Jaguar’s Mitch Evans took pole position for Race 1 of the Formula E Berlin E-Prix double-header at the Tempelhof Circuit, after rainfall enforced a changed format in qualifying.
With rain falling across the German capital, the decision was made to truncate qualifying at the group stage, meaning the fastest time across both groups would determine pole position.
Evans’ Group A lap of 1:11.021s was enough to see him take his first pole of the season, being joined on the front row by Robin Frijns’ Envision.
Oliver Rowland, who can secure the title this weekend, was third, with Maserati’s Jake Hughes fourth.
Maximilian Guenther was fifth for DS Penske, with Antonio Felix da Costa sixth, recovering from yesterday’s collision with team-mate Pascal Wehrlein.
The second DS Penske of Jean-Eric Vergne was seventh, with Dan Ticktum’s Kiro eighth.
Wehrlein, taking into account his three-place grid penalty for his role in the da Costa incidenrt, was ninth, with Taylor Barnard 10th.
Group A was a step into the unknown, the grainy Tempelhof surface and the extra grease caused by the rain ensured a great deal of cars sliding around, exacerbated further by tricky tyres.
The first half of the timed group was dominated by Evans, whose 1:12.794s was the benchmark, 1.3s faster than Rowland’s Nissan.
Da Costa and Jake Dennis leapfrogged Rowland, but the Andretti’s lap was only just within a second of the Jaguar, as Guenther moved into the top four, bumping da Costa down.
Ticktum set his best lap so far, putting him third, as Rowland then went up into second, seven tenths off the Kiwi.
Both the Yorkshireman and Guenther could not improve, as Evans rubbed it in further by going a further two tenths quicker.
Guenther momentarily went second, but Rowland swiftly went back ahead.
Group B was initially headed up by Frijns, his 1:12.138s placing him three tenths ahead of Stoffel Vandoorne in second, with Wehrlein and Barnard close behind.
The Dutchman went quicker still but dream looked gone when Wehrlein snuck into top spot, but he immediately went into four tenths quicker.
Hughes went second with a 1:11.344s, as Vergne popped into fourth place. Nobody else were able to improve on their times, and when both groups’ times were aggregated, Evans emerged as the man who will start the race at the front.
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