Sanya ePrix

The Sanya ePrix was an automobile race of the Formula E championship in Sanya, People's Republic of China. Its first and only appearance on the Formula E calendar was in the 2018–19 season.^[1]

Sanya ePrix

Haitang Bay Circuit (2019)
Race information
Number of times held	1
First held	2019
Last held	2019
Most wins (drivers)	Jean-Éric Vergne (1)
Most wins (constructors)	Techeetah-DS (1)
Circuit length	2.236 km (1.389 miles)
Last race (2019)
Pole position
Oliver Rowland e.Dams-Nissan 1:07.945
Podium
1. Jean-Éric Vergne Techeetah-DS 1:02:50.185 2. Oliver Rowland e.Dams-Nissan +1.762 3. António Félix da Costa Andretti-BMW +3.268
Fastest lap
Jean-Éric Vergne Techeetah-DS 1:09.965

History

 

Jean-Éric Vergne won the only Formula E race held in Sanya

China had hosted two ePrix before on the Beijing Olympic Green Circuit, located in the grounds of the Olympic Stadium used initially for the 2008 Summer Olympics. The two races took place in 2014 and 2015. In July 2018 it was announced that Formula E would return to mainland China for the 2018–19 season, now in Sanya.^[2]

The first race took place on 23 March 2019, as Race 6 of the calendar. The inaugural event was won by Jean-Éric Vergne driving for DS Techeetah.^[3] The race was not without incidents, with an early crash causing Stoffel Vandoorne and Sam Bird to retire, before finishing the race under a yellow flag due an incident involving Robin Frijns, Lucas Di Grassi and Sebastien Buemi.^[4]

The Sanya ePrix was on the Formula E schedule for March 2020, but was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.^[5] The race was due to return in March 2021, but it did not materialise and again for March 2023, however it is now likely to be postponed until 2024.^[6][7][8]

Circuit

The Sanya ePrix is hosted on the Haitang Bay Circuit which located 24 km (15 mi) from the city. It is a 2.236 km (1.389 mi) temporary street circuit with 11 corners. The circuit runs anticlockwise. The circuit featured a number of tight 90° and 180° turns, whilst also enjoying two long straights that passed over two bridges. The pitlane exited between turns 2 and 3, and the "Attack Mode" boost was located on the outside of Turn 3's exit. The pit and paddock is a temporary construction in a car park.^[9][10]

Before the circuit hosted the 2019 Sanya ePrix, it was treated with a resin to ensure it did not break up.^[11]

Results

Season	Track	Winner		Pole position	Fastest lap	Report	Ref
		Driver	Constructor
2018-19	Haitang Bay Circuit	Jean-Éric Vergne	Techeetah-DS	Oliver Rowland	Jean-Éric Vergne	Report	^[12]
2019-20	Haitang Bay Circuit	Cancelled due to Covid-19					^[7]

References

1. "Formula E returns to mainland China with Sanya race in season five". South China Morning Post. 3 July 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
2. "Formula E adds China to 2018/19 calendar with new Sanya race". Autosport. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
3. "Formula E Sanya E-Prix - Race Results". crash.net. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
4. "Jean-Eric Vergne ends pointless run with victory at Sanya ePrix". CNN. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
5. "STATEMENT ON SANYA E-PRIX". Formula E. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
6. "China set to return to Formula E calendar for 2021-22 season". Autosport. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
7. "China dropped as Formula E reveals 2022 calendar update". Autosport. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
8. "THE LATEST ON FORMULA E'S 2023 CALENDAR GAPS". the-race.co.uk. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
9. "Sanya Haitang Bay Circuit". racingcircuits.info. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
10. "2019 FWD Sanya ePrix". Formula E. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
11. "Formula E's Sanya track specially treated to avoid Santiago repeat". Autosport. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
12. "Formula E 2019 Sanya ePrix Classification". Motorsport Stats. Retrieved 13 May 2022.