FE | Qualifying 2 | Tokyo E-Prix | Rowland clinches pole position after tense Round 9 Qualifying - Motorsport

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Oliver Rowland clinched pole position for Round 9 of the 2025 Formula E World Championship at the Tokyo E-Prix, prevailing in a tense, crash-strewn qualifying session. The Nissan driver delivered under pressure on home soil, defeating Dan Ticktum in the Final Duel after the Cupra Kiro driver suffered a late error on his flying lap.

Qualifying began with drama in Group A as Jaguar’s Mitch Evans crashed heavily at Turn 16, bringing out a Red Flag and ending his session early. Lucas di Grassi emerged as the group’s top performer, ahead of Norman Nato, Oliver Rowland, and Jean-Éric Vergne.

Group B saw Pascal Wehrlein take control with a strong 1:13.671, while chaos struck late as Nico Müller crashed and triggered double yellow flags. Despite the disruption, Dan Ticktum delivered a blistering final lap to jump into P3 and progress alongside Wehrlein, Edoardo Mortara, and António Félix da Costa.

In the Duels, Rowland edged out teammate Nato before defeating Vergne in the Semi-Final. Ticktum, meanwhile, eliminated Mortara and favourite Wehrlein to reach his first-ever Final. Although he looked set to snatch pole, a costly mistake at Turn 15 handed the top spot to Rowland.

The final classification saw Rowland ahead of Ticktum, Wehrlein, and Vergne, with Mortara and di Grassi rounding out the top six.

Qualifying: Group A: Di Grassi the top performer as Evans crashes out

As the clock struck 10:20 local time (03:20 CET), Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans and teammate Nick Cassidy led the 11 Group A drivers out onto the circuit. The opening minute unfolded with build laps, as the field navigated the Tokyo E-Prix track, re-familiarising themselves after the earlier FP3 session.

Di Grassi takes the lead and Evans brings out the Red Flag

With just over eight minutes remaining, DS Penske’s Jean-Éric Vergne laid down the first representative benchmark, posting a 1:19.569. These early times, however, were expected to tumble as the drivers continued warming their tyres. Moments later, with just under seven minutes on the clock, Vergne attempted another push lap, having fallen short of expectations on his initial effort. Nevertheless, Mitch Evans responded first, crossing the line with a 1:14.304 to take provisional P1.

Even so, Evans could not hold the top spot for long. Lucas di Grassi, representing the Lola Yamaha ABT Formula E Team, delivered a blistering 1:14.161 to seize P1. He outpaced both Nissan Formula E drivers, Norman Nato and Oliver Rowland, who slotted into P2 and P3 respectively. Nato, in particular, narrowly missed out by just 0.007 seconds with a 1:14.168.

Then, with slightly more than three minutes to go, disaster struck. Evans suffered a heavy crash at Turn 16, slamming into the wall and destroying his rear tyre. The impact brought out a Red Flag, abruptly halting the session. His qualifying ended immediately, and with his fastest time deleted for causing the stoppage, Mahindra Racing’s Nyck de Vries was temporarily promoted to P4—just ahead of Taylor Barnard in P5.

A frantic battle for the top 4 in Group 4

The session resumed at 10:36 CET, prompting nine of the remaining ten drivers to rush out of the pits in a desperate bid to reach the top four. Meanwhile, di Grassi held back, making a late exit—a risky strategy given the rising traffic levels.

Despite brushing the wall on his flying lap, Cassidy shot to the top of the timing screens, becoming the first to post a representative lap after the restart. His moment at the top was fleeting, however. Nato soon displaced him with a rapid 1:13.790, while Rowland slotted into P2 with a 1:13.818.

Still, the drama had not peaked. In the final seconds, di Grassi executed a flawless lap under pressure, reclaiming P1 and capping off a tense, high-stakes shootout in Group A.

Group A standings

Lucas di Grassi
Norman Nato
Oliver Rowland
Jean-Éric Vergne
Taylor Barnard
Nyck de Vries
Nick Cassidy
Zane Maloney
Sébastien Buemi
Stoffel Vandoorne
Mitch Evans (OUT)

Di Grassi, Nato, Rowland and Vergne earned a place in the Duels Stage.

Qualifying: Group B: Wehrlein holds onto the P1 despite chaotic end

The Group B Qualifying session got underway at 10:44 local time, with Envision Racing’s Robin Frijns leading the drivers out onto the track. Uniquely positioned for the race ahead, Frijns faced a 20-place grid penalty due to a replacement MGU, guaranteeing a start from the back of the grid regardless of his qualifying result.

As the minutes ticked by, all 11 drivers circulated on their build laps, taking noticeably longer than Group A to register a representative time. With seven minutes remaining, Frijns topped the timesheets—albeit temporarily—with a 1:19.952, still well off the 1:13.781 benchmark set by di Grassi in Group A.

