Seven things to look out for in the last seven Formula E races of 2026
- Lucrezia Marano
- 7 hours ago
- 4 min read
As Formula E's Season 12 roars into its final stretch, the grid is bracing for a relentless, fast-paced conclusion. With only seven races left on the calendar in 2026, the battle for the title is set to reach a boiling point.
Beginning with the return to the tropical streets of Sanya and concluding with the traditional double-header in London, the margin for error is officially zero. Here are seven critical things to look out for as the world’s premier electric racing series races towar
ds the finale.
Can Mitch Evans maintain his Formula E championship lead in 2026?
Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans enters the final leg of the season sitting comfortably at the top of the Drivers’ Championship with 128 points. Following a stellar runner-up finish in Monaco, the Kiwi has extended his lead to 19 points over his closest rival.
Evans has come close to a title win on more than one occasion, falling short in every Formula E season from 2021 to 2024, but his final year with Jaguar has been a different story so far.
Evans has shown unmatched consistency this year, but with double-headers Shanghai, Tokyo and London waiting to disrupt the order, maintaining his cool under pressure will be his ultimate test.
The blistering Nissan and Porsche Formula E chase
While Evans will be looking ahead, several contenders are looking to close down the gap to the Jaguar man in the standings. Nissan’s Oliver Rowland (109 points) and Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein (101 points) are within striking distance of the championship lead.
Rowland’s dramatic Monaco victory proved that Nissan has the outright pace to challenge Jaguar on their day.
On the other hand, Wehrlein’s clinical efficiency makes him a threat at every venue; a single retirement or a poor qualifying session from Evans could instantly hand the momentum to either of these hungry pursuers. The German manufacturer will also be hungry to bounce back after a difficult Monaco weekend, an added motivation heading into Sanya.
Mahindra’s resurgence and Mortara’s threat
Mahindra Racing has quietly transformed into a heavyweight contender in the latter half of Season 12. Edoardo Mortara finds himself third in the standings with 103 points, firmly sandwiching himself between Rowland and Wehrlein.
The Indian manufacturer’s powertrain has looked incredibly potent on street circuits, making Mortara a fascinating wildcard who could easily disrupt the expected Jaguar-Porsche duopoly.
It’s also important not to forget Nyck de Vries, who took victory in Monaco for Mahindra, and has rejuvenated his form in Season 12. He too could be a disruptor and one to watch out for at the top, if he can aid Mahindra’s charge for a constructors’ title this season.
Sanya’s chaos and heavy grid penalties
The upcoming round in Sanya, China, marks Formula E’s highly anticipated return to the Hainan Island since 2019. The updated, flowing 2.48 km (1.54 mi) circuit features a unique “zero lap” pre-start format that will test driver discipline.
Drivers will have to accelerate from the dummy grid near Turns 4 and 5, going along at a speed of 50 km/h until they reach the start line located on the bridge before Turn 11.
Compounding the drama, several drivers enter the weekend carrying heavy grid penalties from a fractious Monaco weekend. Most notably, veteran Lucas di Grassi faces a massive 40-place drop, a guaranteed back-of-the-grid start and a mandatory drive-through penalty that will force him into an all-out recovery drive.
The DS Penske duo of Taylor Barnard and Max Günther too come in with penalties over their heads. Barnard faces ten positions down the order for his incidents in Round 10, while his teammate faces a drop of three positions for Sanya, having sped under full course yellows in Monaco.
Also facing a grid drop is Cupra Kiro’s Pepe Martí, as he will drop five places down the order for his incident with Nick Cassidy in Round 10.
The brutal Asian triple-header
Logistics, jet lag and wildly varying track characteristics will put teams to the sword over the next five weeks, across a variety of circuits.
Moving from the tight, sandy coastal bends of Sanya to the wide, high-speed sweeps of the Shanghai International Circuit and then directly into the technical barrier-lined layout of Tokyo, this three-country Asian leg will completely redefine the championship picture before the paddock returns to Europe.
In addition to the hype, this year’s Tokyo E-Prix will be a night race, and it will only add more to the spectacle of a championship battle and the three-weekend jaunt for Formula E in Asia.
The fight for the Constructors’ and Manufacturers’ trophies
While Jaguar leads the Teams’ Championship, Porsche holds a narrow edge in the newly prestigious Manufacturers’ Standings (281 points to Jaguar’s 269).
With massive pride and developmental bragging rights to the line, the political and technical warfare between the German and British giants will intensify. Expect team orders and strategic sacrifices to play a massive role in the remaining races.
Jaguar also leads the Constructors’ championship with 208 points to their name, 24 ahead of Porsche, with Mahindra sitting third on 146 points. Heading into the final weekends of the season, Formula E has seen several twists in the tale, and this fight is set to carry on until the final laps of the London E-Prix weekend.
The London indoor-outdoor finale
If history is any indication, the season-ending double-header at the ExCeL London circuit on August 15-16 will be a showpiece event. The unique half-indoor track is notorious for its slippery track surface changes and unpredictable British weather.
With 58 maximum points available over the final weekend, expect the championship fight to go down to the very final lap in London.
This race also marks the final event of the Gen3 era of Formula E cars, and potentially even the final race weekend for the championship at the ExCel Arena, before the series heads into its much-hyped Gen4 era in December.
Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
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