FE | Tokyo E-Prix | FP3 | Wehrlein leads final practice session - Motorsport

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FP3 of the FE Tokyo E-Prix got underway on a dry and sunny Sunday morning, marking a stark departure from the torrential rain and unpredictable conditions seen during Saturday’s Round 8. Pascal Wehrlein set the benchmark pace with a 1:12.011, ending the session comfortably fastest.

Evans leads the start

The pit lane opened promptly at 08:00, with Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans the first to take to the dry circuit. One by one, the remaining drivers followed suit—apart from Stoffel Vandoorne, who remained in the Maserati MSG Racing garage for the opening few minutes before eventually joining the fray.

The early laps were largely uneventful, as drivers completed their initial systems checks and installation laps. Soon after, competitive lap times began to appear on the timing screens.

Pascal Wehrlein established the first representative lap time with a 1:14.405, before Norman Nato of Nissan slotted into second with a 1:14.575. Oliver Rowland soon leapfrogged them both, clocking a 1:14.167 to briefly top the timesheets. Zane Maloney impressed early on as well, guiding his Lola Yamaha ABT machine to third with a 1:14.445.

Wehrlein quickly responded by reclaiming the top spot with a 1:13.855, followed closely by Dan Ticktum for Cupra Kiro, who moved into second with a 1:14.065, pushing Rowland down the order.

Lola Yamaha ABT emerges, Mortara hits the front

As the session progressed, Lola Yamaha ABT asserted themselves. Maloney posted a 1:12.750 to go fastest, only for his teammate Lucas di Grassi to slot in just behind with a 1:13.030. Both drivers then returned to the pits following their strong runs.

Nissan’s Edoardo Mortara soon took over at the top with a 1:12.620 but was subsequently shown the black-and-white flag for impeding by driving too slowly. António Félix da Costa responded on behalf of Tag Heuer Porsche, going quickest with a 1:12.517.

Jean-Éric Vergne of DS Penske jumped to fourth, neatly wedging himself between the two Lola Yamaha ABT cars. Elsewhere, Sam Bird managed to improve his lap despite brushing the barriers lightly.

With just over twenty minutes to go, the majority of teams returned to the pits. Envision Racing utilised the break to rehearse their PIT BOOST procedure ahead of the upcoming Shanghai round.

Wehrlein tightens his grip on the session

As the session moved into its final third, Wehrlein further improved his time to a 1:12.011—an effort that would not be surpassed. Nato remained close behind with a 1:12.157, while Taylor Barnard gave NEOM McLaren something to smile about by moving into third with a 1:12.455.

Mortara held sixth on a 1:12.620, a mere 0.010s ahead of teammate Nyck de Vries in seventh. Dan Ticktum then found more pace to clock a 1:12.344, reclaiming third place and relegating Barnard to fourth.

Despite the increased pace and tighter margins, the session remained clean, with drivers avoiding major incidents and executing their programmes efficiently.

Hughes breaks into the top three

In the final ten minutes, attention turned to race setup and qualifying simulations. For a time, the leaderboard remained static—until Vergne improved with a 1:12.334 to take third.

Shortly after, Maserati’s Jake Hughes found even more time, setting a 1:12.326 to edge past Vergne and secure a place in the top three. DS Penske’s Maximilian Günther ended the session in ninth, while several others made marginal gains.

Not everyone had a smooth finish. Oliver Rowland spun late in the session, compromising his flying lap. Although he avoided damage, the mishap left him at the bottom of the order—behind David Beckmann, who had earlier tapped the wall but continued without issue.

The session ended with Wehrlein’s 1:12.011 still unbeaten. Nato held on to second place, while Hughes’ late flier ensured he finished third. The session’s dry and composed nature offered teams a productive final run before qualifying, setting up an intriguing battle for pole in Tokyo.