2018 Marrakesh ePrix

2018 Marrakesh ePrix
Race 3 of 12 of the 2017–18 Formula E Championship ← Previous race Next race →
Race details[1][2]
Date	13 January 2018 (2018-01-13)
Official name	2018 ABB FIA Formula E Marrakesh ePrix
Location	Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan, Agdal, Marrakesh
Course	Street circuit
Course length	2.971 kilometres (1.846 mi)
Distance	33 laps, 98.043 kilometres (60.921 mi)
Weather	Sunny
Pole position
Driver	Sébastien Buemi	e.Dams-Renault
Time	1:20.355
Fastest lap
Driver	Nelson Piquet Jr.	Jaguar
Time	1:22.832 on lap 32
Podium
First	Felix Rosenqvist	Mahindra
Second	Sébastien Buemi	e.Dams-Renault
Third	Sam Bird	Virgin-Citroën
Lap leaders

The 2018 Marrakesh ePrix (formally the 2018 ABB FIA Formula E Marrakesh ePrix) was a Formula E electric car race held at the Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan in the Agdal district of Marrakesh, Morocco on 13 January 2018. It was the third round of the 2017–18 Formula E Championship and the second Marrakesh ePrix. The 33-lap race was won by Mahindra driver Felix Rosenqvist after starting from third place. Sébastien Buemi finished in second place for e.Dams-Renault and Virgin driver Sam Bird took third.

Buemi won the pole position by recording the fastest lap in qualifying and maintained his startline advantage heading into the first corner. He held the lead with Bird and Rosenqvist close behind him for much of the first half of the race until a full course yellow flag was necessitated when André Lotterer stopped on track with a hardware failure on his car. Buemi retained the lead after the field made pit stops to switch into a second car but Rosenqvist pressured and passed him with four laps to go. Rosenqvist led the final four laps to clinch his second consecutive victory of the season and the third of his career.

The consequence of the final positions gained Rosenqvist the lead of the Drivers' Championship for the first time in his career with 54 points and Bird was four points behind in second. Jean-Éric Vergne finished in fifth and this meant he fell to third while Nelson Piquet Jr. ran strongly in the race and set the fastest lap, moving him to fourth. Edoardo Mortara rounded out the top five placings. Mahindra increased their Teams' Championship advantage to 18 points over Virgin while Techeetah held third with nine races left in the season.