Edoardo Mortara proved why he is the best qualifier of the season by taking pole position for Race 2 of the Tokyo ePrix. After missing out on Saturday, the Swiss driver bested António Félix da Costa in the final Duel to claim top spot for Sunday’s race (26). This marks the Mahindra driver’s fourth pole position of the 2025/26 Formula E season, tying the single-season record set by Jean-Éric Vergne in 2017/18.

Dan Ticktum (Cupra Kiro) and Taylor Barnard (DS Penske) were eliminated in the semi-finals and will lock out the second row of the grid. Nyck de Vries, Norman Nato, Mitch Evans, and Oliver Rowland round out the top eight drivers who advanced to the Duels stage in Saturday’s qualifying session.

It was a tough session for the Brazilian contingent. Felipe Drugovich was hampered by poor execution from Andretti and was knocked out in Group A. Following qualifying, he was handed a three-place grid penalty for impeding Sébastien Buemi, demoting him to 18th on the grid. Lucas Di Grassi competed in Group B but lacked the pace to challenge for the Duels, qualifying 19th.

Buemi and Joel Eriksson both carried three-place grid penalties into the session following incidents in Race 1. Both were eliminated in Group A and start near the back, with the Swiss driver in 17th and the Swede in 19th.

Formula E returns to the track later today (Sunday, 26).

How Tokyo ePrix Race 2 Qualifying Unfolded:

Group A

Group A featured Mitch Evans, Jake Dennis, António Félix da Costa, Nico Müller, Sébastien Buemi, Felipe Drugovich, Joel Eriksson, Jean-Éric Vergne, Taylor Barnard, and Norman Nato.

Following heavy rain that forced the cancellation of FP3 earlier, qualifying began on a damp track with standing water in several sections. When the green light went on, a glitch with the pit lane light system incorrectly indicated the pit exit was closed. Race Director Marek Hanaczewski had to inform drivers over the radio that they were cleared to hit the track.

Buemi and Eriksson were the first to set competitive times below 1m20s, with the Swede on top. As track evolution kicked in and drying lines appeared, the Swiss driver dropped to ninth. Eriksson put together a 1m17s555 to reclaim the lead, followed by Barnard, Dennis, and Müller.

As lap times continued to tumble, Da Costa took over at the top, bringing Nato along with him. Dennis and Barnard improved as well to stay inside the qualifying spots.

Evans then became the first driver to break into the 1m15s bracket to take the lead, with Müller jumping to second and Buemi third. On his final attempt, Dennis held fourth but was promptly demoted by Drugovich. The Brazilian was then shuffled out by Buemi. Vergne vaulted to third, only to be eclipsed by Müller.

However, four drivers were still finishing their flying laps: Da Costa, Evans, Barnard, and Nato. All four pushed the Swiss driver out, sealing the four Duel spots. Joining the Porsche driver on the sidelines were Vergne, Buemi, Drugovich, Dennis, and Eriksson.

Race 1 pole-sitter Jake Dennis was eliminated in Group A (Photo: Formula E)

Group B

Group B comprised Pascal Wehrlein, Oliver Rowland, Edoardo Mortara, Nick Cassidy, Nyck de Vries, Pepe Martí, Dan Ticktum, Lucas Di Grassi, Maximilian Günther, and Zane Maloney.

As expected, track conditions were slightly improved compared to the previous group, though the main straight remained quite wet. Nevertheless, times began dropping rapidly, with De Vries and Wehrlein lapping in the 1m16s range halfway through the session.

Shortly after, the German lowered the benchmark to 1m15s463, but was quickly eclipsed by the Dutchman, Rowland, and Mortara. De Vries became the first to dip into the 1m14s bracket, only to be demoted by the Cupra Kiro duo, with Ticktum ahead of Martí. Wehrlein improved his time to move back up to fourth.

The Mahindra pair surged to the top, led by Mortara, both crossing the line with enough time to launch one last attempt. Despite the evolving track, Rowland was the only driver to make a sufficient leap into the top four, pushing Martí out. Mortara, De Vries, and Ticktum successfully progressed based on their previous laps. Joining the Spanish Cupra Kiro driver in elimination were Wehrlein, Cassidy, Günther, Maloney, and Di Grassi.

Pascal Wehrlein was eliminated in Group B (Photo: Formula E)

Quarter-finals

Taylor Barnard vs. Mitch Evans

Youth met experience to kick off the Duel phase. Heading into the matchup, Barnard held a 2–1 head-to-head record. The Briton had a slight slide into Turn 1, but the New Zealander fared even worse, finishing Sector 1 over 0.3s off the pace. The margin widened in the middle sector, allowing the DS Penske driver to comfortably advance by over 0.5s.

Norman Nato vs. António Félix da Costa

Nato and Da Costa went head-to-head in a Duel for the first time. The Portuguese driver had the upper hand in Sector 1, opening up a 0.2s buffer. The Frenchman clawed back 0.1s in the middle sector, but the final sector favored the Jaguar driver, who asserted his pace to secure a spot in the next round.

Dan Ticktum vs. Nyck de Vries

Race 1 winner Ticktum opened the Group B bracket against De Vries. The Briton was just under a tenth quicker through Sector 1, but the decisive gap came in the middle sector, where the Cupra Kiro driver built nearly a 0.4s cushion. The Dutchman couldn’t make up ground in the final sector and was knocked out.

Oliver Rowland vs. Edoardo Mortara

Rowland and Mortara entered their Duel looking to keep their title hopes alive, but the Briton made a costly mistake into Turn 1, crossing Sector 1 over a full second off the pace. From there, the Swiss driver merely had to manage his pace through the remaining sectors to sail into the semi-finals.

Championship leader Mitch Evans was knocked out by Taylor Barnard in the Duels (Photo: Formula E)

Semi-finals

Taylor Barnard vs. António Félix da Costa

Barnard and Da Costa entered the match tied in head-to-head Duels with one victory apiece. Both recorded near-identical Sector 1 times, with the Portuguese driver 0.070s quicker. The Jaguar driver was also marginally faster in the middle sector, with the trend repeating in the final sector to seal his spot in the final by just 0.1s.

Dan Ticktum vs. Edoardo Mortara

Another head-to-head tie entering Tokyo, with two wins each. Ticktum set off first on his lap, only to see Mortara go 0.2s faster in Sector 1 alone. The Briton trimmed part of the deficit in Sector 2, but the Mahindra driver asserted his dominance in the final sector to advance to the final once again.

Final

António Félix da Costa vs. Edoardo Mortara

Although Mortara was the favorite, Da Costa held the advantage in their head-to-head history. However, the Mahindra driver was significantly stronger in Sector 1, immediately opening up a 0.4s advantage. The gap expanded further in the middle sector, allowing the Swiss driver to safely guide the car home through the final sector to seal pole position.

Formula E 2025/26: Tokyo ePrix Race 2 Starting Grid