Formula E Live Ticker
From July 3rd we will be covering the race weekend in Shanghai. You can find out more in advance here:
And with that, I’ll say goodbye for now! That was an incredible race and an incredible result. That’s the beauty of Formula E – the races are unpredictable and, on days like today, extremely entertaining and thrilling. Vergne can breathe a sigh of relief too; he gets to keep second place. If you want to find out more about the race, keep an eye on our site – we’ll be analysing the race in detail here.
Pascal Wehrlein may have missed out on the podium, but he finished fourth. That was enough points to take the lead in the World Championship! Sébastien Buemi came fifth in the second Envision. Durgovich, Müller, Rowland, Barnard and Ticktum rounded off the top 10!
The reason for Di Grassi and Vergne’s incredible pace was a gamble on tyre pressure. They’d bet on a dry track, and as it dried out so quickly after the brief shower at the start, it paid off!
Jean-Eric Vergne finishes second! Another incredible performance from the veteran driver. However, he faces the prospect of a penalty as he may have overtaken Wehrlein under yellow flags. Third place goes to a sensational Joel Eriksson! He had actually already sealed the race for himself, but was unlucky in the end due to the full-course yellow phase. Nevertheless, it’s his first podium finish!
LUCAS DI GRASSI WINS! HE WINS IN THE SLOWEST CAR! He celebrated his very first victory in the first Formula E race in history, held in China! Today he’s winning again in his farewell season. Unbelievable scenes in Shanghai!
THE FINAL LAP IS UNDERWAY AND DI GRASSI! YES, DI GRASSI IN THE LOLA IS OVERTAKING VERGNE! It’ll work out fine if nothing else happens. He’ll be able to win in the Lola Yamaha Abt!
It’s a very close battle between the top three. I’d never have picked Eriksson, Vergne and Grassi. But Eriksson’s got to take it on the chin now! VERGNE TAKES THE LEAD!
Two laps to go! Di Grassi activates his Attack Mode! Vergne is already right on Eriksson’s tail!
The drivers are driving so slowly that they’re barely making any progress. IT’S GREEN AGAIN! Still three laps to go! Eriksson loses a few seconds straight away!
However, time is clearly running out for Di Grassi. There are three laps to go and he is six seconds behind Eriksson.
Eriksson activates his Attack Mode just before the full-course yellow phase. This is very unfortunate, as he is unable to make use of it. The same applies to Vergne and Wehrlein. Lucas di Grassi, however, still has one activation left! He could actually be in with a chance of winning in the Lola!
Vergne and Di Grassi are working their magic! They’re now overtaking Wehrlein, whilst up front Eriksson is giving it his all to pull away! BUT NOW IT’S A FULL-COURSE YELLOW!
Nico Müller is dropping back – he’s now only sixth! Vergne and Di Grassi are surging forward out of nowhere! They’re already third and fourth! MALONEY CRASHES INTO THE WALL AT THE LAST CORNER! HE’S STUCK! BUT IT’S ONLY A YELLOW FLAG!
There are six laps to go! Buemi is fuming over the radio because the position swap with Eriksson wasn’t agreed in advance. Eriksson is now overtaking Wehrlein too! The two of them will probably battle it out for the win! Eriksson could win this one!
Müller activates his final Attack Mode. He has just two minutes left, but remains ahead of Envision. Wehrlein, in first place, still has four minutes of Attack Mode left, as does Eriksson! Eriksson is really quick right now! He’s overtaking both his team-mate and Müller without Attack Mode, even though they have extra power!
Envision has had a strong race so far. Buemi has already moved up the field, and now his Swedish team-mate is following suit. Eriksson is now in 4th place and Buemi in 3rd! On top of that, they have a significant energy advantage!
The two Andrettis were separated by Buemi. Durgovich is fourth and Dennis sixth. Barnard is next. Things aren’t going well for Rowland. Since making contact with Felix da Costa, he has dropped back to 14th place.
Porsche is still leading the field. Felix da Costa is now pushing hard to close the gap. It’s only one and a half seconds now, but Porsche still seems to be holding on to the lead.
