him! Both Dragon Racing cars, who were running in second and third with three laps to go, crashed in separate incidents, with Robin Frijns (Andretti Formula E) also finding the wall but managing to limp to a podium with a heavily-damaged car. Bird swooped past all the drama to finish in second, 13.884s behind winner di Grassi.
Season 10 - 13.289s (Jake Dennis, Andretti Formula E)
The first race of the Diriyan double-header this year saw reigning champion Jake Dennis get back to his winning ways, beating Julius Baer Pole Position holder Jean-Eric Vergne (DS PENSKE) to the top step of the podium. Dennis started third and found himself leading by Lap 4 when Vergne and Mitch Evans (Jaguar TCS Racing) ahead of him took their ATTACK MODEs early. Dennis followed a similar strategy and dropped to second after taking his first ATTACK MODE. However, the Brit was able to stay at the front of the pack when it was time to take his second and final mandatory boost during Lap 8. He led from here, maintaining good energy and consistency to win by 13.289 seconds to Vergne in second.
Season 7 - 13.128s (Nyck de Vries, Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team)
Valencia’s Circuit Ricardo Tormo was host to a double-header weekend of races in 2021. Normally known for being home to the championship’s pre-season testing, the track delivered one of the most unusual races in Formula E’s history which was won by Mercedes’ Nyck de Vries. A damp track led to mistakes up and down the grid, and as a result five Safety Car periods occurred over the race distance. However, most teams misjudged how much energy would be needed to reach the chequered flag. Mercedes guessed it right, with de Vries finishing first and Stoffel Vandoorne crossing the finish line in third, despite starting 24th. Dragon Penske’s Nico Mueller started 22nd but also managed his energy well to finish in second, 13.128s behind Nyck to achieve his only Formula E podium finish.
Season 4 - 11.575s (Sam Bird, DS Virgin Racing)
Sam Bird achieved the first win of Season 7, beating pole sitter Vergne by 11.575s. However, what makes this win even more spectacular was that he managed to defy several obstacles in front of him, including a hefty eight-second penalty! Bird picked up the punishment when he overshot the pit box when transferring over to his second car, and was given a drive-through for the offence. But, the short length of the pit lane meant he exited ahead of Vergne and Nick Heidfeld (Mahindra Racing) in third place! "It was a drive through, I served my penalty and I thought I'd come out in P7 or P8, or something like that but I got on the radio ...and they said you're in P1... I'd never in a million years expected that,” Bird said at the time. He was able to keep his head down from there, and managed to win by over 11 seconds.
Season 6 - 11.427s (Antonio Felix da Costa, DS TECHEETAH)
On his way to his first Formula E drivers’ title, Antonio Felix da Costa managed a dominant display in Morocco in Season 6. Starting from pole position, the DS TECHEETAH managed to beat Maximilian Guenther (BMW i Andretti Motorsport) by 11.427s to claim his first of three consecutive wins. Da Costa managed a calm and collected drive, meanwhile his teammate Vergne - who was very unwell over the race weekend - fought Guenther for the two places left on the podium but had to settle for third despite his heroic efforts.
