| 2022 Seoul ePrix | ||||
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Race 15 of 16 of the2021–22 Formula E season
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| Race details | ||||
| Date | 13 August 2022 (2022-08-13) | |||
| Official name | 2022 Hana Bank Seoul E-Prix | |||
| Location | Seoul Street Circuit,Seoul,South Korea | |||
| Course | Street circuit | |||
| Course length | 2.618 km (1.627 mi) | |||
| Distance | 30 laps, 78.540 km (48.802 mi) | |||
| Pole position | ||||
| Driver | Mahindra | |||
| Time | 1:35:406 | |||
| Fastest lap | ||||
| Driver |  Jake Dennis | Andretti-BMW | ||
| Time | 1:25:497 on lap 27 | |||
| Podium | ||||
| First | Jaguar | |||
| Second | Mahindra | |||
| Third | Venturi | |||
| 2022 Seoul ePrix | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Race 16 of 16 of the2021–22 Formula E season
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| Race details | ||||
| Date | 14 August 2022 (2022-08-14) | |||
| Official name | 2022 Hana Bank Seoul E-Prix | |||
| Location | Seoul Street Circuit,Seoul,South Korea | |||
| Course | Street circuit | |||
| Course length | 2.618 km (1.627 mi) | |||
| Distance | 34 laps, 89.012 km (55.309 mi) | |||
| Pole position | ||||
| Driver | DS Techeetah | |||
| Time | 1:21:078 | |||
| Fastest lap | ||||
| Driver |  Nick Cassidy | Envision | ||
| Time | 1:22:401 on lap 24 | |||
| Podium | ||||
| First | Venturi | |||
| Second | Mercedes | |||
| Third | Andretti-BMW | |||
The2022 Seoul ePrix, formally known as the2022 Hana Bank Seoul E-Prix, was a pair ofFormula Eelectric car races staged at theSeoul Street Circuit in the Jamsil Sports Complex, Seoul, South Korea, on 13 and 14 August 2022. They served as the fifteenth and sixteenth rounds of the2021-22 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship,[1][2] The race was the first and only running of the Seoul ePrix after it had been postponed since2020 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. It was raced as the first ePrix in South Korea and fifth Asian country to host an ePrix, followingChina (includingHong Kong),Malaysia,Saudi Arabia, andIndonesia.[3][4]The second race was the 100th race in Formula E history.
It was the first time in nine years that South Korea has hosted large motorsports events since the lastFormula OneKorean Grand Prix held in2013.[5]
South Korea's previous attempts at hosting motorsport events include the Korean Grand Prix situated atYeongam, which ran from 2010 to 2013. Low attendance figures, five hours of traveling time from Seoul and unfulfilled resort facilities around the track were the main reasons for the event's short existence.[6]
On 30 November 2018, Formula E CEO,Alejandro Agag signed an agreement withMoon Jae-sik, chairman ofJSM Holdings.[7] South Korea was given the right to hold the ABB Formula E Championship from 2020 to 2025. The aim was to expand the Asian market and provide a platform for cooperation between Formula E and South Korean automobile industrial technology and eco-friendly innovations.[8]
The Formula E race would be served as an attraction formotor sport fans from nearby countries such as China andJapan.[9]
Three other candidates in theAsia-Pacific region considered for hosting includedAustralia,Russia, andNew Zealand.[10]
The inaugural Seoul ePrix was cancelled in response to theCOVID-19 pandemic, then it was due to take place on 23 May 2021 as the 9th round of the2021 Formula E season. But due to the ongoing situation of theCOVID-19 pandemic, the race's first running would be on the2022 Formula E season. On 19 June 2021, Seoul city government announced that the race's first running would be set to form part of the Seoul Fest celebrations on the days of 13–14 August 2022.[11]
The Seoul ePrix was set to return for the2022-23 Formula E season on 20 and 21 May 2023, but renovation works to theJamsil Stadium meant that the event would not be able to take place, and it was replaced by theCape Town ePrix.[12] The track was later left off the calendar for the2023–24 Formula E season.
