Sam Bird handled the heat under pressure from Pascal Wehrlein to win his first race of the season in the sweltering Santiago sunshine.
With Wehrlein hot on his heels in the closing stages of the warmest Formula E race on record, Bird held his nerve with a peerless performance around the perimeter roads of Parque O’Higgins in the centre of the Chilean capital.
Bird had to keep a close eye on his mirrors with both drivers on alternative ATTACK MODE strategies. Without any activations left, Bird found himself vulnerable from behind – as Wehrlein saved his final burst of energy in a bid to vault ahead with only minutes to spare.
Despite his best efforts and clawing Bird in, Wehrlein couldn’t make a move and had to settle for second as his hopes of victory faded with rising temperatures.
Fellow countryman Daniel Abt rounded out the podium places, inheriting a position from Alexander Sims after the BMW i Andretti Motorsport driver incurred a penalty for causing a collision with Edoardo Mortara.
Contact with Sims sent Mortara spinning, but the VENTURI Formula E Team driver valiantly fought back to finish fourth.
Buemi wasn’t so lucky to avoid the barriers, crashing out of the lead in close quarters with Bird at the Turn 6/7 chicane – the same corner he encountered trouble with in practice earlier in the day.
The 2015/16 champion led away from the front – after being promoted to Julius Baer pole position following the exclusion of Lucas di Grassi for an infringement in qualifying. However, Buemi couldn’t convert a first win for the newly-named Nissan e.dams outfit.
Winner in Marrakesh and championship leader coming into the race, Jerome D’Ambrosio came home in eighth – but later dropped to 10th after being handed a five-second penalty for speeding under Full Course Yellow.
The result means D’Ambrosio relinquishes his place to Bird at the top of the driver standings – with title protagonists Antonio Felix da Costa and Jean-Eric Vergne failing to add to their points tally.
After another searing showdown in Santiago, Formula E now heads to Mexico City and the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez for round four of the 2018/19 ABB FIA Formula E Championship on February 16.
Race results
1 Sam Bird Envision Virgin Racing
2 Pascal Wehrlein MAHINDRA RACING
3 Daniel Abt Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler
4 Edoardo Mortara VENTURI Formula E Team
5 Robin Frijns Envision Virgin Racing
6 Mitch Evans Panasonic Jaguar Racing
7 Alexander Sims BMW i Andretti Motorsport
8 Oliver Turvey NIO Formula E Team
9 Jose Maria Lopez GEOX DRAGON
10 Jerome D’Ambrosio MAHINDRA RACING
11 Nelson Piquet Jr. Panasonic Jaguar Racing
12 Lucas di Grassi Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler
13 Andre Lotterer DS TECHEETAH
14 Gary Paffett HWA RACELAB
DNF Oliver Rowland Nissan e.dams
DNF Antonio Felix da Costa BMW i Andretti Motorsport
DNF Jean-Eric Vergne DS TECHEETAH
DNF Sebastien Buemi Nissan e.dams
DNF Stoffel Vandoorne HWA RACELAB
DNF Maximilian Gunther GEOX DRAGON
DNF Felipe Massa VENTURI Formula E Team
DNF Tom Dillmann NIO Formula E Team
Drivers Points
Sam Bird Envision Virgin Racing 43
Jerome D’Ambrosio MAHINDRA RACING 41
Antonio Felix da Costa BMW i Andretti Motorsport 28
Robin Frijns Envision Virgin Racing 28
Jean-Eric Vergne DS TECHEETAH 28
Mitch Evans Panasonic Jaguar Racing 22
Daniel Abt Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler 21
Andre Lotterer DS TECHEETAH 19
Pascal Wehrlein MAHINDRA RACING 18
Alexander Sims BMW i Andretti Motorsport 18
Sebastien Buemi Nissan e.dams 15
Edoardo Mortara VENTURI Formula E Team 12
Lucas di Grassi Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler 9
Oliver Rowland Nissan e.dams 6
Oliver Turvey NIO Formula E Team 4
Jose Maria Lopez GEOX DRAGON 2
Nelson Piquet Jr. Panasonic Jaguar Racing 1
Maximilian Gunther GEOX DRAGON 0
Tom Dillmann NIO Formula E Team 0
Gary Paffett HWA RACELAB 0
Stoffel Vandoorne HWA RACELAB 0
Felipe Massa VENTURI Formula E Team 0
Felix Rosenqvist MAHINDRA RACING 0
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