Techeetah revels in historic Formula E 1-2 in Santiago

Techeetah Formula E drivers Jean-Eric Vergne and Andre Lotterer made no secret of their delight after recording the first one-two finish in the championship's history on Saturday in Santiago despite a tense battle in the closing stages.

Vergne managed to convert pole position into his second Formula E victory, but not without a close challenge from rookie Lotterer, who managed to pick up his first points podium in the category after debuting in Hong Kong two months ago.

Lotterer and Vergne made light contact on the main straight in the final few laps as the three-time Le Mans winner tried to pass for victory, but the team was nevertheless able to clinch the first one-two finish in Formula E history.

"With seven laps to go, the team lost both radio communication and visuals which made both our drivers’ performance today even more impressive, as they drove their cars blind in the final laps. During which time, we had a hair-raising moment when Andre’s car kissed the back of Jean-Eric’s car, without us being able to see it,” Techeetah team principal Mark Preston said.

"It was really good to see Andre being able to show off what we have always known he was capable of and to see Jean-Eric back on the top step of the podium. We have two extremely competitive and skilled drivers that today proved they have what it takes to run at the top."

The result saw Techeetah vault to the top of the teams' championship, with Vergne also moving into the lead of the drivers' standings after four races.

"It’s really second to none to be championship leaders as the championship’s only customer team, four rounds into Season Four and I’m incredibly pleased with the continuous high performance of the team," Preston said.

"Tonight, we will celebrate but it’s still a long way to go and anything can happen in Formula E."

Vergne added: "It’s fantastic to secure my second Formula E win and my sixth pole position. I qualified on pole and I won the race, it can’t get any better than that. I would like to thank the whole team for all the hard work and effort that they’ve put in.

"It’s really nice to see that a customer team can be up there fighting with the manufacturers in such a competitive series as Formula E. The championship is all about collecting points and the win and second positions today has definitely continued to push us in the right direction.

"I’d also like to congratulate Andre on his first podium finish, we’ll both continue to push hard for the rest of the season. I’ve loved every moment of this race, the fans here are just incredible and I hope that we get to come back here next year and do it all again."