Formula E red-flagged after unidentified parachute falls out of sky onto observe

Formula E qualifying was purple flagged in Sao Paulo after an unidentified parachute landed on the observe.

Marshalls shortly stopped Group A qualifying forward of Saturday’s race in Brazil after the unmanned purple and yellow object fell out of the sky. Fans and commentators alike had been left baffled by the incident – and even drivers themselves had been left asking ‘what’s it?’ down their staff radio.

The Sao Paulo E-Prix takes place on the Sao Paulo Sambodrome – the house of the annual carnival – and is subsequent to the native non-public airport Campo de Marte, primarily based simply north of town centre. The parachute is believed to have flown over from the airport.

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It was lower than ultimate for championship chief Nick Cassidy, who was among the many 11 drivers who had simply headed onto observe for the beginning of qualifying when the parachute landed. Fans on-line had been left in hysterics by the incident. One stated: “Formula E gonna Formula E,” whereas one other added: “What even is that?”

The on-air commentary staff had been additionally left baffled, questioning what the parachute was after they had been proven a replay of it touchdown on observe. Qualifying and the race happen on the identical day in Formula E, with an approximate three-hour hole between the 2 periods.

Cassidy heads into the race as championship chief, however isn’t getting carried away along with his dream begin to life at Jaguar. The Kiwi star swapped Envision for Jag within the low season after pushing Jake Dennis all the best way for the title final yr.

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‌He heads into Sao Paulo with a 19-point lead on the prime of the standings, after one win and two third locations from the opening three races. But after a seven-week layoff – attributable to the cancellation of the Hyderabad E-Prix, Cassidy is taking nothing with no consideration.

‌Formula E had 12 completely different drivers declare podiums final season – and such unpredictability offers Cassidy trigger for concern. “I’ve had a dream start with three podiums in three races,” Cassidy stated. “But as we know, this championship can be very unpredictable, but I’m looking to maintain my strong form.

‌”It’s a little bit of a coincidence that we’ve had three actually good races. It’s not many – there’s nonetheless 13 races to go and also you want a very good run of 10 races or so to make a very good marketing campaign. What’s loopy about Formula E proper now could be how aggressive it’s, so I’m a little bit bit stunned we’re solely studying about Jaguar and Porsche within the media.”

‌The unpredictability might not be ideal for Cassidy, but it is for Formula E in general. A recent study estimates that FE’s audience is up 57% this season across the globe – and up 29% in the UK since moving to TNT Sports. In the United States, more than double the audience tuned into Formula E’s season-opening Mexico City E-Prix than F1’s Las Vegas GP last season.

‌Cassidy stated: “When we have good races, the races are incredibly good, and I want the sport to grow and be successful.

“I feel we now have a variety of good drivers. I’m not making an attempt to pump myself however there are many guys who’ve had nice careers and are super-strong; a variety of nice producers and groups, and on the finish of the day, I’d love for it to be actually adopted and succeed. Hearing these reviews and numbers can solely be a optimistic. I hope we will proceed on that path.”