Jean-Eric Vergne broke the streak of new ABB Formula E Championship race winners at eight with a decisive victory on the streets of Monaco. . @JeanEricVergne is your race leader after a race start that saw all cars through the first five minutes safely! #ABBFormulaE #MonacoEPrix pic.twitter.com/417jNgCoLa — ABB Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) May 11, 2019 Starting from pole position, DS Techeetah’s Vergne pulled away from Mahindra’s Pascal Wehrlein in second and Nissan e.dams’ Oliver Rowland — who started fourth despite winning the pole shootout, due to his three-place grid drop penalty incurred at the Paris E-Prix. Proven Monaco master Sebastien Buemi in fifth was the first to engage the extra power gained through Attack Mode. Each car can use the power boost twice, with each activation lasting for a total of four minutes. Shortly after, Wehrlein, in third, went wide on Turn 1, giving away two positions as Rowland and Venturi’s Felipe Massa slipped through into second and third respectively. With 22 minutes left, both Envision Virgin Racing’s Sam Bird and Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler’s Lucas di Grassi jumped up two places within a matter of minutes, leaving Bird in eighth and di Grassi close behind in ninth. Having finished runner up twice here in the past, the Brazilian driver was keen to make his way through the pack. Coming into Turn 3, BMW i Andretti Motorsport’s Alex Simms turned into Audi’s Lucas di Grassi, slamming him into the barrier. Sustaining damage, di Grassi ground to a halt in the iconic swimming pool section of the track, ending his race. With less than two minutes left, Frijns and Sims came together on track, putting Frijns car out of action, which saw his race end early. Vying for the top sport, Rowland increased the pressure on Vergne in the closing stages, desperate to make up for his lost pole and take his first win in Formula E. But his efforts were no match for the reigning series champion, who crossed the line 0.21s ahead of Rowland, while home race hero Massa ascended his first Formula E podium for third. Sam Bird had fought his way through the pack with some great passes only to lose his hard-earned sixth place when his Envision Virgin Racing entry ground to a halt at Rascasse on the final lap.<doc-sep>(CNN) Finally, the streak is over. After the first eight races of the 2018-19 Formula E championship produced eight different race winners, Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne became the first driver to record a second victory of the season after leading from pole to win the Monaco E-Prix. Vergne, who was also victorious in Sanya in March, held off late pressure from British driver Oliver Rowland having controlled the race from the very start. It means the defending champion moves to the top of the overall standings with four races remaining this season. "I've never won this one before so I'm happy," said the Techeetah driver after the race. "It's been a difficult season, lots of ups and downs but these kind of wins make it all worth it." Read More<doc-sep>(CNN) The twists and turns of the Formula E season show no signs of slowing as the championship heads to the majestic streets of Monte Carlo. Monaco is no stranger to motorsport history and the electric racing series has been breaking new ground in Season Five. Amazingly, there have been eight different winners from the first eight races. To put that in context, in the last three seasons there were five different overall winners and in Season One there were six. "It's fantastic," Formula E chairman and founder Alejandro Agag tells CNN. "It's almost unheard of in motorsport that we have eight races with eight different winners. "If you're in a championship and you're in any team and you know that the next day you have a race and you may be the winner, that must be a fantastic feeling." This unprecedented unpredictability has kept the championship standings as tight as a Monaco hairpin. At the top, Robin Frijns -- the winner last time out in Paris -- now holds a one-point lead over Andre Lotterer, with Antonio Felix Da Costa another 10 points back in third ahead of other drivers still in title contention. "Complicated and random" DS Techeetah driver Jean-Eric Vergne describes this season's title fight as "complicated, difficult and random." The open nature of the championship doesn't help if -- like the Frenchman -- you are trying to defend a title. "No-one will take control of the championship," Vergne, who is sixth in the standings, tells CNN. "Last year I took the lead quite early on and never left it, this year it changes all the time. Last year I won (the title) a race before. I don't think that's going to happen this year, it's just too complicated, just too difficult, a bit too random as well. "I actually believe that a guy that doesn't win a race this year can win the championship." Photos: Techeetah partner DS, which is sponsoring the Formula E team this season, has released its "dream" car the X E-TENSE. Hide Caption 1 of 6 Photos: Slated for a 2035 release, the all electric supercar has been designed with two different engines, one for race tracks and one for road use. Hide Caption 2 of 6 Photos: It boasts a driverless mode which will allow the passenger to kick back inside the comfy 'cocoon.' Hide Caption 3 of 6 Photos: Tesla expect its electric supercar, the Roadster, to be ready as early as next year and claim in will be able to complete 620 miles per charge, while boasting a top speed of 250mph. Hide Caption 4 of 6 Photos: The Rimac C_TWO slightly edges the Roadster for speed, boasting a top speed of 258mph, but will do 403 miles in one charge. Hide Caption 5 of 6 Photos: Though not a supercar, Aston Martin's Lagonda expects to revolutionize road travel with its vast, luxurious interior. The manufacturer estimates production on its new range of luxury, low-emission vehicles will begin in 2021. Hide Caption 6 of 6 Vergne describes being in the thick of a title fight, and one where the contenders have to tune-up on track, qualify and then race all within the space of a few hours, as "very tough." He adds: "It's tough mentally as well because you do a good race and the race after, even if you do a good job, you're not quite there." Mixing things up A Season Five shake-up has seen a new Gen2 car capable of going the whole race distance, the introduction of Attack Mode -- where drivers can gain an extra boost of power by driving off the racing line -- as well as tweaks to rules on qualifying and