Winners and Losers from the Tokyo E-Prix

Credit: Simon Galloway/LAT Images

The Tokyo double-header provided some shock results, from weather-affected sessions to surprise winners, the Tokyo E-Prix really had it all. Few would have predicted how the races ended, or their outcomes. Here are the winners and losers from the Tokyo E-Prix.

Winner Round 14, Loser Round 15: Mitch Evans

Last weekend’s E-Prix was a double-edged sword for Mitch Evans- in Round 14, he reclaimed the lead of the championship but lost it following a non-finish in Round 15. Evans’ fourth-place finish in Round 14 was hard-fought and rejuvenated his championship fight following a challenging weekend in Shanghai. 

However, Round 15 would prove heartbreaking as the New Zealand driver ran out of energy and was forced to retire. Overall, Tokyo was a mixed weekend for Evans and it has highlighted the unpredictable nature of the Formula E title fight.

Winner Round 14: Dan Ticktum

Although Dan Ticktum emerged as a winner this weekend, his story has many other successes behind it. Season 12 has been challenging for Cupra Kiro and Ticktum- he’s had impressive results (such as two pole positions in Monaco), interspersed with several non-finishes and has seemingly struggled a lot. 

Initially, the Briton looked as if he was happy to settle for second, but a last-minute charge secured the biggest trophy on the day. 

Winner: Jake Dennis 

Jake Dennis’ season has been one of mixed fortunes. However, Tokyo was extremely positive for the Briton, who claimed the lead of the championship with two podium finishes over the course of the weekend. 

Dennis’ late surge to the top shows that the championship is still anybody’s for the taking and is wide open as we head into the London E-Prix.

Whilst Dennis did lose the Round 14 victory to Ticktum on the last lap, he was still able to earn an impressive haul of points, holding a slender two-point advantage over Jaguar’s Mitch Evans.

Credit: Simon Galloway/LAT Images

Loser Round 14, Winner Round 15: Nyck de Vries

Nyck de Vries is another driver to have endured mixed fortunes in Season 12. While the Dutchman has taken two victories, the latest in Tokyo, the Season 7 champion has also failed to score points in Round 14, finishing in 17th position after qualifying in 12th. 

However, Round 15 was much more positive given that he qualified seven places higher than the previous day, starting the race from fifth. He battled through the field and was able to defend his lead on the restart to take victory. 

de Vries battled with Nick Cassidy and Dennis to secure his second win of the season and some valuable points for Mahindra Racing, who are currently battling Andretti for third in the Teams Championship.

Winner: Porsche powertrains

Porsche as a powertrain has arguably been the most efficient of the group in Season 12. All three Porsche-powered teams have now secured at least one victory, with all six drivers featuring on a Formula E podium this season. 

Following the Tokyo E-Prix, Porsche were crowned the Manufacturer’s Champions, highlighting the stellar consistency and metronomic showings by the trio of Porsche, Andretti and Cupra Kiro in Season 12. A Porsche-powered car has finished on the podium in as many as 12 of the 15 races this season. 

While the powertrain developed issues at times during the season, the six drivers were able to score vital points and develop their skills to suit the power unit and bring home the title for the second year in a row.

Loser: Pascal Wehrlein

Over the course of the Tokyo E-Prix, Pascal Wehrlein failed to score points and lost his championship lead. Currently, Wehrlein sits third in the standings, five points behind Dennis and three behind Evans.

Round 14 was the German driver’s first non-classification of the season. Despite the tough Tokyo weekend, it can be seen as an advantage going into the London double-header, as Dennis has one non-finish and Evans has three non-finishes and one further non-classification.

Round 15 was also not great for Wehrlein as he dropped two places and finished the race down in 13th, failing to score points and compromising his title charge.

Overall, the Tokyo E-Prix proved shocking and unexpected - with the regular championship contenders and points-scorers struggling immensely, allowing opportunities for the rest of the field to pick up some big results. 

Several drivers, such as Wehrlein and Evans, who endured difficult outings in Tokyo, will be fighting for the title come the finale in London, as Formula E heads into its closest title-deciding event since Season 7. 

Edited by Vyas Ponnuri