Vinay Kumar
It seems former Shanghai podium winners continue to have a stronghold on Chinese soil this season as well. After topping the first free practice session, FP1, at the Shanghai E-Prix on Friday, the Porsche driver went on to grab pole in the rescheduled qualifying session. The day started very early for the drivers due to revised timings amid thunderstorm warnings. Wehrlein will be joined by current Formula E championship leader Mitch Evans of Jaguar TCS Racing, who finished second. Andretti’s Jake Dennis, who recently won the latest race in Sanya, claimed third spot on the grid.
Shanghai E-Prix qualifying results
After the Shanghai E-Prix schedule was revised, the second free practice session, FP2, took place at 6 am local time and was followed by qualifying at 8 am local time.Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein claimed the 12th pole of his Formula E career at the Shanghai International Circuit on Saturday. He secured two podiums in two editions of the Shanghai E-Prix in 2024 and 2025, and his new pole has now further strengthened the possibility of completing his Shanghai podium hat-trick.Mitch Evans won the maiden Shanghai E-Prix in 2024, and his second place on the grid for the Round 12 qualifying also makes him one of the strong contenders for the final, scheduled for noon local time.Dennis’s third-place finish in qualifying, following his recent win on Chinese soil in Sanya, also hints at his stronghold in Chinese events this season.Maximilian Gunther, who claimed victory in Shanghai last season, took the fourth spot on the grid. Cupra Kiro’s Dan Ticktum finished fifth, and Jaguar TCS Racing’s Antonio Felix da Costa was sixth. Da Costa already has a win and a podium in Shanghai from the previous two seasons.Envision Racing’s Sebastien Buemi, who is racing on the team’s home soil, took seventh spot on the grid. He is joined by Citroen Racing’s Jean-Eric Vergne in eighth, Andretti’s Felipe Drugovich in ninth, and DS Penske’s Taylor Barnard in tenth on the grid.The Shanghai E-Prix Round 12 final is set for 12:05 pm local time (9:35 am IST). The same timings will be be followed on Sunday for Round 13 as thunderstorm warnings keep the Shanghai event under scrutiny.Also read: Shanghai E-Prix Round 12 and Round 13 timings changed as thunderstorm warning looms over race weekend
