It’s a long time since the names of Prost and Senna have graced the same motorsport podium but in London on Saturday history repeated itself.
The penultimate race of the Formula E season saw drivers battle the elements as well as a narrow track with Nico Prost, son of four-time world champion Alain, taking the checkered flag.
The Frenchman dominated the race, leading from start to finish around the 2.92-kilometer Battersea Park circuit with Bruno Senna a distant second and DS Virgin Racing’s Jean-Eric Vergne placing third.
“For me it was a stroll in the park — the car today was just amazing!” said Prost who hadn’t been atop the podium since the 2015 Miami ePrix.
For Senna, the nephew of the late three-time F1 world champion Ayrton, a podium also marked an upturn in fortunes — the result was his and Mahindra Racing’s best result in the all-electric race series.
“I’m so happy the car was working really well today,” Senna said. “It’s nice to see Nico on the podium.”
Prost’s emphatic win comes at the end of a frustrating season which has seen him play second fiddle to his Renault e.Dams teammate Sebastien Buemi.
Buemi, who is vying for the drivers’ title with Lucas di Grassi, could only manage fifth after struggling to 14th in a rain-hit qualifying session earlier in the day.
All the talk before the weekend had centered on the battle for the drivers’ title between Buemi and ABT Schaeffler driver di Grassi — the pair have won three races each this season and were separated by a single point before today’s ePrix.
Di Grassi — who qualified 11th — finished one place above Buemi in fourth, and now has a three-point lead — 153 points to 150 — heading into tomorrow’s title-deciding race.
Despite losing part of his front wing in a collision with Vergne on lap 26 of the 33-lap race, di Grassi managed to hold off Buemi, repelling several attacks around the twists and turns of the temporary park circuit.
“It’s clear that the Renault has a much better car, so I think we did a really good job to keep him behind,” di Grassi said.
With one more race to go on Sunday, the second season of Formula E is heading for a thrilling climax with tomorrow’s final ePrix result as unpredictable as the English weather.