Formula E Live Ticker
From July 24th we will be covering the race weekend in Tokyo. You can find out more in advance here:
And with that, I’ll say goodbye for now! From 14 August, we’ll be witnessing one of the most thrilling finals in Formula E history in London. Jake Dennis, Mitch Evans, Pascal Wehrlein and Oliver Rowland will be battling it out for the title. The gaps are minimal, ensuring maximum excitement! We have Tokyo to thank for that.
Although there aren’t any points to celebrate at Porsche, the manufacturer has secured the title ahead of schedule thanks to this race! On the one hand, because Dennis is scoring good points, but above all because Jaguar is scoring hardly any points.
In qualifying, it still looked as though Mortara and Felix da Costa might seize the opportunity at the last moment and get back into the World Championship race. Neither of them managed to score points today. Unless a miracle happens in London, the title is virtually out of reach for both of them.
Jean-Eric Vergne actually finished fifth, but due to his mistake during the red flag period, he will probably not be allowed to keep that position. Norman Nato finally scores some points as well, finishing sixth. Sébastien Buemi, Nico Müller and both DS Penkse drivers – Barnard ahead of Günther – round off the top 10!
Oliver Rowland picks up a lot of vital points by finishing fourth and narrows the gap to the championship leaders. The spectators could hardly have been any luckier. Neither Evans nor Wehrlein scored any points, whilst their closest rivals, Dennis and Rowland, bagged the big points. JAKE DENNIS HEADS TO LONDON AS CHAMPIONSHIP LEADER! There are just 14 points separating first and fourth place.
The start of the season was so tough for Nyck de Vries, but the Dutchman managed to fight his way back. After Monaco, this is De Vries’ second win of the season! Over the radio, he says that taking a gamble on tyre pressure has paid off. He reckons he was lucky that the track dried out.
NYCK DE VRIES WINS IN TOKYO! NO ONE CAN TAKE HIS SIXTH VICTORY AWAY FROM HIM! Nick Cassidy manages to hold on to second place and secure his second podium finish of the race weekend as he crosses the finish line. Right behind him, Dennis finishes third!
ONE LAST SPRINT IN TOKYO! The race is being decided right now! De Vries stays in the lead at Turn 1!
We’ll be back in a few moments...
The chances of De Vries being overtaken are slim. With the rolling start, we definitely won’t see any manoeuvres in Turn 1 under normal circumstances, and that’s where the best overtaking opportunity lies.
The drivers are being led back onto the track! We’re about to see one final lap of the race!
At Porsche, they’re adjusting the tyre pressure on the cars. There’s not much to lose anyway, as they’ll be starting the remaining lap from well down the field. There’ll be a flying restart shortly. The pole-sitter, Edoardo Mortara, will no longer be taking part.
Without the red flag, Jake Dennis would almost certainly have won the race. Now De Vries has another chance to defend his race win. Oliver Rowland is currently third. Vergne is also providing some very curious scenes. The Frenchman hasn’t driven into the pit lane and is standing right in the middle of the start-finish straight. In the WEC, that’s exactly where you’re supposed to go when the red flag is out, but not in Formula E. Perhaps Vergne has got something mixed up. After all, he also competes in the endurance series. But this will definitely cost him a good result.
There are still two laps to go. If there’s a restart, there’ll probably only be a single lap at race pace! So far, that’s how it looks.
Eriksson overtakes Mortara, and the Swiss driver ‘thanks’ him by sending him into the barrier! No other car could get past there. Neither of them will probably be able to continue if the race is given the green light. The cars behind them – including both Jaguars and Wehrlein – simply had to wait.
RED FLAG! THAT’S IT! EIGHT CARS ARE BUNCHED UP IN THE CHICANE! We don’t see a showdown on the cards just yet!
Jake Dennis is the fastest driver and has overtaken Vergne. The Briton still has two and a half minutes of Attack Mode left! HE CAN STILL WIN!
Jake Dennis is chasing Vergne, who is now five seconds behind Cassidy and running low on energy. Cassidy is right behind De Vries! Meanwhile, Wehrlein is nowhere to be seen! LAST! Evans is just ahead of him in 18th place!
Vergne overtakes Rowland to take 3rd place! BOTH CITROËNS ARE NOW ON THE PODIUM! But Cassidy might just win the race. He’s faster than De Vries.
Nyck de Vries overtakes Rowland to take the lead! Unbelievable – he’s two seconds faster than Rowland! Cassidy also overtakes Vergne and now Rowland too. He, too, is two seconds faster than the rest. The same goes for Dennis, who is now right behind Vergne and Rowland.
Nyck de Vries uses Attack Mode to overtake Vergne, who had previously failed in an attempt to overtake Barnard. Barnard is now being overtaken by De Vries, and Vergne is also passing the Brit! Dennis is already sixth!
Jake Dennis has just pulled off a miraculous lap! He’s in 9th place and is three seconds faster than even Rowland and Vergne! At Andretti, they’ve definitely taken a gamble with the tyre pressure given their poor starting position! Six laps to go!
It’s as if we’re watching Vergne and Di Grassi’s masterstroke from Shanghai all over again! Vergne and Rowland are the fastest drivers on the track, and Barnard is only just managing to keep up with Attack Mode.
There are still eight laps to go, but the reigning world champion is unstoppable! As Barnard activates his Attack Mode, he takes the lead! Rowland is in first place! Vergne has also come out of nowhere and is already third!
Oliver Rowland is getting faster and faster. He’s the fastest driver on the grid and can now even overtake Ticktum for third place! It looks as though Nissan took a gamble with the tyre pressure and are now benefiting from the track drying out. HE’S ALREADY IN SECOND PLACE! He’s overtaken both Felix da Costa and Mortara!
