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Race two in Shanghai was marked by new race leaders and energy-saving strategies until the end.
Race 1 in Shanghai (Image Credit: Sam Bagnall via FE media bank)What happened in round 1 in Shanghai?
Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans executed a stunning last-lap manoeuvre to win the Shanghai E-Prix Round 11, overtaking Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein in a thrilling finish. Evans, who started third, took the lead early on Lap 7 after surpassing polesitter Jean-Eric Vergne and several other contenders. Throughout the race, the top drivers, including Wehrlein and his teammate Antonio Felix da Costa, worked strategically using ATTACK MODE to manage their energy levels and maintain their positions.
By the halfway point, the Porsche duo regained the lead, with Evans close behind. Despite their best defensive efforts, Evans used his energy advantage to overtake da Costa on Lap 19 and closed in on Wehrlein. With just a percent more energy than the Porsches, Evans made his decisive move on the final lap, passing Wehrlein around the outside of Turn 1 to claim victory. Wehrlein managed to fend off Nick Cassidy, who finished third, while Oliver Rowland narrowly missed the podium in fourth.
The race saw intense competition, with reigning champion Jake Dennis briefly entering the top positions before the Jaguars’ superior energy management became evident. The final top ten included Vergne, Nyck de Vries, Maximilian Guenther, and Sebastien Buemi, though Guenther received a penalty that promoted Stoffel Vandoorne into the points.
The result strengthens Cassidy’s lead in the Drivers’ Championship with 155 points, ahead of Wehrlein’s 142, and consolidates Jaguar TCS Racing’s dominance in the Teams’ standings. The next race, Round 12, takes place tomorrow in Shanghai, promising another exciting contest.
As It Happened:
Start: Vergne leads from pole, with Wehrlein and Evans moving up early.
- Lap 3-7: Early ATTACK MODE activations shake up positions; Evans moves into the top three.
- Lap 8-10: Vergne briefly retakes the lead; de Vries leads mid-race as the field remains tightly packed.
- Lap 13-23: Energy management becomes crucial; Cassidy climbs to fourth with significant energy in hand.
- Final Laps: Evans and Cassidy capitalize on their energy advantage; Evans overtakes Wehrlein for the win on the final lap.
Qualifying recap day two
In an electrifying qualifying session for the Shanghai E-Prix Round 12, NEOM McLaren’s Jake Hughes secured pole position by an astonishing margin of just 0.001 seconds over DS PENSKE’s Stoffel Vandoorne. This ties the record for the closest pole margin in Formula E history, set by Lucas di Grassi in Berlin in 2017. It’s the second time this season a pole has been decided by such a narrow gap, following Pascal Wehrlein’s 0.002-second pole win in São Paulo.
? @JakeHughesRace STICKS IT ON POLE
The @McLarenFE man soars around the Shanghai International Circuit to claim @juliusbaer Pole Position!#ShanghaiEPrix pic.twitter.com/AUxJR6xEzu
— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) May 26, 2024
Several top contenders faced early eliminations, including reigning World Champion Jake Dennis, who will start 16th. Jean-Eric Vergne, yesterday’s pole sitter, will start from ninth, while championship leader Nick Cassidy of Jaguar TCS Racing qualified in fifth. Mahindra Racing’s Nyck de Vries achieved his best qualifying performance of the year, starting fourth.
As It Happened:
Final Duel
Jake Hughes faced off against Stoffel Vandoorne in the Final Duel. Despite DS PENSKE’s attempt for back-to-back poles, Hughes claimed his second pole of the season, setting him up perfectly for the race.
Semi-Finals
Vandoorne and former teammate Nyck de Vries, both former Formula E champions, went head-to-head, with Vandoorne securing a front-row start. Hughes continued his impressive form by defeating Antonio Felix da Costa of TAG Heuer Porsche.
Quarter-Finals
- Vandoorne vs. Cassidy: Vandoorne advanced, maintaining his streak of Duel appearances.
- Rowland vs. de Vries: De Vries upset the favoured Rowland, marking his first Duel progression since London 2022.
- Evans vs. da Costa: Da Costa emerged victorious over Round 11 winner Mitch Evans.
