He was the fastest driver from Group A and had his path eased in the semi-final duel after Nico Müller hit the wall, before pulling off an impressive comeback victory over favorite Edoardo Mortara in the final to secure top spot on the grid for Saturday’s (25) race.

Jaguar’s António Félix da Costa and Porsche’s Nico Müller fell in the semi-finals and will start from the second row. Taylor Barnard, Dan Ticktum, Nick Cassidy, and Pascal Wehrlein complete the top eight. Jean-Éric Vergne advanced to the duels and initially qualified 7th, but received a three-place grid penalty post-qualifying for impeding a flying lap by Zane Maloney.

Lucas Di Grassi finished only 9th in Group A, failing to advance to the duels stage, and will line up 17th. Meanwhile, Felipe Drugovich did not even take part in qualifying. The Brazilian hit the wall during FP2, damaging the suspension and powertrain on his Andretti car, which the team did not have enough time to repair. Despite not setting a time, he was cleared to race and starts 20th.

Zane Maloney starts 19th. The Barbadian was eliminated in 10th place in Group B and was already set to start on the back row due to a 20-place grid penalty for a gearbox change. As a result, he will also need to serve a stop-and-go penalty during the race to fulfill the remainder of the sanction.

How Tokyo E-Prix Race 1 Qualifying Unfolded:

Group A

Group A featured Pascal Wehrlein, Oliver Rowland, Jake Dennis, Nico Müller, Nick Cassidy, Joel Eriksson, Lucas Di Grassi, Taylor Barnard, and Norman Nato. Felipe Drugovich was also assigned to this group, but missed qualifying due to a heavy crash in FP2.

Despite no rain, qualifying began under cooler temperatures compared to the earlier session held under bright sunshine. As a result, drivers completed extra warm-up laps. Rowland, Nato, and Di Grassi were the first to put on-board benchmark times before pitting immediately after. Barnard slotted between them into second, just behind the Briton. The reigning champion also made contact with the wall at Turns 16 and 18.

Cassidy surged to the top, but was quickly eclipsed by Dennis, who became the first to break into the 1m13s bracket. Eriksson placed behind both, but his spot in the qualifying zone was short-lived. The Porsche duo mounted a strong response, with Müller jumping to second while Wehrlein moved up to fourth.

On the final runs, Müller improved his lap time while remaining in second. With his duel spot already secured, Dennis headed straight back to the pits without completing his lap. Cassidy climbed to third, while Barnard moved up to fourth, bumping Wehrlein out of the promotion spots. Alongside Wehrlein, Nato, Eriksson, Rowland, and Di Grassi were all eliminated.

Group B

Group B consisted of Mitch Evans, António Félix da Costa, Edoardo Mortara, Sébastien Buemi, Nyck de Vries, Pepe Martí, Jean-Éric Vergne, Dan Ticktum, Maximilian Günther, and Zane Maloney.

No one wanted to waste time, and the track filled up as soon as pit lane opened. Evans was the first to set a timed lap, though it was off the pace compared to Group A’s times. Mortara and De Vries jumped to the top two spots, before Günther slotted in between them. Vergne then went faster than everyone to take the lead, dragging Ticktum up to second.

Da Costa ran wide into the chicane at Turns 10 and 11, making him the last driver to set a time. However, on his first fast lap, he flew to the top of the leaderboards with the fastest lap of qualifying up to that point. Meanwhile, Evans brushed the wall, had to abort a lap, and struggled for pace throughout the remainder of the session.

On the final attempts, Mortara improved his own time to move into second. De Vries, on the other hand, put together a poor lap and failed to advance. Ticktum improved to third before Vergne reclaimed the position. Da Costa mirrored Dennis’ earlier tactic, heading into the pits without making a final attempt. With no further improvements from the rest of the field, the top four remained unchanged. Günther, De Vries, Buemi, Evans, Martí, and Maloney were eliminated. The Barbadian driver complained on the radio that he had been impeded by Vergne.

Quarter-Finals

• Nick Cassidy vs. Nico MüllerDespite both being Formula E veterans, Cassidy and Müller had never faced each other in a duel until now. The New Zealander was the first to start his lap and ran significantly slower than his rival, with Müller pulling out over 0.3s in the first sector alone. The Swiss driver added another 0.1s in the middle sector, comfortably managing the final sector to advance with ease.
• Taylor Barnard vs. Jake DennisIn another first-time matchup, Barnard and Dennis closed out the Group A side of the bracket. The DS Penske driver crossed the line first, but Dennis was faster through Sector 1. Barnard closed the gap in the second sector, leaving everything to play for in the final turns. When it came down to the wire, the experience of the Andretti driver proved decisive as Dennis booked his spot in the next round.
• Jean-Éric Vergne vs. Edoardo MortaraOpening the Group B bracket, Mortara came in holding a 3–0 head-to-head record in duels against Vergne. The Swiss driver asserted his authority early, setting faster times in the opening two sectors. The Citroën driver stumbled in the final sector and was no match for his Mahindra rival.
• Dan Ticktum vs. António Félix da CostaClosing out the quarter-finals, Ticktum and Da Costa went head-to-head in a battle of Porsche vs. Jaguar powertrains—the two leading forces in Formula E. The Portuguese driver built a lead of over 0.2s in Sector 1 and extended his advantage slightly through the middle section. The Briton was faster in the final sector, but it wasn’t enough to turn the tide, ending his duel run.

Semi-Finals

• Jake Dennis vs. Nico MüllerAn all-Porsche powertrain battle opened the semi-final stage. Dennis took to the track first and opened up a 0.3s lead over Müller in Sector 1. Pushing hard to close the gap, the Swiss driver lost control through the chicane at Turns 10 and 11 and crashed heavily into the barrier, ending the duel in favor of the Briton. Following repairs to the barrier, Dennis had to take an extra lap to determine the running order for the final duel, posting a 1m19.531s.
• António Félix da Costa vs. Edoardo MortaraThe second semi-final was delayed due to the barrier repairs and Dennis’ extra lap. Once given the green light, Mortara went 0.1s faster in Sector 1. The Swiss driver extended his lead through the middle sector and, despite being slightly slower in the final section, held on to advance to the final.

Final

• Jake Dennis vs. Edoardo MortaraHaving cruised through his semi-final following Müller’s crash, Dennis had to run first against Mortara, who took advantage of the track position to establish a lead of over 0.2s in Sector 1. The Briton fought back in Sector 2 and delivered a stunning final sector. A mistake by the Swiss driver at Turn 15 cost him crucial time, handing the Andretti driver pole position.

Formula E 2025/26: Tokyo E-Prix Race 1 Starting Grid:

*Atualizado com a punição de Vergne