2023 Hyderabad EPrix

The 2023 Hyderabad ePrix, known for sponsorships reasons as the 2023 Greenko Hyderabad ePrix, was a Formula E event held at the Hyderabad Street Circuit in the city of Hyderabad, Telangana, India on 11 February 2023 as the fourth round of the 2022–23 Formula E World Championship. This was the inaugural running of a Formula E event at the track, as well as the first time an ePrix was held in India. It was also the first motorsport event hosted by the country as part of an FIA-sanctioned World Championship since the 2013 Indian Grand Prix almost a decade prior.

Background

History

Hyderabad was one of a number of Indian cities bidding to host a round of the FIA Formula E Championship, although it was only seriously considered after the COVID-19 pandemic had halted the discussions between the FIA and proposed hosts in Delhi and Mumbai. On 17 January 2022 the Government of Telangana signed a "letter of intent" with Formula E to stage the Hyderabad E-Prix, with a planned debut as a round of the 2022–23 season, towards the start of the season. The Hyderabad E-Prix was subsequently listed on the first provisional calendar for 2022–23 Formula E World Championship as the fourth round of the season, on 11 February 2023. The Hyderabad E-Prix was staged on the Hyderabad Street Circuit, which was set up on the banks of the artificial Hussain Sagar Lake, which was set to host its first event, a round of the Indian Racing League, in 2022.

Circuit

The initial design of the track, which was designed with help from PPE Racing, a Filipino constructor and race track designer, was heavily criticised by drivers, with Norman Nato describing it as "looking like a dildo" after he drove on the track in a simulator. The track was later redesigned by Driven International, who also designed the 2021 layout of the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi and the reception was positive.

Championship standings

Pascal Wehrlein entered the fourth round of the season as the points leader in the Drivers' Championship after winning both races at Diriyah, with Jake Dennis second by 6 points. In the first three previous races this season, only Wehrlein and Dennis finished in the first two positions. Avalanche Andretti led the Teams' Championship, 2 points ahead of TAG Heuer Porsche.

Impact

The government of Telangana introduced three double-decker electric buses in preparation for the race. This marks the return of double decker buses to Hyderabad for the first time since 2003.

A study by Nielsen Sports Analysis found that the event contributed $83.7 million to Hyderabad's economy.

Free practice

In Free Practice 1, held on 10 February at 4:30 PM, Pascal Wehrlein crashed hard into the barriers with an apparent vehicle malfunction causing Porsche to pit all of the cars on both Porsche teams – TAG Heuer Porsche and Avalanche Andretti.

Classification

(All times are in IST)

Qualifying

Qualifying took place at 10:40 AM on 11 February.

Qualifying duels

* Sam Bird, Edoardo Mortara and René Rast all had their quarter-finals times deleted for exceeding track limits. Mortara and Rast had been seeded into the same duel, so neither driver advanced to the semi-finals. For this reason, Jean-Éric Vergne was not matched against any driver in the semi-finals and automatically advanced to the finals.

Overall classification

Race

The race took place on February 11 at 3:03 PM.

Notes:
*  – Pole position.
*  – Fastest lap.

Standings after the race

;Drivers' Championship standings

;Teams' Championship standings

* Notes: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.

Notes

References

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2023 Diriyah ePrix
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2023 Cape Town ePrix
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hyderabad ePrix, 2023
2023
2022–23 Formula E season
2023 in Indian motorsport
February 2023 sports events in India