Felix da Costa and Rowland collide at Turn 8! Rowland leaves plenty of room for the Portuguese driver, but he brakes too late and slides into the reigning world champion. Felix da Costa’s wing is damaged, but he doesn’t even think of giving the position back; instead, he speeds off and is now fourth. The stewards merely issue him with a warning.
Energy management is crucial right now. The start of the race was relatively fast, which took its toll on the battery. Not least because of this, Porsche’s lead over the competition is slowly dwindling.
Mitch Evans doesn’t look very happy. He’s wearing a headset and sitting in the pits, forced to watch as his closest rival currently pulls away into first place. Very unfortunate for Evans.
It’s getting very tight between Mortara and Buemi in the chicane. The Envision driver had a clear advantage thanks to his Attack Mode, but his compatriot from Mahindra closed the door on him without hesitation. They made contact and Buemi only just managed to avoid the wall. On the straight, Buemi then overtook to take 6th place!
Both Porsches are still in the same order. They are leading the race by three and a half seconds. The chasing pack is currently unable to keep up. It will be exciting to see when, and if, this gap will close.
Andretti makes up ground again with a one-two. Dennis lets Drugovich past and both move up to third and fourth. Barnard is now down to fifth.
As Müller was trying to make up ground, he collided with Pepe Marti. Neither car sustained any significant damage, but the contact cost Marti a lot of time. The rookie is now down to ninth.
Müller is making up a fair bit of time with his extra effort! He’s overtaken Barnard and is now behind Wehrlein. The former world champion is trying once again to open up a big gap. He managed to do that yesterday. At the moment, he has a two-second lead over Müller and a four-second lead over the rest.
Now Drugovich is also switching to Attack Mode. He has dropped back to 8th place, behind his team-mates. At the front, Wehrlein overtakes Barnard! Meanwhile, Ticktum brakes onto a wet kerb and slides into the run-off area without any consequences other than a loss of time.
Taylor Barnard takes the lead with his Attack Mode! Both Porsches are now activating their Attack Mode. Only Drugovich and Rowland in the top 10 have not yet activated their extra power.
GREEN FLAG! FULL THROTTLE IN SHANGHAI! Drugovich retains the lead! Taylor Barnard, Marti and Mortara immediately switch to Attack Mode. This puts Wehrlein in third place, but Barnard is now flying with extra power!
The cars are rolling into their starting positions...
The safety car is coming in this lap, and there’ll be a standing start after all on lap 4!
Vergne is very unhappy with his car and announces over the radio that he will pull over of his own accord if his pace is three seconds slower than the rest of the drivers. He doesn’t want to be made a fool of, in his own words. Very strong words from a two-time Formula E champion. He is currently seventeenth.
Here we go! The safety car will set the pace for a few laps. Then the race will get underway. Mitch Evans certainly won’t be taking part. His car won’t be ready in time. A massive setback for the championship leader!
The drivers are getting ready. They will be setting off behind the safety car shortly.
The rain has Shanghai firmly in its grip. Just in time for the scheduled start of the race, it has picked up again. This is particularly good news for those starting right at the front, as it is much harder to overtake in the rain. Due to the wet conditions, there will be no standing start; instead, the race will start behind the safety car!
Jaguar faced bigger problems. Not a single Jaguar-powered car made it into the top 10. Work is still being carried out on Mitch Evans’ car, which was actually due to start in 12th place. It is doubtful whether he will be able to start at all. He will definitely not be on the starting grid.
Behind him is yesterday’s winner – Pascal Wehrlein – and standing next to him is the reigning world champion, Oliver Rowland! Müller’s second Porsche follows in 5th place. Right next to the Swiss driver, Pepe Marti will be starting for Cupra Kiro. Behind them, Edoardo Mortara, Zane Maloney, Nyck de Vries and Jake Dennis round off the top 10!
We have a new pole-setter! Felipe Drugovich is on pole for the first time in his Formula E career. He managed to edge out the young Briton Taylor Barnard in qualifying. This means Andretti will start on the front row ahead of DS Penske.
Welcome back to the live ticker! The second race at the Shanghai International Circuit starts in just over ten minutes.
