Formula E Preview: Berlin E-Prix
- Vyas Ponnuri
- 2 hours ago
- 8 min read
Formula E kicks off its upcoming European run with its traditional visit to the World War II spec Berlin Tempelhof Airport. While excitement has been rife about the championship’s upcoming Gen4 era during the month-long spring break, 11 races of action and an exciting pair of championship battles still remain before the Gen3 era officially comes to a close.
Berlin has served as a cornerstone in the Formula E calendar, and is the only city to have hosted a race in every Formula E campaign so far. Only once has the Berlin Tempelhof Airport not played host to the all-electric series, back in 2016.
With over five different track layouts in the past, the venue has proven to be an adept foil for the championship's evolving needs.
The current layout has always seen plenty of overtaking action, with the 2024 Berlin E-Prix weekend playing host to a chaotic pair of races.
While 2025’s pair of races weren’t as action-packed, the race weekend brought about Jaguar’s resurgence, with both Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy winning the Berlin E-Prix in 2025. It also brought about the crowning moment for Nissan’s Oliver Rowland, who became the first driver to claim a title in the penultimate weekend since António Félix da Costa in 2020.
It’s Jaguar who enter Berlin in the ascendancy this weekend, not only with the form guide in the German capital on their side, but recent form indicating a resurgence for the Big Cat.
Evans and da Costa have taken three of the last four race wins in Season 12, the latest of those being a 1-2 in the Madrid E-Prix, shoring up Jaguar’s position in the standings after a poor start to the season.
The New Zealander will be looking to sign off on a high in his final season with the team, and Berlin represents the best chance to kick off that swansong run, especially with a high stakes battle with his teammate on the line.
He will have plenty of contenders lining up, though, with championship leader Pascal Wehrlein still very much the form man coming into this weekend. Second-placed Edoardo Mortara is still a force to be reckoned with, in a rapidly evolving Mahindra set up that has come of age into the final year of the Gen3 era.
Cupra Kiro have risen to the fore after a difficult start, with Dan Ticktum stringing together a series of consistent results after three DNFs, and rookie Pepe Martí showcasing flashes of brilliance at the beginning of the season.
Nissan, Envision Racing and Citroën have all been in the fray at varying stages in 2026, with Rowland standing on the podium thrice, while Cassidy’s form has tailed off ever since he took victory in Mexico City.
Sébastien Buemi’s consistency has ensured the team in green remain in the fight, as he has managed to leave every race weekend with points to his name, and top 10 finishes in five out of the first six races of the season.
The early signs of this season have only vindicated claims that Season 12 would be one of the tightest in the championship’s history, and this is only set to be the case heading into Berlin, and a busy stretch of Formula E that also includes the Monaco E-Prix.
Drivers’ standings heading into the Madrid E-Prix
Pascal Wehrlein (Porsche) - 83 points
Edoardo Mortara (Mahindra Racing) - 72 points
Mitch Evans (Jaguar) - 65 points
António Félix da Costa (Jaguar) - 64 points
Nick Cassidy (Citroën Racing) - 51 points
Teams’ standings heading into the Madrid E-Prix
Porsche - 133 points
Jaguar - 129 points
Mahindra Racing - 84 points
Envision Racing - 62 points
Citroën Racing - 61 points
The track layout for the Berlin E-Prix
It’s not often you see cars racing around a disused airport in today’s motorsport, and as such, the Berlin Tempelhof Circuit holds a unique position in motorsport, and even on the Formula E calendar.
The venue first hosted Formula E in 2015, on a much longer layout that didn’t feature most corners used in the current layout. After further adaptations and a one-year hiatus when it hosted refugees, the Berlin Tempelhof Airport returned to the calendar in 2017, featuring several familiar corners which became a cornerstone of Formula E’s Gen2 era.
The circuit also boasts the rarity of featuring an anti-clockwise iteration, used for one race of the Berlin double-headers between 2020 and 2022.
However, with the cars only getting faster, organisers have had to take a step forward to keep up with the speeds. The present-day layout was first used in 2024, and while it retains a similar silhouette to its predecessor, it still provides enough racing action on race day.
Familiar corners such as the wide Turn 2 allow drivers to take multiple racing lines, and drivers have even entered this corner three or four abreast. This serves as a major overtaking spot, and even race-ending if you’re not careful, as evidenced by Sam Bird and Nico Müller coming together last year.
Turns 3 and 4 may be a largely subdued version of the older layout, but they open up a major overtaking opportunity further ahead, into Turns 6 and 7. The double right has seen overtaking action, but also saw eventual champion Rowland have a spin late into the race in 2025, dropping him down the order.
The ideal overtaking opportunities thin out after this point in the circuit, with Turn 9 serving as an unusual one if you’re brave on the brakes, or the triple left-hander of Turns 12, 13 and 14 if the chasing driver is in attack mode, or can get alongside on the old start/finish straight.
