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Formula E returned to China for the first time since 2019 with a thrilling race until the final laps in Shanghai.
Image Credit: Simon Galloway via Formula E Media BankWhat happened in Qualifying in Shanghai?
Jean-Eric Vergne of DS PENSKE started the inaugural Shanghai E-Prix from pole position, tying the Formula E record for the most pole positions (16) alongside Sebastien Buemi. Vergne, who previously won the 2019 Sanya E-Prix in China, secured the Julius Baer Pole Position after a tight qualifying session at the Shanghai International Circuit.
Vergne faced Oliver Rowland in the final duel, clocking the fastest time of 1m13.322s. Rowland, despite his recent successes, couldn’t surpass Vergne. The front row saw Vergne ahead of Rowland, with Mitch Evans (Jaguar TCS Racing) and Pascal Wehrlein (TAG Heuer Porsche) starting from the second row.
Jake Hughes (NEOM McLaren) secured fifth, followed by Antonio Felix da Costa (Porsche), Norman Nato (Andretti), Stoffel Vandoorne (DS PENSKE), Robin Frijns (Envision Racing), and championship leader Nick Cassidy (Jaguar) rounding out the top ten.
Qualifying Highlights:
- Group Stages: Notably, championship leader Cassidy failed to advance from Group A, which was topped by Evans. In Group B, Hughes led, closely followed by Vergne.
- Quarter-Finals: Rowland defeated Nato, Evans overcame Vandoorne, Vergne edged out da Costa, and Wehrlein outpaced Hughes.
- Semi-Finals: Rowland narrowly beat Evans by 0.001s, while Vergne triumphed over Wehrlein.
The stage was set for an exciting inaugural Shanghai E-Prix.
Opening laps
It was a very slow start from Vergne and Rowland, allowing Wehrlein to move forward quickly. Evans also passed Rowland.
? WE GO GREEN IN SHANGHAI ?
Polesitter @JeanEricVergne leads the grid off the line, but it's a slow start for @oliverrowland1!#ShanghaiEPrix pic.twitter.com/3aRf4N3L4j
— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) May 25, 2024
Aside from that, everyone made it through the first corners without incident. Felix da Costa advanced from sixth to third on the final corner and was now directly behind his teammate to offer assistance.
Frijns overtook Hughes for fifth place. Wehrlein activated his Attack Mode, strategically relinquishing the lead.
Frijns slipped through and took the lead, with Vergne moving into third, creating a Porsche sandwich.
“Maximum efficiency now,” Wehrlein is told. Meanwhile, Frijns activated his Attack Mode, allowing Wehrlein to retake the lead. Felix da Costa is currently providing support against Vergne in third place.
Antonio Felix da Costa and Jean-Eric Vergne have also activated their additional power.
Pascal Wehrlein already activated his second Attack Mode. This was initially planned for the previous lap, but Antonio Felix da Costa overtook him in Turn 1. Now, the Portuguese driver leads the field.
An energy-saving strategy race
Dennis had moved up to second place behind his long-time rival Wehrlein, followed by Evans and Vergne. He, along with Dennis, had the most energy in the leading group.
Rowland had briefly dropped back but then rejoined the lead group. Nyck de Vries had taken the lead on lap 12, coming out of nowhere. Mahindra hadn’t anticipated this. De Vries received a very clear radio message to relinquish the lead. These were de Vries’ first leading laps since Berlin in 2022.
Evans took the lead using Attack Mode, with Felix da Costa back in second, potentially providing a slipstream for Wehrlein.
Double yellow flags were waved shortly in turn 6 because of debris and a slippery track.
Closing laps
Dennis was the last in the lead group to activate an Attack Mode. Cassidy, in sixth place, had two percent more energy than his competitors. He had overtaken de Vries, radioing in, “My balance is really good.”
Nico Müller held his own in the ABT Cupra, maintaining a solid 10th place. Ahead of him was Maximilian Günther in ninth, who had been relatively quiet this race.
Dennis had activated his Attack Mode and fallen behind Cassidy. The new order at the front was Wehrlein, Evans, Felix da Costa, and Cassidy – two Porsche vs. two Jaguar.
Incidents between Rowland and Wehrlein, as well as Rowland and Vergne, were under investigation.
In the final laps, the fight between the Porsche and Jaguar drivers in the front didn’t give each other any sort of space, and Cassidy received team orders to hold position instead of overtaking his teammate Evans.
But this did work because Evans overtook Wehrlein for the lead and won in the final lap, with Cassidy coming in third.
Final results
- Evans
- Wehrlein
- Cassidy
- Rowland
- Felix da Costa
- Dennis
- Vergne
- de Vries
- Günther
- Buemi
- Vandoorne
- di Grassi
- Fenestraz
- Frijns
- Sette Camara
- Nato
- Müller
- Hughes
- Bird
- Daruvala
- Ticktum
DNF – Mortara
Feature Image Credit: Simon Galloway via Formula E Media Bank