After fourteen races in nine cities, the2021-22 Formula E World Championship arrived inSeoul, South Korea, for its season finale. The Jamsil Sports Complex would play host to theSeoul Street Circuit, which was to stage the 99th and 100th FE races, a significant milestone in FE's history.[2] The races were also the last of theGeneration 2 era for FE, with the Spark SRT05e to be retired at the end of the race weekend having served as the series' base chassis since the2018-19 season.[13]
Sam Bird missed the season finale, after he was found to have broken his hand at the2022 London ePrix, an injury he would carry throughout that race.[14] Bird's streak of winning at least one race in every season was ended. Jaguar's reserve driverNorman Nato would sub for the British driver. It was Nato's first appearance since the2021 Berlin ePrix.[15]
Sacha Fenestraz, having been a reserve driver for Jaguar in 2021, replacedAntonio Giovinazzi and made his Formula E debut for the second round after Giovinazzi suffered a hand injury during the first event.[16]
58 points were available for the Drivers' Championship in the final two rounds.Stoffel Vandoorne led the championship with 36 points overMitch Evans, 41 points overEdoardo Mortara and 57 points overJean-Éric Vergne.
In the Teams' Championship, 94 points were still available.Mercedes held a 36-point lead overROKiT Venturi, a 47-point lead overDS Techeetah and a 91-point lead overJaguar Racing.
Oliver Rowland took the pole position in the wet condition, defeatingLucas di Grassi in the final by 0.623s.[17]
| Group draw | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group A |  VAN |  MOR |  DAC |  FRI | DEN |  LOT | BUE |  ASK | TUR |  SET |  GIO |
| Group B | EVA |  JEV | DIG | DEV | WEH | CAS | SIM | ROW | GUE | TIC | NAT |
Qualifying duels
Overall Classification
The circuit was very damp at the start of the race. Di Grassi and Evans passed pole sitter Rowland in the first corner. Evans then overtook di Grassi to claim the lead, before di Grassi dropped behind Rowland.[19]
Eight cars ended up in the barriers at turns 20 and 21 at the end of the opening lap which caused a red flag, due to the damp conditions and the changing surfaces.Norman Nato andNick Cassidy both rejoined the race and had the race cars repaired.[19] The accident had been cleared after 45 minutes.
Edoardo Mortara weaved around in the braking zone in front ofJean-Éric Vergne, causing a collision between the two. The incident allowed Vergne and Vandoorne to pass Mortara before Mortara had a 5-second penalty added for the overly aggressive defending. Mortara would make more aggressive defensive manoeuvres trying to hold off Wehrlein, before his race came to an end with a right-rear puncture.
With five minutes to go,Alexander Sims put himself into the barriers in the Stadium and was out of the race. The safety car made its second appearance of the day to lead the field past the chequered flag. Evans claimed the victory to keep his title hopes alive. Rowland and di Grassi finished on the podium. Dennis claimed the bonus point for fastest lap in fourth. Vandoorne finished in fifth to maintain a 21-point lead over Evans in the Championship heading into the final race. Vergne, Wehrlein,Robin Frijns,António Félix da Costa and Cassidy secured the remaining points. Evans would become the only championship contender to Vandoorne after the race.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Mitch Evans | Jaguar | 30 | 1:29:55.478 | 3 | 25 | ||
| 2 | 30 | Oliver Rowland | Mahindra | 30 | +0.820 | 1 | 18+31 | ||
| 3 | 11 | Lucas di Grassi | Venturi-Mercedes | 30 | +1.393 | 2 | 15 | ||
| 4 | 27 | Jake Dennis | Andretti-BMW | 30 | +1.902 | 5 | 12+12 | ||
| 5 | 5 | Stoffel Vandoorne | Mercedes | 30 | +2.470 | 7 | 10 | ||
| 6 | 25 | Jean-Éric Vergne | DS Techeetah | 30 | +3.957 | 9 | 8 | ||
| 7 | 94 | Pascal Wehrlein | Porsche | 30 | +4.149 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 8 | 4 | Robin Frijns | Envision-Audi | 30 | +4.508 | 16 | 4 | ||
| 9 | 13 | António Félix da Costa | DS Techeetah | 30 | +4.970 | 12 | 2 | ||
| 10 | 37 | Nick Cassidy | Envision-Audi | 30 | +5.325 | 19 | 1 | ||
| 11 | 22 | Maximilian Günther | e.dams-Nissan | 30 | +5.610 | 17 | |||
| 12 | 7 | Sérgio Sette Câmara | Dragon-Penske | 30 | +6.121 | 8 | |||
| 13 | 10 | Norman Nato | Jaguar | 30 | +57.545[a] | 11 | |||
| Ret | 29 | Alexander Sims | Mahindra | 26 | Accident | 21 | |||
| Ret | 99 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Dragon-Penske | 24 | Retired | 14 | |||
| Ret | 48 | Edoardo Mortara | Venturi-Mercedes | 20 | Puncture | 6 | |||
| Ret | 33 | Dan Ticktum | NIO | 0 | Accident | 13 | |||
| Ret | 3 | Oliver Turvey | NIO | 0 | Accident | 18 | |||
| Ret | 28 | Oliver Askew | Andretti-BMW | 0 | Accident | 22 | |||
| Ret | 17 | Nyck de Vries | Mercedes | 0 | Accident | 15 | |||
| Ret | 23 | Sébastien Buemi | e.dams-Nissan | 0 | Accident | 10 | |||
| Ret | 36 | André Lotterer | Porsche | 0 | Accident | 20 | |||
| Source:[20] | |||||||||
Notes:
Stoffel Vandoorne had failed to secure the Championship in the first Seoul E-Prix.Mitch Evans had to win the final race with Vandoorne retiring to take the title. A sixth-place finish would be enough for Vandoorne to claim the title, regardless of where Evans would finish. Evans could also win the Championship with Vandoorne failing to score and him finishing in second with pole position.