Evans complains to his team that they sent him into Attack Mode at the wrong time. He apparently wanted to activate it earlier, but was ignored. He sounds frustrated, and rightly so!
Taylor Barnard has managed to pull away slightly and leads the race by a second. Dan Ticktum and Rowland, with Evans in their wake, are closing the gap on the leaders.
Evans activates his Attack Mode and slots in right behind Wehrlein and Rowland. He quickly overtakes Wehrlein, but Rowland puts up a fight and manages to stay ahead. A very bad time for Evans to activate his Attack Mode!
Dan Ticktum overtakes Mitch Evans for 4th place! The New Zealander and Jaguar must be sure they can get past the Brit again later without any problems; otherwise, they would have reacted by activating their DRS, as Evans had a big enough lead. Taylor Barnard makes short work of Felix da Costa and Mortara! The young Briton from DS Penske is in the lead!
Ticktum also activates his Attack Mode and tries to make up lost ground. Evans, ahead of him, still has both activations left and is just four seconds behind the leader! Barnard is now just one and a half seconds behind the leader.
GREEN FLAG! The race has resumed. Mortara immediately tries to challenge Felix da Costa for the lead, but the Portuguese driver manages to pull away slightly. Barnard, in third place, activates his Attack Mode!
Buemi pushed Marti into the wall. There’s definitely going to be a penalty for that. But the Spaniard is fine. Just before the full-course yellow phase, Evans managed to overtake Ticktum! Mortara’s ‘Attack Mode’ is now over.
Pepe Marti has crashed into the barrier in Sector 3! It looks as though his suspension has broken. It’s a full-course yellow now! Mortara is just half a second behind Felix da Costa, but this slow phase might cost him the chance to overtake!
Edoardo Mortara has activated his first Attack Mode! He’ll probably be able to close the four-second gap now! A few moments later, it’s already down to just two and a half. But now there’s a yellow flag!
Felix da Costa, Mortara and Evans have all been cautioned for failing to comply with race control’s instructions. This can really only refer to an offence during the start phase. Ticktum is growing increasingly frustrated over the radio and is clearly holding up Evans and Wehrlein.
Taylor Barnard overtakes Dan Ticktum at Turn 1 to take 3rd place! The DS Penske driver was able to brake much later! He’s told over the radio that Evans is also set to overtake him now. Barnard pulls away straight away.
Dan Ticktum is having problems with grip. That could be the reason why a group has formed behind him, which he is now blocking. In these changeable conditions, tyre pressure could be crucial for grip on the tarmac. We observed something similar recently in Shanghai.
Felix da Costa continues to lead, four seconds ahead of Mortara. Behind Mortara, there is another four-second gap to Ticktum. The Briton, however, is in a group of four with Barnard, Evans and Wehrlein!
There’s no sign of any more rain for the time being. The track conditions will change significantly, and Attack Mode might make less of a difference. More importantly, however, the race will be much more energy-intensive if the track remains dry. This means that riders who have pushed hard early on will have to conserve their energy at some point.
De Vries’ race isn’t getting any better. He missed the loops when Attack Mode was activated and has dropped back to 10th place. Wehrlein has now overtaken Rowland for 6th place; Evans is next in line. Felix da Costa has a four-second lead over the rest!
Wehrlein has used up six minutes of his Attack Mode straight away. That leaves him with four minutes remaining. If everything goes to plan, this will propel him right up the field. He and Müller have moved up to 7th and 8th place. However, the gap to the front is already more than ten seconds. The riders using Attack Mode are two and a half seconds faster per lap than those without the extra power.
Unlike yesterday, there’s no Pit Boost today, but two Attack Mode activations. The first drivers are making immediate use of Attack Mode. Among them are Felix da Costa in third place and both Porsche drivers. The wetter the track, the greater the advantage offered by the temporary four-wheel drive! Felix da Costa overtakes Mortara to take the lead!
Evans and Nato are capitalising on the Dutchman’s slow start. Yesterday, track position was crucial right from the off, and Mortara is really putting his foot down today as well. The Swiss driver immediately opens up a gap and the field is stretching out.
GREEN FLAG! FULL THROTTLE IN TOKYO! The race is underway! Mortara holds the lead through the first few corners. Right behind him, the order remains unchanged. However, De Vries loses two places straight away at the start.
It’s wet, but the track looks rideable. Things are about to get exciting! The riders are making their way to their starting positions...
The first lap is starting behind the safety car! This will allow the drivers to get a feel for the conditions straight away. According to race control, the safety car will pull in and there’ll be a standing start straight away!
The drivers are getting ready. In a few moments, the safety car will lead the drivers onto the track.
Yesterday’s winner, Dan Ticktum, was just as strong today; he’ll start the race from third place. Next to him in fourth place is Taylor Barnard of DS Penske. The championship leader, Mitch Evans, was pleased with his qualifying performance and will start from seventh place, just ahead of Oliver Rowland. Porsche once again narrowly missed out on the duels. Both will start one behind the other in 10th and 11th places. Qualifying was a disaster for Andretti. Yesterday, Dennis was in contention for victory, but today he is in 18th place, just behind his team-mate.
Edoardo Mortara fought his way to pole position in qualifying! Yesterday, he narrowly missed out to Jake Dennis due to a mistake of his own; today, he was flawless and unbeatable! It is his fourth pole position of the season. Alongside him on the front row is Antonio Felix da Costa. Both need to score plenty of points today to stay in contention for the World Championship. The race will start behind the safety car!
It is night-time in Tokyo and the floodlights are making the city circuit glow. However, the weather is not quite as bright and cheerful as the lights. It is raining in Tokyo, and not just a little! The third free practice session had to be cancelled today due to heavy rainfall.
Welcome back to the live ticker! The second race in Tokyo starts in just over ten minutes.
