Pascal Wehrlein took the first pole position of the 2025/2026 Formula E season at the Sao Paulo E-Prix, and his 10th in the championship overall, but won’t start the race from the first position due to a grid penalty.
The German took the all-important three championship points for the fastest time in the Final, but will drop down due to a new regulation – wheelspinning in the pit lane.
Dennis inherits pole position as a result, with Dan Ticktum lining up alongside him on the front row, with Edo Mortara third.
Wehrlein will start fourth, with the second Mahindra of Nyck de Vries fifth, and Antonio Felix da Costa sixth in his first race for Jaguar.
The stage for qualifying in Sao Paulo was set by a fiercely competitive Free Practice 2 session, topped by Season 10 champion Pascal Wehrlein.
The Porsche driver clocked a 1:09.853 to lead the field after the cancellation of Friday’s FP1, edging out Mahindra’s Nyck de Vries by just 0.057s as teams squeezed maximum learning into the extended track time.
Mahindra’s strong pre-season form carried through, with both de Vries and Edoardo Mortara featuring at the sharp end throughout the session, though it was Dan Ticktum who briefly split them in the final minutes before Wehrlein’s late flyer reshuffled the order.
Behind the top three, Mortara and reigning champion Oliver Rowland completed a top five separated by less than three tenths.
With four teams represented in the top five — and the top ten covered by just half a second — the competitive picture ahead of qualifying remains wide open.
Local favourite Felipe Drugovich impressed with ninth for Andretti, while newcomers and title contenders alike showed flashes of pace across a tightly packed field.
All signs point to an unpredictable and hard-fought qualifying battle to come on the streets of Sao Paulo.
Group Stages
Zane Maloney set the first lap of the session in Sao Paulo, a 1:17.326, but it was only a cooldown lap. He prepared for a faster run, but trouble struck.
A driveshaft issue forced him into the pits, ending his qualifying early. It’s another setback for the Lola Yamaha ABT squad after Lucas di Grassi’s problems in FP2.
Jake Dennis then put in the first competitive time. He jumped to the top with a 1:12.419 after going quickest in Sector 1. Moments later, Antonio Felix da Costa went faster by three tenths, posting a 1:12.140.
Several drivers lost laps to track-limits violations as the pace increased.
Da Costa ended the session on top and won Group A. Jean-Eric Vergne, Edoardo Mortara, and Jake Dennis joined him in advancing. Reigning champion Oliver Rowland missed out. He finished only fifth.
Rookies Pepe Marti and Joel Eriksson set some competitive times, but only managed P7 and P9.
As in Group A, the early laps in Group B offered little.
Drivers circulated without pushing, and only in the final five minutes did anyone attempt a meaningful time. Drugovich, Cassidy, Buemi, and Nato briefly held the top four, though none had delivered a proper fast lap.
Then the session turned due to a Red Flag. Felipe Drugovich stopped at Turn 4 after he clipped the wall with his right wheel, bringing the group to a halt.
The interruption ruined the teams’ run plans, wiping out their tyre prep for the final push. When running resumed, only two and a half minutes remained for a single decisive lap.
Drugovich still led the times, but his best lap was destined to be deleted for causing the red flag. Even without the penalty, his 1:20.380 was unlikely to advance.
Moments later, Lucas di Grassi climbed out of his car. Another blow for Lola Yamaha ABT after Maloney’s earlier issue.
When the clocks hit zero, Norman Nato delivered the surprise of the group.
He topped Group B with a 1:12.308 for Nissan. Pascal Wehrlein, Nyck de Vries, and Dan Ticktum also progressed to the Duels.
Duels
Edoardo Mortara and Jean-Eric Vergne opened the quarter-finals. Mortara set the benchmark and immediately looked strong. He gained a tenth in Sector 1 and kept building the gap. Vergne could not match him. Mortara won comfortably by more than half a second — an impressive lap, though Vergne could still take positives from his first Duel outing with Citroën.
Next came Jake Dennis versus António Felix da Costa. Both drivers launched into their push laps, with da Costa faster in Sectors 1 and 2. But Dennis delivered a brilliant final sector. He overturned the deficit and won the duel with a 1:10.200, beating da Costa by 0.112s.
Pascal Wehrlein then faced Nyck de Vries. The Porsche driver dominated the lap, pulling out nearly four tenths. It was the fastest time of the day so far — a tough blow for de Vries after Mahindra’s strong form.
The final duel paired Dan Ticktum with Norman Nato. Ticktum set his time first and immediately went quicker in Sector 1. Nato could not respond. Ticktum’s 1:10.137 secured the win by three tenths and ended qualifying for both Nissans.
The semi-finals featured two familiar pairings. Edoardo Mortara faced Jake Dennis, with both drivers having one previous duel win against the other. The second match-up put Pascal Wehrlein against Dan Ticktum, a pairing that also stood at one victory each. Three Porsche-powered cars and one Mahindra reached this stage.
The green flag signalled the start of the semi-finals.
Mortara set the first time in their duel. He edged Dennis in Sector 1, but the advantage slipped away.
A costly mistake in Sector 2 opened the door for Dennis. The Andretti driver seized it and moved into the final by just 0.013s.
Wehrlein and Ticktum then fought for the other place in the final. Ticktum pushed hard and matched the Porsche driver across the lap, even threatening an upset with a rapid final sector.
But Wehrlein held on. He posted a 1:09.804 to beat Ticktum’s 1:09.878 and advanced to the pole shootout.
However, Wehrlein was confirmed to not start from pole position in Sao Paulo, even if he won the final. He received a three-place grid penalty for wheelspin in the pit lane.
The final was now about the first three points awarded in the 2025/2025 season – Jake Dennis will start from pole either way.
Pascal Wehrlein opened the final with a strong first sector, almost two tenths quicker than Jake Dennis. Dennis struggled through the opening corners and could not recover the lost time, setting a 1:10.114.
Wehrlein completed an outstanding lap. He stopped the clock at 1:09.812 and won the final duel.
Despite beating Dennis by three-tenths, Wehrlein will not start from Pole. His three-place grid penalty for wheelspin in the pit lane drops him to fourth on tomorrow’s grid — though he still collects the valuable three championship points for pole position.
READ MORE – Formula E 2025 Sao Paulo E-Prix – Qualifying Results
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