Mortara fastest after first representative laps

With just over six minutes left, Frijns improved to a 1:14.456 to briefly lead the session. However, he could not hold onto P1 for long. Mahindra Racing’s Edoardo Mortara surged ahead, followed closely by both Tag Heuer Porsche drivers—Pascal Wehrlein and António Félix da Costa—as well as DS Penske’s Maximilian Günther.

As the clock dipped under four minutes, Mortara sat atop the leaderboard with an impressive 1:13.810, narrowly ahead of Wehrlein. Moments later, Wehrlein went quicker still, posting a 1:13.671 to claim P1. His teammate, da Costa, slotted into third with a 1:13.918, staying just ahead of Andretti’s Jake Dennis, who managed a 1:13.987. Frijns, despite having led the group onto the circuit, languished in P11 with his earlier 1:14.456.

Wehrlein the top performer of Group B as Müller brings out the double Yellow Flags

The final minute brought a flurry of action as drivers desperately fought to squeeze in one last flying lap. But chaos struck when ABT Cupra’s Nico Müller crashed heavily into the barriers at Turn 12, bringing out double Yellow Flags. The incident threatened to compromise several final attempts, yet Dan Ticktum managed to steer clear of the sector in time and capitalised on clear air. He vaulted to P3 with a solid 1:13.715.

Wehrlein, undisturbed by Müller’s off, remained at the top of the timesheets with his earlier 1:13.671. Mortara held P2, while Ticktum’s late heroics earned him P3. Da Costa narrowly clung on to the final Duel spot in P4.

Group B standings

Pascal Wehrlein
Edoardo Mortara
Dan Ticktum
António Félix da Costa
Sam Bird
Maximilian Günther
Jake Dennis
David Beckmann
Jake Hughes
Nico Müller
Robijn Frijns

Wehrlein, Mortara, Ticktum and da Costa earned a place in the Duels stage.

Duels: Quarter Finals: Rowland, Vergne, Ticktum and Wehrlein advance

The Quarter-Final Duels of the Tokyo E-Prix Round 9 Qualifying session began at 11:12 local time, with the eight remaining drivers unleashing full power at 350 kW.

Quarter Final 1: Oliver Rowland vs Norman Nato

Nissan teammates Oliver Rowland and Norman Nato were the first pair to take to the track, with Nato seizing the early lead. Despite a close fight, Rowland produced an exceptional second sector and overcame the gap. He set the faster time, while Nato, having struggled in Sector 2, possibly sustained car damage. This raised concerns for Nissan. Race Control later announced an investigation into Nato for driving a car in an unsafe condition.

Quarter Final 2: Jean-Éric Vergne vs Lucas di Grassi

DS Penske’s Jean-Éric Vergne faced Lucas di Grassi in the second Quarter-Final and displayed early dominance. Despite di Grassi’s best efforts, he failed to outpace Vergne and missed out on a place in the Semi-Finals by less than a tenth of a second.

Quarter Final 3: Dan Ticktum vs Edoardo Mortara

Cupra Kiro’s Dan Ticktum faced Mahindra Racing’s Edoardo Mortara in the third Quarter-Final. The session suffered a slight delay as marshals repaired the barriers following Nato’s earlier crash. Despite being the favourite, Mortara had no answer for Ticktum, who claimed a well-earned place in the Semi-Finals.

Quarter Final 4: António Félix da Costa vs Pascal Wehrlein

The final Quarter-Final featured another intra-team battle, this time between Tag Heuer Porsche’s António Félix da Costa and Pascal Wehrlein. Wehrlein stormed ahead, finishing more than 0.6 seconds clear of his teammate. Da Costa failed to match his pace in any sector.

Duels: Semi Finals: Rowland and Ticktum advance to the Final Duel of the Tokyo E-Prix Round 9 Qualifying

Semi Final 1: Jean-Éric Vergne vs Oliver Rowland

DS Penske’s Vergne went up against Nissan’s Rowland in the first Semi-Final. Vergne crossed the line first and began a strong flying lap, but Rowland responded immediately, going quicker in Sectors 1 and 2. He carried the advantage through to the finish and clocked a 1:12.007 to secure his place in the Final.

Semi Final 2: Pascal Wehrlein vs Ticktum

Pascal Wehrlein of Tag Heuer Porsche led the second Semi-Final out. However, Ticktum bettered his times in both opening sectors and maintained the lead. He set a 1:12.028 and booked his place in the pole position shootout, beating the pre-duel favourite.

Duels: Final: Rowland claims pole

The final Round 9 Qualifying event of the 2025 Tokyo E-Prix kicked off at 11:45 local time, with Cupra Kiro’s Ticktum battling Nissan’s Rowland, the crowd favourite for pole position. Regardless, of the outcome however Ticktum was guaranteed a career best start. Ticktum was the first to start his flying lap, putting in a 29.574 in Sector 1. Rowland responded with a 29.696, handing Ticktum the early lead. Ticktum then put in a 19.033 in Sector 2 with Rowland managing only a 19.033. Into Sector 3, Ticktum seemed to be set to claim pole position. However, he suffered an impact on the exit of Turn 15. He set a 35.574 for Sector 3, handing pole position to Rowland.