The countdown to the 2026 Berlin E-Prix was finally underway with the first practice session of the weekend. Championship leader, Pascal Wehrlein, will be looking for a clean weekend to maximise his lead. Former teammate, António Félix da Costa and Nick Cassidy both have three victories at the Tempelhof and will surely put up a fight. Da Costa, in particular, has led a remarkable 120 career laps at the legendary circuit.
Lights out for FP1 at the Berlin E-Prix
The lights went out for FP1 of Formula E’s Rounds 7 and 8 in Berlin, and the first few drivers made their way out on track to warm up for the weekend ahead.
10 minutes into the session, Sebastien Buemi was the only driver who was in the pitlane. Edoardo Mortara of Mahindra Racing was the first driver to set a fast lap time, with a 58.847, followed by Dan Ticktum and Jake Dennis. Mortara will be one of the drivers to keep an eye on in Berlin, as he is second in the standings, keeping quiet but consistent.
Maximilian Günther has also showed quick pace, slotting into fourth. The German driver has previously won in Berlin in 2020. Will he be able to keep it consistent?
Ticktum sets a new benchmark
Ticktum, who hasn’t had the strongest start of the season, set a new benchmark time of a 58.799. The Cupra Kiro driver was quickly beaten by Dennis, who went nearly a second faster than Ticktum. It looked like the drivers were enjoying the weather while going up to pace.
Jean-Éric Vergne, who knows what it takes to get on the podium in Berlin, briefly slid but held it together. Meanwhile, Günther was shown the black and white flag for impeding Felipe Drugovich. Ticktum was also warned for speeding in the pitlane.
With Wehrlein back in the pits, it seems as if Porsche will need to put in extra work tonight as the former World Champion was heard complaining about the brake balance. It isn’t looking like an ideal start for Wehrlein and Porsche at their home race.
Halfway point the Berlin E-Prix’s FP1 session
Rookie Pepe Martí has beaten his teammate on the time sheets and was within three tenths of Dennis’ fastest lap. In between full-power and AWD laps, Ticktum still looked strong at 300kW, as he found himself in third.
After two seasons of missing the Berlin E-Prix due to scheduling conflicts, Nyck de Vries took the new fastest time, at a circuit that was crucial to his Championship winning season. The Dutchman took his maiden podium at the Tempelhof and also won during his Mercedes-EQ days.
The conditions continued to evolve as the session progressed, with the track bedding in and grip improving as more rubber was laid down. Maximilian Günther then moved to the top of the timesheets, putting his DS Penske car into first place.
Germans led the way
Pascal Wehrlein responded by setting an even faster lap, going quickest with a 57.631 and moving ahead of his compatriot. He put his earlier issues behind him and showed strong pace.
With just over nine minutes remaining, Wehrlein and Günther held the top two positions, with Günther sitting only 0.055 seconds behind.
Meanwhile, Oliver Rowland ran close to the wall as he pushed for time. The reigning champion showed confidence at a circuit where he had enjoyed success the previous season.
Final moments of FP1 at the Formula E Berlin E-Prix
Taylor Barnard, who had scored his first points in Berlin two seasons earlier, climbed to the top of the timesheets. Although his time with DS Penske had not yet delivered the podium finishes he achieved the previous season, he showed strong pace to go fastest.
Lucas di Grassi then encountered a slow-moving Barnard on track and had to take avoiding action to get past the DS Penske driver.
Jean-Éric Vergne, meanwhile, continued to adapt to his new environment at Citroën and delivered a more representative performance. He moved up to third place, finishing within two tenths of Barnard’s leading time.
At the chequered flag, Barnard held on to the top position, with Pascal Wehrlein in second and Vergne in third. Maximilian Günther and Edoardo Mortara completed the top five.
