Antonio Felix da Costa wins 1st free practice in Shanghai with Formula E track record

Antonio Felix da Costa won the first free practice session of Formula E in Shanghai. With a lap time of 1:09.280 minutes, the Porsche driver not only set the fastest time, but also set a new track record. While other drivers struggled with technical problems and setup difficulties, the Portuguese driver was in excellent form.

Evans with best time, but with penalty baggage

The weather in Shanghai was clear and dry at the start, although there could still be isolated rain showers over the weekend. The first free practice session opened punctually at 4pm local time. The drivers showed great speed right from the start: up to 14th place, all lap times were below last year's level. According to Mahindra replacement driver Jordan King, the new tarmac work also contributed to the improved performance. Dan Ticktum took the lead early on before Mitch Evans clearly took the lead with an attack-mode time of 1:10.304 minutes - around eight tenths of a second faster than the rest of the field.

Evans' joy at setting the fastest time early on was probably limited, however: The Jaguar driver will receive a penalty totalling 60 grid positions for Saturday's race.

In parallel, teams such as DS Penske were already testing strategic slipstreaming with Jean-Eric Vergne and Maximilian Günther to gather data on energy efficiency - a key factor on the expansive track in Shanghai. In the meantime, a short yellow phase caused a stir: Nick Cassidy spun in the tight snail curve, but was able to continue. The new sausage curbs in the chicane at the end of the lap, which replace tyre barriers, were also tested several times - including by Sebastien Buemi, who drove beyond the track limits several times.

Cassidy goes for a quick spin 🔄@Hankook_Sport #ShanghaiEPrix pic.twitter.com/1tMWjxwYjZ

— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) May 30, 2025

Felix da Costa takes the lead - and stays in front

Pascal Wehrlein was the first to beat Evans' time of 1:09.859 minutes. Taylor Barnard went one better a little later, before Antonio Felix da Costa set a superior lap time of 1:09.280 minutes in the final phase - a new track record and almost four seconds faster than last year. Cassidy and Jake Hughes also finished in the top five, while Nyck de Vries was also strong and ultimately finished second.

Lucas di Grassi, on the other hand, had to contend with major problems. Despite an Attack Mode lap, he remained more than a second behind the leaders and expressed his dissatisfaction with the set-up. The team responded with slight adjustments, but these did not bring any noticeable improvement. Things did not go optimally for Oliver Rowland either: the world championship leader finished in 15th place and complained about a suboptimal vehicle set-up.

Race stewards scrutinise DS Penske

In addition to the sporting action, two investigations by the race stewards provided a talking point: Maximilian Günther is being investigated for crossing the line when entering the pits. Team-mate Vergne came under scrutiny because his battery was apparently not sufficiently charged during the pit boost exercise. The pit boost itself was tested by many teams - a mandatory pit stop is planned for Saturday's race.

At the end of the session, the only thing that counted was who was already on a fast lap at that point. However, none of these final attempts could pose a threat to Felix da Costa's top time, with Robin Frijns even spinning in turn 2. The Porsche driver clearly won the first free practice session.

The second free practice session is for early risers: The last practice session before qualifying, which will start at 4:20 CEST, is scheduled for 2:00 CEST on Saturday morning.

Results & lap times

Championship standings (drivers, teams & manufacturers)