Jean-Eric Vergne relief after victory in the Santiago E-Prix

Britain’s Sam Bird finished fifth in the race, meaning he drops down to third in the Drivers’ Championship

Jean-Eric Vergne on the podium after victory in Santiago (Getty)

London-based Formula E star Jean-Eric Vergne admitted he thought he was going to crash with teammate Andre Lotterer’s during his stressful win at the Formula E Santiago E-Prix.

The pair secured the first ever one-two in the history of the sport in Chile but radio failure meant team orders didn’t come through, and saw German rookie Lotterer pushing his more experienced partner to the limit.

Vergne admitted his team principle may have suffered ‘a heart-attack’ after Lotterer got so close the back and the front of both Techeetah cars locked, with a crash into the wall looking certain before a last-second release.

And despite being all-smiles following the race, Vergne, who Lotterer insisted is still his ‘buddy,’ admitted he felt the competitive instincts nearly got out of hand.

“Andre was attacking me from every side to the point that I didn’t think he was going to finish the race,” said Frenchman Vergne, who now leads the Drivers’ Championship. “He came with so much speed and I was thinking ‘this is the first time he has been near the front maybe he is getting too excited and he’s not going to finish the race.’

“I didn’t know what was going on and when he hit me we became like a train going along on four wheels into the wall but luckily we broke at the last minute and were able to make it. That was tough.

“I’m very proud of it, to be part of history, and to be on top here feels really good. We’ll have to work even harder to stay there.”

Britain’s Sam Bird finished fifth in the race, meaning he drops down to third in the Drivers’ Championship with Sweden’s Felix Rosenqvist splitting Bird and overall leader Vergne.