You have to expect the unexpected in Formula E and that is exactly the case with the first Berlin e-Prix race of the weekend, with a Formula E record, 23 lead chances in the race.
Stoffel Vandoorne (DS Penske) got the best start of the line and momentarily moved up to first place from third on the grid before backing off and falling back, allowing Dan Ticktum (NIO 333) to storm from fourth to first by the time they reached turn one.
Sam Bird then moved into the lead after Ticktum, Buemi and Vandoorne all took attack mode, but Ticktum and Buemi regained first and second place respectively shortly afterwards.
Avalanche Andretti’s Jake Dennis moved up to second place to create a British 1-2-3 on lap 5 with Tickum and Bird in the other podium positions.
Nobody appeared like they wanted to lead the race and this saw the lead change on multiple occasions, with Bird leading the pack on lap eight, with Championship leader Pascal Wehrlein (TAG Heuer Porsche) moving up to 11th place.
Then it was the turn of the current World Champion Vandoorne to take the lead of the race, with Sérgio Sette Câmara and René Rast colliding and dropping both drivers down to the back of the field. Rast would then be given a five-second penalty as a result of the collision.
Edoardo Mortara (Maserati MSG) had a very strong start to the race, climbing from 11th to first by the end of the 11th lap. but the safety car was then deployed due to debris on the track, with several drivers making contact with each other and ripping pieces of the bodywork off each other’s cars.
20 laps into the race saw another major moment in the Championship. Ticktum pushed Vandoorne into the wall and ultimately the front of the World Champion’s car would be destroyed, leading to both drivers retiring from the race.
To summarise how crazy the opening half of the race was, Formula E tweeted stating that by lap 16 there already had been 77 overtakes.
The safety car took to the track once again as a result of the collision between Ticktum and Vandoorne and it was Evans that lead the pack over the line in first place. Buemi, Maximilian Günther (Maserati MSG), Mortata and Bird made up the rest of the top five.
As the nobody wants first place saga continued, Bird climbed up to second to create a Jaguar 1-2 and a chance to work together to extend the lead out front. Buemi then moved up to third place to create an all-Jagaur powertrains podium just like last time out in São Paulo.
Buemi was the next driver to take the lead of the race as Dennis went down from seventh from fourth place in a matter of corners. Bird then took the lead of the race with 11 laps remaining.
Dennis, who was having a strong race, was tagged in the rear by António Félix da Costa after Dennis entered the corner with too much speed and couldn’t get his car stopped. The pair would drop all the way down to 17th place as he headed to the pitlane and retired from the race.
Wehrlein, who had to deploy damage limitation in this race after his struggles in qualifying, was showing his potential Championship winning pace as he stormed up the leaderboard and broke into the top five of the race, climbing ten places since the race start.
All eyes were on the battle out front as Bird and Buemi duelled for the lead of the race, this time somebody actually wanted it as the chequered flag neared. Bird’s team-mate, Evans, was sitting comfortably in third place, maintaining the all-Jaguar powered podium.
After the two safety car laps, there were three laps added on, with Buemi 0.369 seconds behind the leader Bird. Down the back of the field was Rast, who was over 18 seconds away from the Jaguar out front.
Buemi then got Bird for the lead of the race, with Evans closing the gap and mounting a challenge on his team-mate in second as Bird tried for the cut back down at turn seven.
Evans then got passed Bird and because of their battle, it allowed Günther to join the leading pack and mount his own challenge for a spot on the podium.
The ever-changing lead of the race occurred again as Evans dived down the inside of Buemi and into the lead of the race at the hairpin, as Bird tried to make a move around the outside.
Bird then got past Buemi to finished second after Evans took the chequered flag to win the Berlin e-Prix. This result was also the first 1-2 for the Jaguar team.
However, the all-Jaguar podium wasn’t to be as Günther passed Buemi on the line to take third place in one of the craziest races in Formula E history.
Here is how the top ten finished in Berlin:
