Pascal Wehrlein took an emphatic pole position for the Formula E London E-Prix, with Nico Mueller setting up an all-Porsche front row.
Group 1
At the green light, the cars all took to the track instantly, with the exception of the Mahindras, who remained in the garage. De Vries made contact with Jake Dennis on his opening build lap, the two continued their duel for another lap, the Andretti unable to pass as the Mahindra squeezed him. The stewards launched an immediate investigation into the collision, de Vries then opting to back off.
In the first representative lap times, Dennis led the standings as he channelled his anger into speed, while Pascal Wehrlein’s Porsche also enjoyed a stint at the top. Dan Ticktum aimed to put a difficult start to the weekend behind him after issues saw him miss the first 30 minutes of practice, moving into second.
At the chequered flag, Mortara made a mistake on his last lap, hitting the wall, dashing his hopes for taking pole position. De Vries was also eliminated in a disaster for Mahindra, with Lucas Di Grassi, Norman Nato, Felipe Drugovich all failing to progress. Wehrlein, Ticktum, Dennis and Vergne all made it through to the duels, meaning the top three were all in contention for pole position.
Eliminated: Di Grassi, Nato, Drugovich, Mortara, Cassidy, De Vries
Group 2
Group 2 got underway with all cars taking to the track. The drivers behaved themselves in their opening laps, with everyone opting to keep out of trouble. As the cars picked up speed, a small queue formed but no one ended up being blocked.
The first representative laps underlined Porsche’s speed, with Nico Mueller moving to the top of the times. Antonio Felix Da Costa hit the wall at the Turn 9 but was able to continue, moving into fourth,
Oliver Rowland ran out of tyres at the chequered flag and did not progress, alomg with Sebastian Buemi, Taylor Barnard, Pepi Marti, Zane Maloney and Max Guenther, who endured a nightmare.
Mueller, title contender Mitch Evans, Joel Eriksson, and Da Costa all made it through the duels.
Quarter Finals
Dennis vs Ticktum
Two Brits were first up in the duels with Ticktum holding the advantage in the first sector. Dennis started to catch his compatriot towards the end of the lap, but ultimately lost out to Ticktum, impacting his championship hopes.
Vergne vs Wehrlein
Wehrlein looked in complete control on his quarter final lap, extending his grip over a semi-final place in every sector, before losing time towards the end of the lap. He was still able to secure the place by nearly two tenths of a second in a convincing display.
Eriksson vs Evans
Both these drivers were leaving their teams at the end of the weekend, so this duel presented the penultimate hurrah. Evans, in the title hunt, had the most to lose, but looked comfortable, progressing to the semi final by almost four tenths of a second.
Da Costa vs Mueller
Da Costa entered the session compromised after his impact with the wall, Mueller able to progress by over a tenth of a second, after a close battle between the pair. The Jaguar looked difficult to drive, and this would impact his team’s ability to use team orders in the race.
Semi Finals
Wehrlein vs Ticktum
Two of the strongest qualifers on the grid went head to head for a shot at the front row. Both left nothing on the table, the gaps between them less than a tenth of a second. At the chequered flag, it became clear that Ticktum backed off, Wehrlein securing a front row start, important for his title aspirations.
Mueller vs Evans
Evans looked to join his title rival on the front row, both pushing to the limits of adhesion. Mueller crossed the line first, ending up almost three-tenths of a second clear, setting up an all-Porsche front row.
Final – Wehrlein vs Mueller
Mueller held the advantage in the opening sectors, before he backed off substantially, gifting Wehrlein pole position by 1.1 seconds, with the German taking pole position for the first race of the weekend.
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