Mahindra driver Oliver Rowland secured pole position for the first Formula E race in Seoul in rainy qualifying – Wehrlein best German
Oliver Rowland (Mahindra) won qualifying for the first race of the 2022 Formula E World Championship season finale in Seoul on Saturday in wet conditions and will start the penultimate race of the season from pole position.
The Briton edged out Lucas di Grassi (Venturi) in the final duel stage, having previously finished second in Group B, beating Sergio Sette-Camara (Dragon-Penske) and Pascal Wehrlein (Porsche) in the duels.
In the duel between the two title rivals Stoffel Vandoorne (Mercedes) and Mitch Evans (Jaguar), the New Zealander Evans had the edge in qualifying. He had to admit defeat to di Grassi in the first semi-final, but will start in third place, four positions ahead of championship leader Vandoorne.
Evans has to struggle after the group stage
Evans, however, had to shake briefly after the group stage of qualifying, as his fastest lap time was initially cancelled by the race stewards. The accusation: Evans had fallen short of the minimum time of 100 seconds when he pitted during an interruption of the session.
QUALIFYING RESULTS* ⤵️
Here’s how the starting grid lines up for Round 15!
2022 Hana Bank SeoulEPrix
*Provisional, subject to FIA approval. pic.twitter.com/Pyc58KclPJ– ABB FIA Formula E World Championship (@FIAFormulaE) August 13, 2022
This meant that Evans was briefly only classified sixth and would have missed out on moving into the duel stage. However, after a brief investigation, the penalty was withdrawn, allowing Evans to enter the quarter-finals as the fourth fastest rider in Group B.
Wehrlein put in another good performance in qualifying. He clearly beat Vandoorne in the quarter-finals, but then had to concede defeat to eventual pole-sitter Rowland in the semi-finals. In fourth place on the grid, however, Wehrlein is well ahead of his two German compatriots.
Günther and Lotterer are out of contention
Maximilian Günther (Nissan-e.dams) finished ninth in Group B and will start from 17th. For Andre Lotterer, qualifying was once again disappointing. The Porsche driver finished last in qualifying group A and will start the penultimate race of his Formula E career from position 20 after penalties against two competitors.
Right on time at the start of qualifying, rain had set in and became heavier as the session progressed. Further rain is forecast for Seoul during the day.
The first race of the Seoul double-header will start at 9:00 CEST
