Formula E in Misano: Jake Hughes wins Sunday qualifying against Jean-Eric Vergne

Jake Hughes secured pole position in Sunday's Formula E qualifying in Misano. In the final duel, the McLaren driver prevailed over Jean-Eric Vergne, who started from second place for the second time this weekend. Pascal Wehrlein and Nico Müller finished on the second row of the grid - both will therefore also start from the same position as the previous day.

Group A: Jaguar drivers make it through, Müller also strong again

In Group A, the drivers in the odd-numbered championship positions started the race. However, it was already apparent here that different strategies were being pursued: While some drivers already went on the hunt for times on the first timed lap, Nick Cassidy and Robin Frijns drove another warm-up lap. Jean-Eric Vergne drove the fastest lap on the first set of tyres, but came a long way to the outside at the exit of the last corner. Although he clearly did not touch the kerb with at least two tyres, as required, his lap time was not cancelled.

How can this not be track limits for @JeanEricVergne? He is clearly off the curbs with at least 3 tyres!#MisanoEPrix #FormulaE #ABBFormulaE https://t.co/CHA50gQVTR pic.twitter.com/OElc27A31Y

- Tobias Wirtz (@tobiw_apex) April 14, 2024

Some drivers improved significantly on the second set of tyres: Cassidy set the fastest time ahead of Frijns, Nico Müller and Vergne, who was unable to improve. Antonio Felix da Costa's lap was cancelled, however, meaning that the Portuguese driver had to start the race from the back of the grid. World championship leader Oliver Rowland also did not make it into the duels after a driving error in the chicane, fifth place for the Nissan driver.

Group B: Dennis fails, McLaren drivers and Wehrlein in the duels

In Group B, Jake Hughes did not get off to a good start: The McLaren driver braked in the first corner and went off the track. Pascal Wehrlein fared much better, the Porsche driver was fastest on the first set of tyres ahead of Sergio Sette Camara, who was under investigation for speeding in the pit lane. Jake Dennis complained on the pit radio that he received an error message on his display when braking - a problem with the brake-by-wire system.

The drivers also improved on their second set of laps, in some cases significantly: Jake Hughes set the fastest time ahead of Wehrlein, Sam Bird and Stoffel Vandoorne. Jehan Daruvala braked in turn 1, meaning the Indian driver had to start the race from the back of the grid.

Quarter finals

VF1: Nico Müller vs Robin Frijns

In the duel between last year's ABT team-mates, Müller came out on top with a clean lap: Frijns lost more than two tenths of a second due to a driving error in the second sector. Müller once again put in an outstanding qualifying performance.

VF2: Jean-Eric Vergne vs Nick Cassidy

Jean-Eric Vergne seemed to have the upper hand in the previous day's duel, but Cassidy managed to turn the tide with a very strong third sector: The Jaguar driver made up more than two tenths of a second and secured his place in the semi-final, which even his team boss James Barclay no longer believed would happen. However, Cassidy went off the track on the last corner - the lap time was cancelled.

VF3: Sam Bird vs. Pascal Wehrlein

Sam Bird got off to a flying start: he pulled out a lead in the first two sectors, but Wehrlein was able to close the gap with a strong third sector. In contrast to Cassidy, the German clearly stayed on track.

VF4: Stoffel Vandoorne vs Jake Hughes

The final quarter-final duel was a clear-cut affair: Hughes was significantly faster in every sector and drove the fastest lap of the entire weekend, winning the duel by more than six tenths of a second at the end of the lap.

Semi-final

HF1: Nico Müller vs Jean-Eric Vergne

The sensation in the first semi-final failed to materialise - Nico Müller did not get a clean lap, while Vergne once again qualified for the final. Before his fast lap, the Frenchman complained that the display on his screen had frozen. Afterwards, Müller complained on the radio about a "torque cut", meaning that he did not have full power at his disposal.

HF2: Pascal Wehrlein vs Jake Hughes

The second semi-final was much closer: Wehrlein was ahead in the first sector, but then lost ground again in the second sector. The Porsche was then faster again at the end of the lap, but overall it was just not enough to make it into the final.

And meeting Vergne in the Qualifying Final will be... @JakeHughesRace!! ?️#MisanoEPrix pic.twitter.com/ip3E2LE6nh

— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) April 14, 2024

Final: Jean-Eric Vergne vs Jake Hughes

Hughes got off to the better start in the final duel, leading by two tenths of a second in the first sector. Vergne subsequently reduced the gap slightly, but Hughes set almost identical times in the individual sectors and decided the duel in his favour. It was the third pole position for Hughes in Formula E.

The seventh race of the 2024 Formula E season will take place on Sunday afternoon at 3pm (CEST).

Results & lap times

Championship standings (drivers & teams)