Rome Formula E: Felix Rosenqvist takes pole for Mahindra
Mahindra Racing driver Felix Rosenqvist claimed pole position for the inaugural Formula E race in Rome despite hitting the barriers on his superpole flying lap


Sam Bird qualified second ahead of Jaguar's Mitch Evans, while championship leader Jean-Eric Vergne failed to make it through from the group phase.
Rosenqvist rocketed around the Circuito Cittadino Dell'EUR to claim pole with a 1m36.311s, setting blistering times in the opening two sectors.
He clipped the wall at the exit of Turn 12, which will form the start of the grid for the race, but was able to carry on and complete his lap to claim his third pole of the 2017/18 season.
Rosenqvist cuts Vergne's standings lead to 27 points as a result of topping qualifying.
Bird, currently third in the drivers' championship, held provisional pole after running second in superpole and was rapid in the final sector.
But the Virgin Racing driver was pushed down to second by Rosenqvist's lap, and he will line up ahead of Evans - who had to wrestle his car over the bumps under braking for the Turn 13 hairpin on his superpole effort.
Renault e.dams' Sebastien Buemi also lost time at the same point, missing the apex of the hairpin after hitting the bumps hard on the approach and losing almost a second.
Buemi will start fifth, behind Andre Lotterer, who topped the group phase with a stunning final lap in group four.
But Lotterer could not repeat that performance in superpole and wound up 0.924s behind Rosenqvist after clipping the barrier at the exit of Turn 15.

At the conclusion of the group qualifying phase, Audi's Lucas di Grassi was bumped from the superpole session by Lotterer's last gasp improvement so will start sixth.
Oliver Turvey qualified seventh ahead of Vergne, who failed to progress from group two.
Daniel Abt and Nick Heidfeld (Mahindra) rounded out the top 10.
Alex Lynn was 11th after crashing twice in practice, ahead of Andretti driver Tom Blomqvist and Nelson Piquet Jr.
Jerome D'Ambrosio and Luca Filippi did not cross the line in time to start their flying laps in group one and ended up down in 16th and 18th after only setting non-competitive times as they got up to speed.
The pair were split by Venturi's Edoardo Mortara, who finished his group three lap with broken right-rear suspension after hitting the wall at the exit of Turn 12.
At the rear of the field are Jose Maria Lopez and Antonio Felix da Costa, who were involved in a bizarre collision in the pitlane.
Da Costa emerged from his Andretti garage just after Lopez had exited the Dragon pits - the two teams are side by side in the pitlane.
The Andretti driver speared into Lopez at low speed and pinned his car against the inside pitwall.
Both drivers were visibly agitated as they climbed out of their stricken machines and neither could take part in qualifying as a result of the incident.
Starting grid
Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Time | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Felix Rosenqvist | Mahindra | Mahindra | 1m36.311s | - |
2 | Sam Bird | Virgin | DS Virgin | 1m36.987s | 0.676s |
3 | Mitch Evans | Jaguar | Jaguar | 1m37.199s | 0.888s |
4 | Andre Lotterer | Techeetah | Renault | 1m37.235s | 0.924s |
5 | Sebastien Buemi | e.dams | Renault | 1m37.817s | 1.506s |
6 | Lucas di Grassi | Audi | Audi | 1m36.973s | - |
7 | Oliver Turvey | NIO | NextEV NIO | 1m37.045s | - |
8 | Jean-Eric Vergne | Techeetah | Renault | 1m37.055s | - |
9 | Daniel Abt | Audi | Audi | 1m37.117s | - |
10 | Nick Heidfeld | Mahindra | Mahindra | 1m37.365s | - |
11 | Alex Lynn | Virgin | DS Virgin | 1m37.546s | - |
12 | Tom Blomqvist | Andretti | Andretti | 1m37.561s | - |
13 | Nelson Piquet Jr. | Jaguar | Jaguar | 1m38.066s | - |
14 | Maro Engel | Venturi | Venturi | 1m38.212s | - |
15 | Nicolas Prost | e.dams | Renault | 1m38.410s | - |
16 | Edoardo Mortara | Venturi | Venturi | 1m47.802s | - |
17 | Luca Filippi | NIO | NextEV NIO | 2m09.829s | - |
18 | Jerome d'Ambrosio | Dragon | Penske | 1m42.003s | - |
19 | Jose Maria Lopez | Dragon | Penske | - | - |
20 | Antonio Felix da Costa | Andretti | Andretti | - | - |

