Jake Dennis delivered a clutch performance under the Tokyo street circuit lights, snatching pole position for the 2026 Formula E Tokyo E-Prix in a breath-taking final duel.
Before Qualifying at the Tokyo E-Prix
Edoardo Mortara set the pace ahead of qualifying for the 2026 Formula E Tokyo E-Prix, topping the timesheets in both rain-affected FP1 and a disrupted FP2.
A red flag caused by Andretti’s Felipe Drugovich hitting the wall temporarily halted FP2, but Mortara maintained his dominance over Dan Ticktum and championship leader Pascal Wehrlein.
Despite minor wall brushes from several drivers on the challenging street circuit, Mortara held on to the fastest lap time heading into the high-stakes qualifying session.
Qualifying commences
Porsche aimed to extend the dominant run of its powertrains, which had claimed the previous six consecutive pole positions, while championship leader Pascal Wehrlein sought to build on his three-race streak of duel appearances.
A reduced nine-car field took to the track for the first session following Felipe Drugovich’s FP2 crash, which ruled the Andretti driver out of contention.
Group A
Jake Dennis led the opening group into the duels, with Nico Mueller, Nick Cassidy, and Taylor Barnard also securing their spots in the head-to-head knockout stages.
In a major twist for the title fight, championship leader Pascal Wehrlein failed to advance, dealing a heavy blow to his hopes of clinching the crown in Japan.
Home favourites Nissan suffered a bitter double elimination on home soil, with both Oliver Rowland and Norman Nato missing out on the top four.
The shocking exit of key contenders left the grid wide open, dramatically reshaping the stakes for the upcoming duel phase.
Group B
Antonio Felix da Costa produced a masterclass on Tokyo’s tricky street circuit to top Group B with a 1:13.652, setting the overall fastest benchmark.
Joining him in the duels were Edoardo Mortara, Jean-Eric Vergne, and Dan Ticktum, with Mortara missing out on the top spot by a mere 0.017 seconds.
Title contender Mitch Evans struggled immensely with tyre grip, finishing a disappointing eighth in the group to severely hamper his race prospects.
With tricky, rain-threatened conditions on the horizon at the Tokyo E-Prix, Evans and the other eliminated drivers now face a daunting recovery drive from deep in the pack.
Duels at the Tokyo E-Prix
Quarter Final
Mueller vs. Cassidy
Quarter Final 1 saw Nico Mueller kick off the duels in commanding fashion, comfortably defeating Nick Cassidy by nearly half a second with a 1:12.109 to Cassidy’s 1:12.574.
Barnard vs. Dennis
Jake Dennis edged out Taylor Barnard in a much closer battle, taking his Andretti machine through with a 1:12.289 compared to Barnard’s 1:12.359.
Vergne vs. Mortara
This Quarter Final delivered a spectacular statement drive from Edoardo Mortara, who kept his championship ambitions firmly alive by setting the fastest lap of the session—a 1:12.090—to defeat Jean-Eric Vergne’s 1:12.522.
Ticktum vs. Da Costa
The final Quarter Final saw Antonio Felix da Costa seal the last semi-final slot with a 1:12.321, narrowly beating out Dan Ticktum, who posted a 1:12.427.
Semi Finals
Dennis vs. Mueller
This Semi Final ended in drama when Nico Mueller clipped the kerb at Turn 6 and crashed his Porsche heavily into the barriers, causing a session suspension; while Mueller escaped unhurt, the severe damage left his team facing a race against time before the E-Prix, handing Jake Dennis a default spot in the Final once he completed his required lap.
Mortara vs. Da Costa
This Duel staged a thrilling showdown between Edoardo Mortara and Antonio Felix da Costa, with Mortara producing a scintillating 1:11.889 to edge out the Portuguese driver by just 0.074 seconds narrowly.
Final
Mortara vs. Dennis
The Final saw a high-stakes duel for pole position between Dennis and Mortara. Although Mortara held the advantage through the early part of the lap, a blistering final sector allowed Dennis to snatch pole position by a mere 0.052 seconds with a 1:11.863.
READ MORE – Formula E Tokyo E-Prix – Race 1 Qualifying Results
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