Well, what a race that turned out to be. With some of the most determined driving the ABB FIA Formula E Championship has ever seen, the race on the streets of Rome will go down in history - and not just because it was the first all-electric single seater race to be held on Roman soil.
Now the dust has settled and the racetrack has returned to road, it's time to hear about what happened in the 2018 CBMM Niobium Rome E-Prix presented by Mercedes EQ directly from the drivers themselves.
1st - Sam Bird, DS Virgin Racing
"I honestly didn't think I would be sitting here today.
[After Felix was out of the race] it was just a case of getting my head down but I made a mistake going down the fill into Turn 5, which allowed Lucas and Mitch to close right in. I had to defend and luckily came out unscathed.
I knew Lucas would be hunting on the last lap, so I tried to give myself the best scenario and it worked out well.
I've just got to do the best I can at every race now. In New York, we were strong last year, so when we get there, we'll have a look at the points but before then, we'll just take it race by race.
I didn't think we'd be in this position at the beginning of the year...but we've maximised everything, DS Virgin Racing have done brilliantly and I'm doing alright as well!
I really, really enjoyed this circuit. There are some high-speed corners, we took off in one area - all four wheels left the ground - and it's very easy to make a mistake here. I can't wait to come back next year. It's one of my favourites.
As a series, we're looking for some big races that we can go to year in, year out. We've got New York, we've got Paris - unfortunately, there's no London race at the moment - but the addition of Rome is very significant. It has the most history of almost any city on the planet and we've added to that today by doing the first electric, international motorsport event in [Rome] and I sit here very proud to be the winner. And what an event! The crowd was massive, Alejandro and his team did an amazing job and everyone - the track sweepers, the marshals, and anybody involved - did well to put on an amazing event.
This is the first time I've beaten JEV in a race but I need to have three or four in a row to properly say I'm closing in, however."
2nd - Lucas di Grassi, Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler
"I don't think that anyone can say this event was average, it was extraordinary. The fans, the podium - everything is fantastic.
I had a very conservative first stint. I tried to save energy, did a good pit stop and then used the FANBOOST to overtake Buemi, who was struggling anyway. At the end, it was pretty intense as Mitch was chasing Sam and I wanted to be close in case something happened. It was a very eventful end of the race but I had a lot of fun."
3rd - Andre Lotterer
"I have a two and I have a three so I'm just missing a one! It was a really exciting race but I realise I'm still learning a lot about racing these guys. I'm still a bit fresh in that.
I lost a lot of time in the pitstops - I'm a bit tall to be getting in and out of these things! In the middle of the second stint, I was saving too much energy. But I learnt a lot today and I'm happy to have the points - bit by bit, I'm getting there.
These guys race pretty aggressively and it's something I'm still getting used to. Everyone is smart in this championship, so you need to engage the guys and find out what's going on.
I knew Mitch [Evans] was struggling but you never know by how much. Luckily I had enough energy to make him push.
It's really cool racing, it's super exciting and amazing to race here in Rome. Thank you Rome!"
So close but yet so far - Mitch Evans, Panasonic Jaguar Racing
"I had two really high laps in consumption battling Sam and then the guys behind just destroyed me - it got out of control very quickly and I ended up crawling across the line. Obviously, I could have won today and I had my eyes firmly set on the win - I was slightly impatient when it came to passing Sam.
That's the way it rolls - that was my first time racing at the front and it should have happened earlier but I think we're in a good position for the next few races knowing that we can definitely get a victory.
You're always trying to think of the next move - it's a chess match in a way - and you have to try and outsmart him. Normally I'm pretty good at that, when it comes to racecraft but today wasn't my day.
I'm no stranger to [pressure] - I've won many races - but in this category I am. There's obviously a lot of pressure and it just shows you how quickly it can change here. I'll come back quickly and we'll see how I get on in Paris."
A bad day at the office for... Alex Lynn, DS Virgin Racing
"It's the end of a very difficult day but I have to say that I'm very happy for the rest of the team.
To be honest, it's just been a really difficult day and it's a shame because the last few races we've had a really, really strong performance but today was just one of those days.
I'm just looking forward to getting to Paris quickly now and I'm glad it's just a short break. We'll get set and we'll go again for our team's home race.
The circuit is mega - I think Formula E has to give itself a massive pat on the back and I'm really proud to represent the championship and race here. Hopefully, it's going to be a mainstay for the series for years to come.
The home race hero - Luca Filippi, NIO Formula E Team
"It was a good race in that I was able to overtake cars and I was competitive.
But whatever happened with the cars in front of me, I didn't have time to react as I was too close and I also had Mortara behind, which pushed me into the incident.
I had to go back to the pits and I lost 25 seconds. It's a shame because the people behind me ended up getting in the points.
All that said, the support from the people was incredible, so many people, so many fans - I have seen so many hats like mine but I feel sorry for them as I wanted to have a better result. I just can't wait until next year."
And...in just three words
In less than two weeks, we'll be doing it all again as we head to Paris for round eight of the championship. Click here to be a part of the action.