Formula E Rome: Felix Rosenqvist leads way in disrupted sessions
Andretti's da Costa gets 10-place grid penalty for Rome Formula E

Latest news
James: Mercedes Formula E project has "added to rich heritage" in motorsport
Mercedes Formula E team principal Ian James was pleased that the squad could "play a part" in the German manufacturer's 128-year motorsport history, as it bows out from the championship.
Mortara surprised at 'ease' of building lead in Seoul E-Prix
Seoul E-Prix winner Edoardo Mortara found it "easy" to build a gap at the start of the season finale, admitting to "making life difficult" by hitting the Turn 7 wall.
Evans "gave it everything" in Formula E title shot
Formula E title runner-up Mitch Evans felt he "gave it everything" to win this year's championship, but says a lack of consistency hurt his and Jaguar's overall chances.
Vandoorne: Four-way Formula E title battle added to "beautiful story" of triumph
New Formula E champion Stoffel Vandoorne felt that the 2021-22 four-way title battle added "a beautiful story" to his triumph, and admitted "surprise" at his consistency this season.
Can anyone beat Stoffel Vandoorne to the Formula E title?
Stoffel Vandoorne is on the brink of the Formula E title with a commanding lead ahead of the Seoul finale, but both rivals and unknowns still stand in his way. Here’s a run through of what Vandoorne must overcome to clinch the championship and how his competition will look to pull off the biggest of shocks
How Formula E's most underrated driver is taming his Dragon
It might not look like the most glittering of Formula E campaigns, but Dragon Penske’s youngster has caught the eye of those who count despite his future remaining unclear. Regardless of the distortion, Sergio Sette Camara has a clear vision of what he’s focused on and how to get there
How Formula E's title fight gave way to Dennis and Di Grassi in the dockyards
The penultimate stop on Formula E's world tour took in London's ExCeL, where the championship contenders were upstaged by two first-time winners in 2022. Andretti’s Jake Dennis kept the home fires burning in the first race as Venturi’s Lucas di Grassi claimed the second, but two consistent finishes mean its advantage Stoffel Vandoorne heading to the Seoul finale
The ex-F1 racer turned Venturi team boss adapting to a Formula E title fight
For the second year in a row, the Venturi team is in the thick of the fight for Formula E title glory with Edoardo Mortara. That's despite a change to a more meritocratic qualifying system, which was expected to give the works Mercedes team an edge, and ex-Formula 1 racer Jerome d'Ambrosio being new in the team principal hot seat. As he tells Autosport, it's a challenge he's revelling in
Why Sims is quitting Formula E to become the master of his own destiny
Alexander Sims’ call to give up a pukka Formula E spot after four seasons in the series may have surprised some, but after laying out his reasoning and what he hopes comes next, very few onlookers can argue against his plan
How Formula E's Big Apple crunch led to Cassidy joy and heartache
Nick Cassidy hadn't enjoyed too many joyful moments in the 2021-22 Formula E campaign, but the Envision Virgin driver was the class of the field in New York - even after a sudden downpour had caused him and several others to shunt heavily out of the first race. Red flags saved his bacon on that occasion, but a 30-place penalty that cost him pole for race two due to a new battery opened the door for Antonio Felix da Costa
Mortara turns up the heat on Formula E title rivals in Marrakech scorcher
Formula E’s unplanned return to Marrakech provided teams with a fresh challenge in old but familiar surroundings, as Edoardo Mortara kept his cool in melting conditions to triumph and retake the championship lead
How Formula E's double-duty drivers influenced their Le Mans teams' fortunes
Eight Formula E drivers made the 7,000-mile sprint from the streets of Jakarta to the fabled Circuit de la Sarthe and every one had a story to share at this year's Le Mans 24 Hours. Despite a range of triumphs and disappointments, each driver doubling up on the day job played a key role in their teams' fortunes