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Formula E Paris: Sam Bird takes his third pole of the season

Sam Bird claimed his third pole position of the Formula E season in qualifying for the inaugural Paris ePrix

After setting the fastest time in the group stage, the DS Virgin Racing driver overturned a sector-one deficit to championship leader Lucas di Grassi to top the superpole shootout by 0.3s.

While Abt Audi Sport's di Grassi could not match Bird's 1m01.616s, he did manage to split the Virgin-run DSV-01s by edging Jean-Eric Vergne for second.

Venturi's Stephane Sarrazin will line up fourth, having been fortunate just to make it out of the group phase after a bizarre accident that eliminated his team-mate and practice pacesetter Mike Conway.

Mahindra Racing driver Nick Heidfeld spun into the barrier at Turn 11 and tried to rejoin the track as Conway came through the corner.

The two collided, causing considerable front-end damage to both cars, and that delayed Sarrazin, who was just behind Conway on track.

Officials extended that group's session to allow all except Heidfeld and Sebastien Buemi, who had already completed his 200kW run, to return to the track, but Conway's car was too damaged and his spare not charged meaning he will start 17th, with Heidfeld 18th.

Nico Prost was slowest of the superpole runners and will start fifth, three places ahead of Buemi after a difficult session for Renault e.dams.

The championship's benchmark team is struggling in Paris, with low ambient temperatures making it difficult switch on the Michelin tyres.

Buemi wound up eighth, behind Andretti Autosport's Robin Frijns and Oliver Turvey and more than a second off Bird's pace.

Turvey's NEXTEV TCR team-mate Nelson Piquet Jr and Antonio Felix da Costa complete the top 10 on the grid.

STARTING GRID

Pos Driver Team Time Gap
1 Sam Bird Virgin 1m01.616s -
2 Lucas di Grassi Abt 1m01.932s 0.316s
3 Jean-Eric Vergne Virgin 1m01.993s 0.377s
4 Stephane Sarrazin Venturi 1m02.550s 0.934s
5 Nicolas Prost e.dams 1m02.709s 1.093s
6 Robin Frijns Andretti 1m02.405s 0.789s
7 Oliver Turvey China 1m02.492s 0.876s
8 Sebastien Buemi e.dams 1m02.661s 1.045s
9 Nelson Piquet Jr. China 1m02.685s 1.069s
10 Antonio Felix da Costa Aguri 1m02.747s 1.131s
11 Jerome d'Ambrosio Dragon 1m02.797s 1.181s
12 Simona de Silvestro Andretti 1m02.888s 1.272s
13 Bruno Senna Mahindra 1m02.915s 1.299s
14 Daniel Abt Abt 1m03.081s 1.465s
15 Ma Qinghua Aguri 1m03.655s 2.039s
16 Loic Duval Dragon 1m03.787s 2.171s
17 Mike Conway Venturi 1m04.798s 3.182s
18 Nick Heidfeld Mahindra 1m11.853s 10.237s

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