Past races at this venue have rewarded patience in the early stages, with three of the four races run on this configuration won by drivers starting ninth or lower. Nick Cassidy, one of the three-time Berlin winners, has won all his races from eighth or lower on the grid.
Timings for the Berlin E-Prix
Round 7
Free Practice 1 Fri, 1 May 2026 16:00 - 16:40 local (15:00 - 15:40 BST)
Free Practice 2 Sat, 2 May, 2026 09:30 - 10:10 local (08:30 - 09:10 BST)
Qualifying Sat, 2 May, 2026 11:40 - 12:48 local (10:40 - 11:48 BST)
Main Race (39 laps) Sat, 2 May, 2026 16:05 - 17:00 local (15:05 - 16:00 BST)
Round 8
Free Practice 3 Sat, 2 May, 2026 09:30 - 10:10 local (08:30 - 09:10 BST)
Qualifying Sat, 2 May, 2026 11:40 - 12:48 local (10:40 - 11:48 BST)
Main Race (37 laps) Sat, 2 May, 2026 16:05 - 17:00 local (15:05 - 16:00 BST)
Major storylines for the Berlin E-Prix
Championship battles resume: With over a month between Formula E’s last outing in Jarama and the Berlin E-Prix this weekend, the grid has had plenty of time to rest and reflect on their starts to the season. Porsche come into their home race as championship leaders, but only by a slender four-point margin, with familiar foes Jaguar right on their heels. Wehrlein too comes in with the championship lead, but only by 11 points from Mortara, and it will be interesting to see who lands the next blow in this battle for the title.
Evans final swansong with Jaguar: In the lead-up to the Berlin E-Prix, Jaguar announced their decision to part ways with Mitch Evans at the end of Season 12. Formula E’s longest team-driver partnership has seen several moments of glory, and Evans will be looking forward to leave his long-time employers on a high note at the end of this season.
A Stellantis revival on the cards: While Opel have stolen most of the limelight with their Gen4 liveries and test prototypes, the spotlight now shifts back onto the existing teams fielded by the conglomerate. DS Penske have endured a horror start to Season 12, sitting ninth with 22 points, while Citroën have faded away after a strong start, sitting fifth on the ladder. Cassidy will be looking to bring his winning form in Berlin to the fore and help the French team return to form and stay in the title battle, while DS Penske will look to revive their campaign in this crucial double-header.
Mahindra’s battle of two halves: No team has a bigger gap between teammates than the 60-point gulf between Mortara and teammate Nyck de Vries in the standings. While the Swiss driver has podiumed twice and scored points consistently, the Dutchman has floundered in the standings, with reliability issues and crashes dogging his campaign. Mahindra will hope both drivers fire in unison, and shore up the team’s championship bid in a critical stage of the season.
Envision’s strong start to 2026: The first five races have arguably represented Envision Racing’s best run of form since their constructors’ title win in Season 9. The team in green have faced a difficult two seasons, but an optimistic start by Sébastien Buemi and rookie Joel Eriksson have ensured the team sit fourth in the standings. Both drivers will now be looking to add to their tally and lift the team closer to the top in Berlin.
Drivers in the spotlight
Mitch Evans and António Félix da Costa: The Jaguar pair may have finished first and second in Jarama, but there was much dismay when Evans, who had more energy on the final lap, was given an order to hold position. The New Zealander would have fancied a second race win, which instead went to teammate da Costa. With both drivers in the fray for the title, expect more close battles and fireworks as they spar for supremacy in Season 12.
Nyck de Vries: It’s been a forgettable start to the season for de Vries, with the Mahindra man only scoring 12 points across the first five races in Season 12. Despite starting second, de Vries’ race came undone early in Jarama, as he clattered into the rear of Wehrlein’s Porsche, limping home to finish 18th. His task only gets harder, with this being his first appearance at Berlin since 2022, and his first weekend on the current layout. Nevertheless, he will be looking to set his season record right at the first possible opportunity in Berlin.
Pascal Wehrlein: The stars couldn’t have aligned better for Wehrlein and Porsche heading into their home weekend in Berlin. Championship leaders in their facets, they remain the only ones to have scored in each race this season. It’s this relentless consistency and scores that will strengthen their bids for a second title each, and what better than keeping this streak going in front of their home crowd, with an iconic ‘Pink pig’ livery adorning the Porsche.
Taylor Barnard: Rookie extraordinaire in Season 11, Barnard has undoubtedly faced a difficult start to Season 12. The young Briton finished an excellent fourth in Mexico City, but has only scored two points since. He will be looking to bring some of that glittering form from the year prior to lift DS Penske’s stuttering campaign.
Predictions for the weekend
Berlin is a familiar venue, and as such, I’d still back the form guide in my predictions for this weekend.
I’d predict an Evans win in Round 7, followed by Mortara and Ticktum. For Round 8, I would go with a different form guide, predicting another Cassidy comeback, with Wehrlein in second and de Vries finishing third.
