Evans tops FP1 in Formula E's final weekend

Credit: Simon Galloway/LAT Images

The 2026 London E-Prix began with a highly competitive Free Practice 1 session at the ExCel London circuit on Friday, 14 August.

The session was particularly significant because the London double-header is the final weekend of the 2025/2026 Formula E season.

It is also the last time the championship will race at the indoor-outdoor ExCel venue before moving to Brands Hatch in 2027 and the final weekend of the GEN3 era, adding extra importance to every session.

Mitch Evans emerged as the fastest driver in FP1 for Jaguar TCS Racing, producing a late-session lap of 1:08.175.

His performance was especially impressive given the championship situation: Evans arrived in London second in the drivers' standings, only two points behind championship leader Jake Dennis, meaning a strong weekend couls potentially secure him his first Formula E world championship.

Credits: Formula E

Nyck de Vries was second fastest for Mahindra Racing, while Porsche's Pascal Wehrlein completed the top three.

Taylor Barnard placed fourth for DS Penske, with championship leader Jake Dennis fifth for Andretti. The close spread at the front suggested that several teams had competitive pace, although FP timings should be treated carefully as it's a session used by teams for different testing.

The session also produced several incidents. Dan Ticktum brought out an early yellow flag after stopping at Turn 10 because of a problem involving the front-right of the car.

He was able to return to the garage, but the incident cost him valuable track time. Dennis, meanwhile, had a dramatic moment when he approached the wall while attempting to use Attack Mode.

He entered the activation zone with too much speed but managed to stop before making contact. Despite the scare, he recovered sufficiently to finish fifth.

Evans' fastest lap came at the very end of the session. With one minute remaining, de Vries was leading from Wehrlein and Edoardo Mortara, but Evans produced a final push to take the top position.

Credits: Formula E

This late improvement demonstrated both Jaguar's potential and Evans' ability to handle the pressure surrounding the championship finale.

The wider championship context made FP1 particularly important. Dennis entered the weekend with 146 points, followed by Evans of 144 and Wehrlein on 141.

Reigning champion Oliver Rowland was fourth on 132. In total, nine drivers remained mathematically capable of winning the championship, while Jaguar and Porsche were separated by just 14 points in the teams' championship.

Overall, Free Practice 1 provided an encouraging start for Evans and Jaguar. However, the result cannot yet predict the outcome of the London races.

The teams still had further practice, qualifying and two races to complete, with energy management, qualifying position and strategic use of Attack Mode likely to be decisive.

FP1 nevertheless established Evans as an early contender and showed that the championship finale could be extremely close.

The session also marked the beginning of an historic farewell. After the London weekend, Formula E will move into the GEN4 era, while the ExCel circuit will be replaced by Brands Hatch as the British venue.

With the championship still undecided and the GEN3 era reaching its conclusion, the 2026 London E-Prix promises to be one of the most significant weekends in Formula E history.