Formula E: Jerome d'Ambrosio wins second race of season in Marrakesh

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Jerome d'Ambrosio wins second Formula E race in Morocco

Formula E on the BBC

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Belgium's Jerome d'Ambrosio won the second Formula E race of the season after a thrilling battle in Marrakesh.

The Mahindra Racing driver held off a last-ditch attack from Robin Frijns following a chaotic 45 minutes.

The safety car was deployed with seven minutes to go after Antonio Felix da Costa crashed out of the lead after being hit by BMW Andretti team-mate Alexander Sims.

Britain's Sam Bird finished third after starting on pole.

"That felt amazing. I've been fighting to be in this position and I'm thankful to the team," said ex-F1 driver D'Ambrosio, who finished third at the season-opener and now leads the championship by 12 points.

"I had some tough moments last year and I'm happy I can pay the team back this year."

The late drama came after Sims made a move on Da Costa - who won the opening race of the season in Saudi Arabia - on the approach to Turn Seven.

Both drivers locked up and then collided, sending Da Costa into the barrier. Sims was able to recover to finish fourth.

After three laps behind the safety car the final moments were action-packed, but D'Ambrosio held his nerve to win by 0.143 seconds from Dutchman Frijns.

Elsewhere, the notoriously tight Turn One proved problematic for reigning champion Jean-Eric Vergne, who started second on the grid but span after attempting to overtake Bird off the start.

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Formula E breakdown: 'Unbelievable' circuits & 'mega' cars - five reasons to watch

2019 calendar

26 January 2019: Santiago, Chile

16 February 2019: Mexico City

10 March 2019: Hong Kong

23 March 2019: Sanya, China

13 April 2019: Rome, Italy

27 April 2019: Paris, France

11 May 2019: Monaco

25 May 2019: Berlin, Germany

22 June 2019: Bern, Switzerland

13 and 14 July 2019: New York, USA

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