2025 Jakarta E-Prix: Timings, Ways to watch, and more
- Vyas Ponnuri
- 15 hours ago
- 7 min read
Written by Vyas Ponnuri
Formula E returns for its final single-header of the season at Jakarta. With championship battles hotting up as the championship heads into its final three weekends, it’s all to play for, and a weekend you absolutely shouldn’t miss!
In its quest to emerge as a global championship racing on all continents, Formula E has explored several venues in Asia. While the likes of Tokyo and Shanghai have emerged as resounding successes and a model for Formula E to replicate, the fate hasn’t been the same for several cities on the continent.
For starters, the likes of Hyderabad and Seoul have disappeared from the calendar after only a one-off outing, while the plan to host a round in Thailand didn’t come off, following a change in government in the country before the race was slated to go ahead.
Even Formula E went several years before returning to Chinese territory, with the likes of Sanya and Beijing dropping off the calendar in Formula E’s Gen2 and Gen1 eras, respectively. The former proved a tougher pill to swallow, with the COVID pandemic restricting China’s ability to hold major racing events.
Then there’s the case of the Hong Kong E-Prix, which dropped off the calendar after hosting races between 2016 and 2019, as Formula E’s Gen2 cars slowly outgrew the city streets, and the championship never returned. Saudi Arabia has been a successful host on the calendar, while Malaysia too has hosted races in the past.
As such, races in Asia have either been major hits or restricted to mere ephemera on the Formula E scene. Apart from Tokyo and Shanghai, though, a prime example of success that needs to be studied is the Jakarta E-Prix.
First hosting a race in 2022, the Indonesian capital witnessed a packed 60,000-strong audience, with even then President of Indonesia Joko Widodo in attendance, witnessing a moment of pride as his nation took their first steps into forging a relationship with Formula E.
With 13.4 million tuning in for the race on television, adding to the packed crowd lining up the contours of Ancol Beach, it was no secret to see the Jakarta E-Prix went down as a resounding success. Formula E rewarded the Indonesian capital with a second race to go on the weekend, giving even more reason for fans to tune in and enjoy racing action around Jakarta’s streets.
Audiences were left to witness brilliance from Maximilian Günther, with the then-Maserati man dominating all through the weekend. The German took both pole positions, apart from topping all three free practice sessions. Missing out on victory in the first race of the double header was the only time Günther didn’t top a session all weekend, as he added victory in the Sunday race to his repertoire.
Will the German, now at fellow Stellantis marque DS Penske, be able to replicate a similar showing this weekend? It only remains to be seen, although a dominant victory in Shanghai gives Günther a boost of confidence heading into the weekend.
The Jakarta E-Prix also returns to the calendar after a two-year hiatus, with the 2024 presidential election in June 2024 rendering it a logistical difficulty to carry out both events simultaneously.
Now returning in 2025, the circuit isn’t a shoo-in to Formula E’s calendar for season 12, with the traditional June slot for Jakarta earmarked as ‘TBC’, as of now. With discussions ongoing behind the scenes, another successful Jakarta weekend will convince both Formula E and the event organisers of the Indonesian capital’s continuity in hosting more races.
While Formula E is slated to experience hot and humid weather in Jakarta this weekend, another factor from above could certainly throw a spanner into the works and rejig the grid order for the weekend.
The track layout for the Jakarta E-Prix
It’s an abrasive track surface for the 1.475 mi (2.4 km) street circuit around the Indonesian capital, comprised of city streets around the Ancol beach. With temperatures generally set to be close to 30 degrees Celsius, it’s always set to be a test for the drivers to withstand the heat.
Running at just under 1.5 miles in length, the Jakarta street circuit is a tricky beast to tame. Set right in the vicinity of the Ancol Beach City, the Kuda Lumping inspired layout possesses enough overtaking zones for drivers to chance their arm and make an overtake.
Turn one is once again set to be the prime overtaking zone, being a wide right-hander on entry, and allows drivers to choose multiple racing lines into the next series of right-handers consisting of turns 2 and 3.
The next major overtaking zone comes into the left-right sequence of turns 7 and 8, coming at the end of a series of speedy left-hand corners and kinks.
The track then winds through a series of narrow corners, with no room to shape for an overtake, but the right-hand hairpin of turn 13 provides an opportunity for drivers to make a move, with a slow corner forcing drivers to slam on their brakes from speed.
As the track winds itself back to the start/finish straight, drivers will come across the slower left-hander of turn 16, with attack mode situated on the outside of this left-hander. Drivers will then come across the left-hander of turn 17, before a medium-speed right-hander takes them back towards the line for a lap of the Jakarta E-Prix circuit.
