Round 12 of the 2025 Formula E season delivered a dramatic and unpredictable race on the streets of Jakarta. Starting from pole, Jake Dennis initially controlled the race before contact with Nyck de Vries dropped him down the order and triggered a cascade of incidents, penalties, and strategy shake-ups. A series of yellow flags and a late Full Course Yellow neutralised much of the field’s remaining ATTACK MODE activations, setting up a tense sprint to the finish. In the final laps, Dan Ticktum held firm under immense pressure from Edoardo Mortara to take his first career win in Formula E, while Nico Müller completed the podium after Sébastien Buemi’s time penalty reshuffled the final classification.
Dennis on pole after tense Jakarta Qualifying
Qualifying for Round 12 of the 2025 Formula E season in Jakarta delivered high tension under scorching heat and rising humidity. After a damp FP2, the drying circuit added to the unpredictability as 22 drivers battled in two intense group sessions.
In Group A, DS Penske’s Jean-Éric Vergne emerged fastest with a 1:09.460. However, title contenders Oliver Rowland and António Félix da Costa both missed out on the Duels. Group B saw NEOM McLaren rookie Taylor Barnard steal the spotlight with a blistering 1:08.968, the fastest time of the day, narrowly ahead of Mahindra’s Nyck de Vries.
The Duels provided no shortage of action. Dennis defeated Mortara in the Quarter-Finals, then Cassidy in the Semi-Finals. In the Final, he narrowly edged Barnard by just 0.002 seconds, taking his first Julius Baer Pole Position since the 2024 Berlin E-Prix.
Notably, Pascal Wehrlein was handed a three-place grid penalty for driving too slowly during Group B and started the race from 17th.
The starting grid for Formula E Round 12 at the Jakarta E-Prix was as follows: Jake Dennis lined up on pole position, followed by Taylor Barnard in second and Nyck de Vries in third. Nick Cassidy started fourth, with Dan Ticktum in fifth and Edoardo Mortara in sixth. Jean-Éric Vergne took seventh, ahead of Sébastien Buemi in eighth, António Félix da Costa in ninth, and Mitch Evans completing the top ten. Sam Bird started from 11th, with Maximilian Günther in 12th and Nico Müller in 13th. Pascal Wehrlein, following a three-place grid penalty, started 17th, behind Stoffel Vandoorne in 14th, David Beckmann in 15th, and Oliver Rowland in 16th. Jake Hughes, Zane Maloney, Lucas di Grassi, Norman Nato, and Robin Frijns rounded out the grid from 18th to 22nd respectively.
A chaotic start: Dennis holds firm, de Vries surges forward
Round 12 of the 2025 Formula E season got underway at 15:05 local time (08:05 UTC) in Jakarta, with Julius Baer Pole-sitter Jake Dennis making an excellent start to retain the lead of the race into Turn 1. Behind him, Mahindra’s Nyck de Vries overtook NEOM McLaren’s Taylor Barnard for second place. Simultaneously, Dan Ticktum passed Nick Cassidy to move into fourth, while António Félix da Costa rose to eighth and Sam Bird climbed to tenth.
However, Jean-Éric Vergne, starting from eighth, deployed ATTACK MODE early but misjudged his braking into Turn 13. He collided with Mitch Evans and sustained front wing damage. Forced to pit at the end of Lap 3, Vergne dropped to the rear and fell out of contention. Race Control launched an investigation into the incident.
Early contact and technical issues
On Lap 6, Nico Müller and da Costa swapped positions, placing Müller under pressure from Bird in tenth. However, Bird soon reported power issues, which severely threatened his race. Meanwhile, Race Control investigated an incident between Maximilian Günther and Oliver Rowland. The pair had made contact while battling for P12, resulting in Günther hitting the wall and returning to the pits for repairs.
Taking advantage of ATTACK MODE, Zane Maloney surged past Pascal Wehrlein and Stoffel Vandoorne to claim P13. Vergne later received a five-second penalty for causing the collision with Evans.
The lead battle intensifies
Up front, the top four of the Formula E Jakarta E-Prix race remained locked in a close battle, with Dennis unable to pull away. By Lap 11, fewer than one second separated the leading quartet. Günther rejoined at the back, while Rowland climbed to P11 in pursuit of Bird. Wehrlein deployed ATTACK MODE on Lap 12, shortly before Race Control penalised Rowland for the earlier collision with Günther. The incident forced Günther to pit again, and he ultimately retired.
