Di Grassi tops time sheets with record time in Marrakesh

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Di Grassi tops time sheets with record time in Marrakesh

Could this be the return to form for the reigning champ?

Di Grassi tops time sheets with record time in Marrakesh

Reigning champion Lucas di Grassi (Audi Sport ABT Shaeffer) set the pace with a record lap - the fastest ever set in Marrakesh for the all-electric series - with a time of 1:20.310. A full 1.2-seconds quicker than Mahindra Racing's Felix Rosenqvist's Pole lap in Marrakesh last year, the lap shows the level of continuous development within the series but is also a sign that the champ may be back on track after an unremarkable performance in Hong Kong.

At the other end of the spectrum, Venturi Formula E Team's cars - piloted by Edoardo Mortara Maro Engel - were plagued with reliability problems, as both cars stopped on track a number of times. Could we see a repeat of the technical difficulties the team faced at pre-season testing in Valencia?

Third on the timesheets - despite not posting a full 200kW lap - was Audi Sport ABT Shaeffler driver Daniel Abt who posted a time of 1:21.577.

"The plan is to take a lot of points back but we have to go step by step...there's still another practice and qualifying to go," said the 25-year-old German driver.

"We have a good package - this should be more like Valencia pre-season testing where we were strong. You've just got to make the most of it."

On his first outing - after Kamui Kobayashi temporarily took his seat in Hong Kong - MS&AD Andretti Formula E's rookie driver Tom Blomqvist resembled his rally driver father - Stig Blomqvist - as he battled to keep the car on the track.

But for US team Dragon - after a disastrous performance in Hong Kong - Jerome D'Ambrosio posted the second fastest time of the session with a 1:21.224 lap. Could this be the start of a dramatic comeback team?

Don't forget to tune in our YouTube channel to watch the second practice session starting at 10:25am.