Wehrlein cruises to London E-Prix Race 1 victory as Dennis finishes 2nd to limit damage

Pascal Wehrlein came out on top in the first Formula E race in London. On Saturday (15), the German led the majority of the event, aided by excellent rear-guard teamwork from Nico Müller, and caught a break with a well-timed Full Course Yellow. The neutralizations allowed him to complete his mandatory Pit Boost without losing track position, rejoining ahead of everyone who had already pitted. In the closing stages, he simply managed his built-up lead to claim his third victory of the season and jump to the top of the championship standings.

Jake Dennis delivered a strong performance to minimize the damage by finishing in second place, keeping himself well within reach of the title ahead of Sunday’s (16) decisive finale. António Félix da Costa rounded out the top 3 on the London podium.

Sébastien Buemi and Taylor Barnard completed the top 5. Dan Ticktum, Edoardo Mortara, Mitch Evans, Nick Cassidy, and Oliver Rowland filled out the rest of the top ten to collect the remaining points.

It was a tough day at the ExCeL Arena for the Brazilian drivers. Felipe Drugovich attempted an early Attack Mode strategy to make up ground through the field, but safety interventions compromised his race, leaving him in 16th—last among the running cars at the checkered flag. Meanwhile, Lucas Di Grassi crashed out and retired.

Following Saturday’s results, Wehrlein takes over the championship lead with 169 points. Dennis drops to second with 164 points, while Evans sits third with 148 points. The trio remain the only drivers mathematically eligible for the World Championship title heading into the final round.

How London E-Prix Race 1 Unfolded

The start went cleanly through the opening sequence of turns. As expected, Wehrlein held the lead comfortably without any challenge from teammate Müller. Evans and Dennis took a conservative approach, maintaining third and fifth places respectively. Drugovich suffered a difficult launch, dropping from 14th to 17th.

Through the opening laps, Müller’s protective role became clear. The Swiss driver ran at a reduced pace to hold up the chasing pack, enabling Wehrlein to build nearly a 3-second cushion up front—a critical gap for his planned Pit Boost strategy.

Norman Nato was forced into the pit lane for a tire change after making contact with Zane Maloney. Evans narrowly avoided clipping the back of Müller’s car during early squabbles. Further back, Drugovich became the first driver to arm Attack Mode at the end of lap 3 in an attempt to recover ground.

By lap 5, Wehrlein eased his pace slightly to preserve energy, while Müller put on a defensive masterclass to hold off attacks from Evans, who probed every gap without finding a way through.

On lap 6, Maloney suffered a left-rear suspension failure exiting Turn 9 and came to a halt on track. A Full Course Yellow was deployed to clear the stalled machine. Race control investigated a potential touch with Nato shortly before the breakdown, though no further action was taken.

The intervention played into Wehrlein’s hands, letting him maintain his track margin without draining extra battery. Conversely, Di Grassi came under investigation for failing to respect the speed limit during the yellow period, resulting in a 5-second time penalty.

Di Grassi later ran straight on at Turn 22 on lap 22, striking the barrier padding and triggering a second Full Course Yellow. The timing allowed the field to complete their mandatory Pit Boost pit stops with minimal time loss. Wehrlein pitted under neutral conditions and re-emerged in the lead ahead of those who had already completed their stops.

Dennis launched a aggressive late attack on Da Costa for third place before diving past Ticktum into Turn 1 to capture second. Da Costa followed him through, while Evans produced a double overtake on Cassidy and Müller to move up to eighth.

Up front, Wehrlein carefully managed his margin over the closing laps to claim his third victory of the season and take control of the World Drivers’ Championship with one race remaining.

London E-Prix Race 1 Results