Formula E: Abt stripped of Race 2 win in Hong Kong

Felix Rosenqvist a surprise winner

Felix Rosenqvist was elevated to first place in Hong Kong and earned his second victory in the FIA Formula E Championship, after Daniel Abt was disqualified for a technical infringement.

Daniel Abt was on the center podium step, and then he wasn't

Despite not being able to stand on the top step – Rosenqvist will take it as it comes, as will Mitch Evans who made history with a first podium finish in Formula E for Panasonic Jaguar Racing and a return to the podium for Jaguar in motorsport for the first time in 15 years.

Daniel Abt loses win

Round Two of the HKT Hong Kong E-Prix got underway behind the Safety Car, after the starting lights failed, and ended in drama as Venturi Formula E driver Edoardo Mortara choked and handed victory to Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler's Daniel Abt on his 25th Birthday.

After working so hard in Qualifying to start the race on pole, Turn One proved to be a challenge for Mahindra Racing's Felix Rosenqvist who spun on the corner, putting him back to 11th place while giving Venturi Formula E's rookie driver Edoardo Mortara an easy lead.

Abt consequently moved up to second, while front-row starter Edoardo Mortara inherited the lead, and gradually pulled clear of the Audi driver across the rest of the stint.

Mortara, in his first season with Venturi, maintained a three-second buffer after the pitstop phase but erred under braking for Turn 2 on lap 43 of the 45-lap encounter and spun.

Shortly after, more trouble for Mahindra as Rosenqvist's teammate Nick Heidfeld stopped on track due to a technical failure, dropping him to the back of the grid.

Nio Formula E Team driver Luca Filippi took an early pitstop, rejoining at the back of the grid and eventually climbing to finish in 14th.

[adinserter name="GOOGLE AD"]Back at the front, Mortara defended his position, managing his energy well, to lead the race for 23 laps before pitting and switching to his second car, rejoining the race without losing his position.

With the standings looking set, all was about to change as Mortara headed into Turn One, just moments from the end of the race.

Pushing hard to secure the Visa Fastest Lap, Mortara locked up and spun. Facing the other direction, he watched as Daniel Abt take the lead.

With only two laps to complete, the birthday boy sailed to victory, followed by poleman Felix Rosenqvist and Mortara in third.

An emotional Mortara simply said, "I wanted too much," after he pushed too hard in a bid to clinch the Visa Fastest Lap.

Daniel Abt is all smiles after getting the perfect birthday present

Jaguar's Mitch Evans took fourth position, having lost out to Rosenqvist through the pitstop sequence, while Jean-Eric Vergne claimed fifth for Techeetah.

DS Virgin's Sam Bird started from 13th after incurring a 10-place grid penalty for his error in the pits en route to victory in Saturday's season-opener.

Bird gradually made progress to record sixth position, profiting from team-mate Alex Lynn, who ran fifth, slowing on the run to the flag.

Oliver Turvey was seventh, as Maro Engel, Nicolas Prost and the aforementioned Lynn completed the top 10.

Perennial title contenders Sebastien Buemi and Lucas di Grassi suffered another dismal race, with Buemi only 11th, having started from the back, while di Grassi took 15th, after stopping on track due to a battery issue.

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