Rene Rast topped the first Formula E practice in Portland
Neom McLaren’s Rene Rast has topped Formula E Free Practice 1 in Portland with a time of 1:09.054s.
The German posted his lap with three seconds of the 30-minute session remaining, where records were broken as the 100mph average lap record was broken by Edo Mortara around Portland International Raceway.
The drivers headed out for Formula E’s first appearance in Portland, with Sam Bird and Lucas di Grassi had a moment together at the exit of Turn 5 early in the session, after di Grassi blocked Bird at the beginning of the Jaguar TCS Racing driver’s out lap.
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Only eight minutes into the session, Mortara shot to the top of the timing board and recorded the first ever 100mph (161km/h) average lap in Formula E history, slotting into first with a 1:11.321s.
Andre Lotterer had an off at Turn 10 into the run-off access road after trying to dodge the Nissan of Norman Nato while team-mate Jake Dennis went off at the same corner with 17 minutes to go.
Jean-Eric Vergne also made a mistake at Turn 10, oversteering on corner exit before using the access road to rejoin the track.
His DS Penske team-mate, Stoffel Vandoorne, was fastest of the session with a 1:09.644s with seven minutes to go.
Dan Ticktum was added to the list of drivers to make unforced errors at Turn 10, before a push lap that saw him jump into third place, only 0.336s off the top time.
The records kept tumbling Sam Bird became the first Formula driver to post a speed beyond 170mph (273.6km/h), before Mitch Evans bettered this to reach 171.9mph (276.6km/h) on his final flying lap.
Rast snatched the fastest time with a 1:09.054s in the closing stages of practice, demoting Vergne to second as the DS Penske driver could not improve as the chequered flag fell.
Sam Bird finished fourth and Jakarta race winner Maximillian Gunther was fifth.
Free Practice 2 begins tomorrow at 10:30 local time/03:30 AEST.