- Hughes vs. Nato: Hughes triumphed over Norman Nato, achieving his first Duel win outside Misano.
Group Stages
Group A: Oliver Rowland topped the group, with Vandoorne, Cassidy, and de Vries advancing. Both Envision Racing drivers, Robin Frijns and Sebastien Buemi, and Jake Dennis were eliminated.
Group B: Hughes led his group, followed by da Costa, Evans, and Nato. Notable eliminations included yesterday’s pole sitter Vergne and championship contender Wehrlein, who will start 13th.
We went green in Shanghai again
Stoffel Vandoorne had overtaken Jake Hughes on the inside heading into Turn 1. Felix da Costa held onto third place, followed by Norman Nato, who made a significant leap to take fourth, then de Vries and Cassidy.
There were no incidents at the beginning of the race, so the pace started to pick up. Wehrlein had already gained three places at the start, moving up to tenth.
Vandoorne appeared to have no issues leading the race and continued to do so.
Nato activated his Attack Mode and relinquished the lead. He overtook Felix da Costa on the outside in Turn 1, making good use of the additional power.
Nato in the lead! ⚡️
After starting seventh on the grid, the @AndrettiFE driver leads from Vandoorne, da Costa and Polesitter Hughes.#ShanghaiEPrix pic.twitter.com/Ymlq0FZTmZ
— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) May 26, 2024
Nato drove relatively quickly for this phase of the race, clocking 1:15.358 in his last lap. This clearly frustrated Stoffel Vandoorne, who wanted to save energy but also couldn’t afford to let a gap open up.
Halfway through the race
Hughes, de Vries, and Cassidy all activated their Attack Mode. Evans also joined in, but fell behind Günther to ninth place.
Felix da Costa and Hughes overtook Vandoorne. Wehrlein just activated his Attack Mode and moved up to twelfth place ahead of Jake Dennis.
“We’re investing now and then activating Attack Mode,” Vandoorne was told, as had fallen behind de Vries, but quickly overtook the Mahindra again.
Nato was leading the race and setting the pace, but had two percent less energy than Felix da Costa, Cassidy, or Evans.
Felix da Costa took the lead using Attack Mode.
“We’ll fall back and save energy,” Nato was instructed.
As seen yesterday, de Vries had the least energy in the leading group and dropped back to eighth.
Felix da Costa activated his Attack Mode and was back behind Nato. “We can lead for at most one lap until Vandoorne’s Attack Mode ends,” his race engineer said. “After that, we need to fall back.”
Pascal Wehrlein shook his head in disbelief after a contact with Bird, apparently having an issue with his right rear wing. After a brief stop, he was able to continue. The incident will be investigated by the stewards.
DRAMA FOR @PWehrlein! ?
A puncture forces the @PorscheFormulaE driver into the pits.#ShanghaiEPrix pic.twitter.com/pJxO3On1H1
— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) May 26, 2024
Another incident between di Grassi and Ticktum was noted after the ERT driver had to pit, too.
Cassidy had damage to his front wing, not making it easier for him to hold on to his fourth place. He is told the wing is “still wobbly”, but nothing major to worry about.
Sam Bird had to retire after his contact with Wehrlein.
Closing stages
Sam Bird spun Nyck de Vries out of his good position before he retired – Bird really didn’t have a good first weekend back in the car.
Vergne and Vandoorne battled their inner-team fight, with Vandoorne coming out front.
As the final laps approached, the drivers started using their remaining energy.
Felix da Costa, in first place, had a little less energy than the Jaguars behind in P4 and P5, with Jake Hughes holding on to P2 and Norman Nato in P3.
On the final lap, nothing major happened – Felix da Costa took another win.
Final results
- Felix da Costa
- Hughes
- Nato
- Cassidy
- Evans
- Vandoorne
- Vergne
- Günther
- Frijns
- Rowland
- Dennis
- Buemi
- Mortara
- Fenestraz
- Müller
- De Vries
- Daruvala
- Sette Camara
- Di Grassi
- Wehrlein
- Ticktum
DNF – Bird
Feature Image Credit: Simon Galloway via FE media bank