All in all, it’s a circuit that will certainly test the drivers, coupled with the intense heat and humidity. Another additional factor could be rain sprucing up the action on-track on Saturday, bringing a fresh variable into the mix once again.
Timings for the Jakarta E-Prix:
Friday, 20th June, 2025
Free Practice 1: 16:00 - 16:55 (09:00 - 09:05 GMT)
Saturday, 21st June, 2025
Free Practice 2: 08:00 - 08:55 (01:00 - 01:55 GMT)
Qualifying: 10:20 - 11:43 (03:20 - 04:43 GMT)
Race (38 Laps): 15:05 - 16:00 (08:05 - 09:00 GMT)
Important Notes for the weekend:
The Jakarta E-Prix returns to the calendar after two years
Rain is forecast for Saturday
No Pit Boost used this weekend
Major Storylines:
How will Oliver Rowland respond after Shanghai stumble? - All the talk last weekend was centred on when championship leader Oliver Rowland could potentially seal his maiden Formula E title. Although after a difficult weekend when he accumulated only ten points, Rowland’s lead has been slashed to 68 points. It will certainly be interesting to see how the Nissan racer rebounds from a difficult Shanghai weekend.
Can Mahindra recover after difficult Shanghai weekend? - One of the form teams in 2025, Mahindra Racing endured a surprisingly difficult double-header in Shanghai. The Indian manufacturer took all of four points across the weekend, losing ground to DS Penske and McLaren. Both Nyck de Vries and Edoardo Mortara will be looking to put their cars in the points in Jakarta, as they begin a final push towards those ahead.
Will rain play spoilsport once again in Jakarta? - Rain has emerged a constant across the last three Formula E weekends, which have featured one dry and one wet race apiece. The forecast for Saturday predicts rain to hit during the race, expected to shake up the grid order once again!
Will Porsche extend their championship lead? - The biggest winners from the Shanghai E-Prix weekend were Porsche, whose double podium in round 11 catapulted them to the head of the standings, one point clear of Nissan. It remains to be seen if Porsche can capitalise on this momentum and build on this lead heading into Jakarta.
How will Jake Dennis rebound after scoreless Shanghai? - One driver who looked off colour across the Shanghai double header was Andretti’s Jake Dennis. The Briton, who had scored in every weekend since the Mexico City E-Prix in January, finished down in 17th in both races. Fortunately, he comes to a track of note, having secured back-to-back podiums at Jakarta in 2023. Perhaps it’s just what he needs to recover from the difficult Shanghai weekend.
Drivers to watch out for
Nick Cassidy: It’s safe to say, when the heavens open up, there are few better than Jaguar’s Nick Cassidy. The New Zealander might have started the season on a low note, but victory in a wet Shanghai E-Prix has propelled him up into the top ten of the championship standings. With rain forecast for the Jakarta E-Prix, he is certainly one to keep an eye on.
Oliver Rowland: As we mentioned before, Rowland’s lead has been slashed to 68 points, which means the drivers’ title fight will carry on into Berlin in July, at the very least. The last time Formula E visited Jakarta, Rowland wasn’t on the grid, having parted ways with Mahindra mid-season. He will be looking to set the ground running and return to the podium for Nissan.
Edoardo Mortara: Mortara endured a difficult Shanghai E-Prix weekend, retiring from round 10 after contact on lap 1 forced a front wing change, and the inherent damage forced him to call it a day on lap 24. Round 11 saw him qualify 15th in a wet qualifying, as he struggled to make up ground later. A driver consistently in the points in season 11, Mortara, will be itching to return to the points in Jakarta.
Pascal Wehrlein/António Félix da Costa: Both Porsche drivers will be looking to build on the double podium they secured at Shanghai earlier in June. With their eye on extending the championship lead, Wehrlein and da Costa will be looking to secure even more points from Jakarta this weekend.
David Beckmann: It’s not been a season to remember for the Cupra Kiro rookie. However, he was on the grid the last time Formula E raced in Jakarta, back in 2023, subbing for the Le Mans-bound Andre Lotterer. Beckmann will be looking to use his prior experience of the track, as he goes in search of his first points in 2025.
Ways to watch the Jakarta E-Prix
You can watch the Jakarta E-Prix in your respective nations. Broadcast details can be found here.
Predictions for the Jakarta E-Prix
I’m going to go with Rowland returning to the top step of the podium, as he looks to reset his patchy Jakarta record. Coming to the other podium slots, I would predict Taylor Barnard and Dan Ticktum to round them out. However, if there’s rain on race day, I would say Nick Cassidy will make a splash this weekend.
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