Was the Zurich ePrix a conspiracy?

Something smelt a little off about how the Formula E Zurich ePrix ended.

During the Formula E Zurich ePrix, five drivers were given drive-thru penalties for speeding during a full course yellow. While penalties are nothing new in Formula E, the way in which they happened was pretty suspicious.

On lap 17 of the race, Felix Rosenqvist hit the wall which subsequently took off his front wing. The wing then sat in the middle of the track before being knocked off the racing line by Jean-Eric Vergne. A full course yellow got waved on lap 19. Drivers are given a five-second countdown to reach the required speed of 50km/h.

Jean-Eric Vergne during the Zurich ePrix — (Image: Formula E)

Five drivers were unable to reach that speed in the given timeframe. Vergne, Buemi, Evans, Lotterer, and Lopez. At the time the penalties were given out (lap 30), Vergne was running in eighth while championship rival, Sam Bird, was running in fourth. You can see the issue starting to form. To make matters more confusing, Vergne’s penalty was given a few laps after the other penalties were given.

Evans and Lotterer were running in second and third behind Di Grassi which meant when the penalties were given out, Bird was moved up to second, and Vergne was moved further down the grid. Bird desperately needed the points coming into the Zurich ePrix being 40 points behind Vergne. He closed the gap to only 23 points.

So were those penalties indeed a coincidence? Or were they strategically placed to give Bird the best shot at making a comeback. With only two races left in New York City, now was Bird’s chance to make his move. Conspiracy is a strong word, but the way specific drivers were picked off in the top ten was incredibly bizarre.

To make things even more interesting, Sam Bird was seen giving Formula E founder, Alejandro Agag, a massive hug after getting out of his car. Formula E is a highly competitive and professional series, so when you see a driver interact with the top dog, you start to wonder just how much influence can be used.

Not only could friendship be at play, but the closeness of the championship instantly makes the races in New York more exciting. What’s so good about excitement? When it comes to sports, it means more money. That one motive is more than enough reason to pull such a wild and crazy move. More viewers, more long term sponsorship gains.

What do you think? Are we tinfoil wearing lunatics, or is there enough reasoning to suspect that foul play was involved? Vergne would end up finishing in tenth place earning only a single point.

By: Andrew Miles