On Lap 14, Wehrlein battled Vandoorne for P15. Although Vandoorne initially held position, Wehrlein eventually passed him and began chasing Maloney. By Lap 15, Maloney overtook Bird for P12, and Wehrlein followed through shortly after, reigniting their battle. Maloney defended aggressively, but Wehrlein capitalised in the final moments of his ATTACK MODE to pass the Bajan rookie. Bird, meanwhile, slipped to P19 as his technical woes worsened.
Strategic moves and a costly error
On Lap 18, several frontrunners—including Mortara, da Costa, Ticktum, Buemi, and Müller—activated ATTACK MODE in a bid to fight for the podium. However, Buemi received a five-second penalty for causing a collision. Meanwhile, Barnard, while using ATTACK MODE, brushed the wall and dropped to eighth.
By Lap 20, Mortara had climbed to the front with ATTACK MODE engaged, but Dennis responded by deploying his own. He reclaimed the lead on Lap 21. De Vries, also using ATTACK MODE, retook second. Cassidy, having not yet activated his ATTACK MODE, appeared the primary threat to Mortara for third place.
As the Formula E Jakarta E-Prix race approached Lap 23, de Vries closed in on Dennis. Attempting a move down the start-finish straight, de Vries clipped the rear of Dennis’ car. Dennis sustained front wing damage, while de Vries moved into the lead. Race Control noted the incident and placed it under investigation. Shortly after, Cassidy went wide during his ATTACK MODE run and lost multiple positions.
Safety Car and penalties shake up the order
Debris from the de Vries–Dennis collision brought out the Safety Car on Lap 24. This neutralised the race and rendered Cassidy’s ATTACK MODE ineffective. The Safety Car returned to the pit lane on Lap 25. De Vries attempted an early restart, while Dennis, with a damaged front wing, was advised to manage his pace.
Soon after, Beckmann and Frijns received warnings for moving under braking. On Lap 27, stewards issued de Vries a ten-second penalty for the earlier incident with Dennis. At the same time, Maloney received a drive-through penalty for overpower during release.
Meanwhile, Wehrlein slid into Rowland, allowing Barnard to split the two. Maloney served his penalty and rejoined in P21, effectively eliminating himself from points contention in the Formula E Jakarta E-Prix race.
Full Course Yellow disrupts the race again
On Lap 30, Jake Hughes came to a stop, prompting yellow flags and preventing overtaking. This had a significant impact, as several frontrunners—including de Vries, Ticktum, Dennis, and Mortara—had just activated ATTACK MODE. The race resumed on Lap 31, but Dennis suffered a poor restart and dropped rapidly through the field.
Moments later, Vandoorne fell down the order, prompting a Full Course Yellow. Dennis, now in P18 with ATTACK MODE still running, faced a disastrous reversal of fortunes. De Vries, meanwhile, slowed and stopped at Turn 7, surrendering the lead. Ticktum inherited the front position, with Mortara moving into second and Buemi into third.
Although Buemi held P3 on track, his time penalty meant Müller appeared on course for a podium finish.
Sprint to the finish: Ticktum holds off Mortara
With most drivers having deployed their final ATTACK MODE under yellow flag conditions, it became a flat-out sprint to the chequered flag once the track went green on Lap 34. Ticktum made a strong restart and kept Mortara at bay. Despite matching energy levels, Mortara could not find a way through.
Further back, Dennis, who had led much of the Jakarta E-Prix race, now found himself trailing near the rear and battling Maloney, who had been similarly disadvantaged by his earlier penalty.
Race Control confirmed that the race would not be extended. In the closing laps of the Formula E Jakarta E-Prix race, Mortara continued to apply pressure, searching for an opportunity. However, he began to fall back slightly. Ticktum maintained his composure and crossed the line first to claim his maiden Formula E victory. Mortara secured second place, while Müller capitalised on Buemi’s penalty to take third and complete the podium.
Formula E Jakarta E-Prix Race Results
- Dan Ticktum
- Edoardo Mortara
- Nico Müller
- António Félix da Costa
- Nick Cassidy
- Taylor Barnard
- Sam Bird
- Sébastien Buemi
- Robin Frijns
- Oliver Rowland
- Pascal Wehrlein
- Mitch Evans
- Lucas di Grassi
- Norman Nato
- David Beckmann
- Jean-Éric Vergne
- Jake Dennis
- Zane Maloney
DNF: Nyck de Vries, Stoffel Vandoorne, Jake Hughes, Maximilian Günther
