Edoardo Mortara set the benchmark in Formula E’s opening session in Tokyo. In a frantic late-session flurry of fast laps as conditions improved, the Mahindra driver delivered a 1m13s094 after the chequered flag to top FP1. DS Penske’s Maximilian Günther finished second, with Andretti’s Jake Dennis close behind in third.

The practice session began 15 minutes late due to heavy downpours over Tokyo earlier in the day. While the circuit dried rapidly, Turn 1 retained a significant standing water puddle that triggered two near-misses: Oliver Rowland missed the apex and ran straight off, while Sébastien Buemi washed wide and nearly made contact with António Félix da Costa. Both drivers avoided damage.

Pascal Wehrlein (Porsche) and Da Costa (Jaguar) completed the top five, followed by Nyck de Vries, Dan Ticktum, Nick Cassidy, Norman Nato, and Mitch Evans to round out the top 10.

It was a quiet Friday for the Brazilian drivers. Andretti’s Felipe Drugovich briefly held a top-10 spot during the second half of the session but couldn’t keep pace during the late qualifying simulations, ending up 16th. Meanwhile, Lucas Di Grassi ended up well adrift of the leaders, placing his Lola Yamaha entry in 19th.

How Tokyo E-Prix FP1 Unfolded:

Torrential rain over Tokyo hours before FP1 forced a delay to the session start. By the originally scheduled start time (19:00 local, 07:00 Brasilia time), the rain had stopped, but the track surface remained soaked. Consequently, the only vehicle on track initially was the Safety Car, running laps to assess track conditions and help establish a racing line.

Fifteen minutes past schedule, green flags waved and drivers were cleared to hit the track. Sector 1 retained significant standing water, particularly into Turn 1, leading to representative lap times taking a while to emerge.

Pascal Wehrlein and António Félix da Costa were the first to break below the 1m20s mark, with the German posting a 1m19s606 to go fastest by 0.232s. On the following tour, the Portuguese driver clocked a 1m18s845 to snatch P1—though not without a moment at Turn 7 where he nearly lost the rear into the wall.

With just over 31 minutes remaining, Mahindra and Citroën joined the fray. Edoardo Mortara and Nyck de Vries jumped to second and third respectively. Shortly after, Jean-Éric Vergne moved ahead of both into second, with Nick Cassidy slotting in right behind.

The running order shifted rapidly. Mortara vaulted to P1, bringing Da Costa along with him. Jake Dennis claimed third place, with Wehrlein dropping to fourth. Felipe Drugovich also put in a solid run to move up to sixth, just behind De Vries.

Mortara became the first driver to crack the 1m17s barrier, but was quickly eclipsed by his teammate De Vries, who posted a 1m16s702 to assume the lead. With 25 minutes left, teams began simulated Pit Boost test runs—the mandatory pit-stop feature featured in this weekend’s opening race.

Da Costa remained out on track and set a 1m16s143 to retake the lead, only for Mortara to respond immediately, going 0.039s faster. The Jaguar driver wasn’t the only one struggling at Turn 7: Dan Ticktum and Sébastien Buemi both suffered snappy oversteer at the same corner.

De Vries appeared untroubled by the low-grip conditions, posting a 1m15s934 to reclaim P1. Ticktum produced a strong lap to go second, 0.112s back. Almost simultaneously, Oliver Rowland ran straight on at Turn 1 due to standing water, but avoided the barriers and safely rejoined the track.

Buemi also slid wide at the same turn but stayed on track. His momentary loss of speed allowed Da Costa to close in rapidly; a surprised Buemi nearly made contact with the Jaguar before gesturing an apology.

The final 15 minutes erupted into a frantic late-session shootout, with drivers repeatedly trading fastest sector times. Cassidy kicked off the sequence by demoting De Vries from the top spot, with Wehrlein following close behind. Dennis improved his personal best as well, slotting temporarily into second.

Vergne then ousted Cassidy to create a provisional 1-2 for Citroën. Moments later, Da Costa edged past both to reclaim P1, only for Joel Eriksson to immediately top his time.

Nico Müller surged to the top, but the Swiss driver’s stint at P1 was brief. Mortara and De Vries bumped the Porsche driver down, with the Dutchman leading a temporary Mahindra 1-2. Wehrlein then responded on behalf of Porsche, putting the German squad back on top of the timing screens.

Just as the session seemed settled, Maximilian Günther surfaced after the chequered flag to take provisional P1. However, Mortara was still flying on his final push lap, demonstrating Mahindra’s raw pace with a 1m13s094 to finish Friday’s session fastest overall in Tokyo.

Formula E 2025/26: Tokyo E-Prix – FP1 Results

Fórmula E 2025/26: resultado do TL1 do eP de Tóquio