Mercedes' still held a 31-point lead overROKiT Venturi Racing, their closest challenger and the only other team that could take the title mathematically. Venturi would require a double podium to win the Team' Championship.DS Techeetah could theoretically tie with Mercedes on 301 points with a maximum score on the final day, but Mercedes would still take the title, as they would hold three victories to DS Techeetah's two victories in theory.
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| Group draw | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group A | VAN | MOR | DIG | FRI | DEV | CAS | ROW | SIM | TUR | SET | NAT |
| Group B | EVA | JEV | DAC | DEN | WEH | LOT | BUE | ASK | GUE | TIC | FEN |
Qualifying duels
Overall Classification
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 48 | Edoardo Mortara | Venturi-Mercedes | 34 | 53:31.680 | 2 | 25 | ||
| 2 | 5 | Stoffel Vandoorne | Mercedes | 34 | +3.756 | 4 | 18 | ||
| 3 | 27 | Jake Dennis | Andretti-BMW | 34 | +6.649[b] | 3 | 15 | ||
| 4 | 4 | Robin Frijns | Envision-Audi | 34 | +7.021 | 5 | 12 | ||
| 5 | 28 | Oliver Askew | Andretti-BMW | 34 | +7.850 | 11 | 10 | ||
| 6 | 25 | Jean-Éric Vergne | DS Techeetah | 34 | +9.471 | 8 | 8 | ||
| 7 | 20 | Mitch Evans | Jaguar | 34 | +10.243 | 13 | 6 | ||
| 8 | 37 | Nick Cassidy | Envision-Audi | 34 | +14.208 | 14 | 4+12 | ||
| 9 | 23 | Sébastien Buemi | e.dams-Nissan | 34 | +16.629 | 19 | 2 | ||
| 10 | 13 | António Félix da Costa | DS Techeetah | 34 | +22.226 | 1 | 1+31 | ||
| 11 | 11 | Lucas di Grassi | Venturi-Mercedes | 34 | +24.546 | 6 | |||
| 12 | 29 | Alexander Sims | Mahindra | 34 | +26.513 | 22 | |||
| 13 | 7 | Sérgio Sette Câmara | Dragon-Penske | 34 | +27.813 | 10 | |||
| 14 | 10 | Norman Nato | Jaguar | 34 | +31.526 | 16 | |||
| 15 | 3 | Oliver Turvey | NIO | 34 | +31.565 | 20 | |||
| 16 | 99 | Sacha Fenestraz | Dragon-Penske | 34 | +36.270 | 21 | |||
| Ret | 22 | Maximilian Günther | e.dams-Nissan | 16 | Accident | 9 | |||
| Ret | 17 | Nyck de Vries | Mercedes | 7 | Accident Damage | 12 | |||
| Ret | 94 | Pascal Wehrlein | Porsche | 6 | 15 | ||||
| Ret | 33 | Dan Ticktum | NIO | 2 | Collision damage | 7 | |||
| Ret | 30 | Oliver Rowland | Mahindra | 0 | Collision | 18 | |||
| Ret | 36 | André Lotterer | Porsche | 0 | Collision | 17 | |||
| Source:[22] | |||||||||
Notes:
Stoffel Vandoorne andMercedes took the doubleFormula E World Championships after the race, before Mercedes withdrew from the series.
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| Previous race: 2022 London ePrix | FIA Formula E World Championship 2021–22 season | Next race: 2023 Mexico City ePrix |
| Previous race: N/A | Seoul ePrix | Next race: N/A |
