Formula E New York talking points: Edo Mortara throws name into title hat, fans return to Times Square race

ByCoral Barry

Published 09/07/2021 at 14:39 GMT

All the key talking points ahead another exciting and unpredictable round of Formula E racing. The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship comes to New York City this weekend with fans set to return for the epic Times Square race. Other talking points include Edo Mortara's push for a title after his win in Mexico.

The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship makes its much-anticipated return to the streets of Brooklyn this weekend for the 2021 ABB New York City E-Prix.

The double-header action from Rounds 10 and 11 of Season 7 of the all-electric racing series will be live on Eurosport 2 from 21:00 BST on Saturday July 10 & from 18:00 BST on Sunday July 11.

Formula E’s renowned competitiveness was on show in Mexico last time out as former champion Lucas di Grassi of Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler snatched victory from TAG Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein on the Saturday, while ROKiT Venturi Racing’s Edo Mortara won on the Sunday.

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With everything to play for, here are all your talking points ahead of the weekend:

Formula E lays down marker as the world’s most competitive motorsport series

Formula E comes to New York next

Image credit: Getty Images

The Puebla E-Prix continued a remarkable streak of unpredictability by crowning the Championship’s eighth different winner from six teams across nine races this season.

Formula E has built a reputation as the most competitive motorsport series in the world, and this season has been no different, with Di Grassi and then Mortara claiming their first victories of the season last time out.

Just 13 points separate the top six drivers in the standings, with any of the top-12 drivers mathematically in with a chance of leapfrogging Mortara to top the standings after the first race of the double-header on Saturday.

It is a similar story in the Teams’ Championship where, after a dominant start, Mercedes-EQ now hold just a three-point lead over DS TECHEETAH, who lead third-placed Jaguar Racing by a single point.

And with double headers in London and Berlin also still to come, it is all set up for a magnificent end to the season with everything to play for across both Championships.

Mortara throws name into the title hat

Edoardo Mortara celebrates his recent win

Image credit: Getty Images

Known as ‘Mr Macau’ for dominating the street races of Macau with seven wins in F3 and GT from 2008 to 2017 plus three more F3 Qualification Races, Mortara underlined his quality on a traditional circuit as well with victory at the Autodromo Miguel E. Abed in Puebla last time out.

Now in his third season, Mortara showed all his experience in Formula E by making full use of his ATTACK MODE activations to leave Wehrlein and Nissan e.dams’ Oliver Rowland in his wake.

Formula E: World championship Puebla - Mortara wins Race 2

The Swiss driver holds the cards heading into New York with a 10-point lead ahead of Envision Virgin Racing’s Robin Frijns in second.

In fact, Mortara now has more points than in any of his previous seasons in Formula E, with six races still to go in the Championship.

And with this weekend’s double-header returning to a more familiar street circuit, the 34-year-old has a massive opportunity to break from the pack and grab the bull by the horns in the title race.

Sports fans make grand return to the Big Apple

Formula E cars race during the 2019 New York City ePrix

Image credit: Getty Images

The 2021 ABB New York City E-Prix will be the first international sporting event with spectators to take place in the five boroughs since the start of the pandemic.

A limited capacity of 3,000 invited guests will be in the grandstands, which was not even possible for the 2020 US Open tennis.

• Mortara 'speechless' after Puebla E-Prix win
• Puebla E-Prix talking points: Mortara sets down marker

The race itself returns to the Brooklyn Street Circuit in Red Hook for the first time since 2019 after last year’s race was postponed due to the pandemic.

Title hopeful Frijns was the last driver to claim victory on the circuit in what was a dead rubber with DS TECHEETAH’s Jean-Eric Vergne having already secured back-to-back Championship wins.

This year though it is all to play for at one of Formula E’s most stunning spectacles with the Gen2 cars racing under the Manhattan skyline across from the Hudson River.

Formula E takes over Times Square

Formula E’s long-serving FIA Safety Car driver Bruno Correia electrified the streets of New York City on Saturday with the Championship taking over one of the world’s most iconic locations – Times Square.

Correia has been involved in every Formula E race since the series’ inception and was also the driver when gymnast Damien Walters’ famously backflip video over the car – a video you can see here.

And the Portuguese built excitement amongst unbeknown pedestrians by making his way through the city in the Gen2 race car from Brooklyn to Manhattan via 7th Avenue before settling on the square.

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