race length. But is there a simple explanation as to why a different driver has won each race so far? "For a very good reason," answers Vergne. "Because of the qualifying format." This format sees the 22 drivers divided by championship position into four groups of up to six cars with those at the top of the standings taking to the track first. "Group One is when the track is always dirtiest so it's very difficult to go fast," explains Vergne. "Since the level is very high and everybody has a good car, the group that goes after Group One always make a quicker time. Photos: The 2018/19 Formula E season Formula E 2018/19 – The 2018/19 Formula E season proved to be a thriller, with the exciting new Gen2 cars boasting top speeds of 280km/h. Eight different drivers won the first eight races in a season that went down to the wire. Hide Caption 1 of 15 Photos: The 2018/19 Formula E season Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne became the first double champion in the sport's history, defending the title he won last season thanks to three race victories. Hide Caption 2 of 15 Photos: The 2018/19 Formula E season Robin Frijns won his second E-Prix of the season, storming to victory in the final race of 2018/19 in New York. Hide Caption 3 of 15 Photos: The 2018/19 Formula E season Former world champion Sebastian Buemi claimed his first victory of 2018/19 at the first of a double-header in New York. Hide Caption 4 of 15 Photos: The 2018/19 Formula E season Jean-Eric Vergne strengthened his grip on the title with his third victory of the season in Bern, extending his lead to 38 points at the top of the championship. Hide Caption 5 of 15 Photos: The 2018/19 Formula E season Berlin, race 10 – An ecstatic Lucas Di Grassi celebrated in style after dominating the Berlin E-Prix to close the gap at the top of the drivers' championship. Hide Caption 6 of 15 Photos: The 2018/19 Formula E season Formula E finally got its first repeat winner of the season in race nine, as Jean-Eric Vergne led from pole to finish to secure his second victory of the season. Hide Caption 7 of 15 Photos: The 2018/19 Formula E season Dutch driver Robin Frijns claimed victory in Paris on the day his country celebrated its national King's Day.<doc-sep>Nissan e.dams driver Rowland, who came through the third segment of group qualifying, set the best time in Super Pole with a 50.021s – 0.174s slower than the lap he set to top FP2. But as he has a three-place grid penalty for hitting Alexander Sims during the wet race conditions last time out in Paris, Rowland loses pole and will start fourth. Vergne was quickest in the first sector on his Super Pole lap, before losing fractions in the second and third segments to wind up 0.021s adrift of Rowland’s best. Mitch Evans took third place but is under investigation for a possible Super Pole procedure infraction, which is believed to be activating his 250kW power mode too early. Pascal Wehrlein ended up fourth for Mahindra Racing but will be promoted ahead of Rowland, with Venturi’s Felipe Massa starting fifth. Sebastien Buemi, who won both of FE’s previous races in Monaco, finished sixth in Super Pole after losing time in the opening sector. Sims ran early in group three, slotting into third in the group standings, which were topped by Vergne, before he was shuffled back to seventh, missing out on Super Pole by 0.104s. Alex Lynn was the highest group four runner as he took eighth for Jaguar, one spot ahead of BMW's Antonio Felix da Costa, who was the highest group one runner. Jose Maria Lopez (Dragon) rounded out the top 10 from group four. Stoffel Vandoorne took 11th for HWA, with championship leader Robin Frijns (Envision Virgin) heading his fellow group one runner Lucas di Grassi (Audi) in 12th and 13th. Maximillian Gunther was 14th for Dragon, but he will drop to the rear of the field after getting a 10-place penalty for picking up a third reprimand of the season for speeding during the full course yellow test in FP1. Andre Lotterer ended up 22nd and last on the timesheets for DS Techeetah. He was the first driver to complete a lap in group one, but a lock up at the second part of the Swimming Pool complex and what looked like a brush with the barrier at the last corner cost him time. Jerome d'Ambrosio (Mahindra) and Edoardo Mortara (Venturi) both move down three places because of penalties from Paris, and will start 18th and 20th respectively. Starting grid:<doc-sep>
DS Techeetah driver Vergne maintained the advantage at the start from Mahindra's Pascal Wehrlein, who lost ground by running wide at Sainte-Devote in the early stages. Wehrlein dropped behind Oliver Rowland and Felipe Massa as a result, and the top four ran in that formation the remainder of the race distance. Vergne was forced to rebuff a passing attempt from Nissan's Rowland into Turn 3 on the penultimate lap, and held on to secure his second win of the 2018/19 campaign by 0.201s. Massa survived late contact with Wehrlein to take the final spot on the podium for Venturi. Sebastien Buemi was fifth in the second Nissan, followed by BMW's Antonio Felix da Costa, who was sixth after teammate Alexander Sims moved aside just before half-distance. The Portuguese driver, who had tried to pass Buemi before settling for position, is under investigation for using more power than allowed. Jaguar's Mitch Evans recovered to seventh after his 10-place grid drop, sealing the position on the penultimate lap after overtaking Envision Virgin's Sam Bird - who fell to 17th right at the end when he picked up a puncture and stopped by the inside wall at Rascasse. Audi's Daniel Abt is also under investigation following an incident with NIO's Oliver Turvey but is provisionally eighth. Techeetah's Andre Lotterer rose through the field from 20th to take ninth following a scrappy group one lap in qualifying and benefitted from an attritional midfield battle. Lucas di Grassi was forced out of the race just past the midway point when Sims moved to the outside at Turn 3 in a bid to pass Bird and forced the Audi driver into the outside wall. Virgin's miserable race was compounded further when pre-race points leader Robin Frijns was squeezed into the barrier by Sims approaching Sainte-Devote. Jaguar's Alex Lynn rounded out the top 10 despite losing the front-right wheel cover following contact that lost him several places at half-distance. Vergne retakes the lead of the points standings as a result of his win, five points ahead of Andre Lotterer, while Frijns has dropped from first to third. Race results: