Fan favorites, champions, rookies, and others are strewn around the grid, and even though the circuit is difficult to finish, it is undeniable that the secret to victory in Tokyo is a sound plan, good pace, and attack mode. The pole sitters for Race 2 are Oliver Rowland in P1, Dan Ticktum in P2, and Pascal Wehrlein in P3, and everyone is glued to them after an intriguing round of duels.After the hectic weekend, we’re fortunate to have dry weather for Race 2.
After a significant collision in qualifying’s turn 16, Mitch Evans was a DNS, highlighting his recent poor luck. Rowland started the race strong, holding the lead with Ticktum and Wehrlein in close pursuit. As we started lap 2, race control signaled car 4 (Frijns) for a stop-and-go time penalty. Edo Mortara and Jean-Eric Vergne engaged in a back-and-forth battle after some discussions with Sam Bird and Nick De Vries, with Mortara maintaining P4 at the moment. However, car 48 received a black and white flag after moving while braking.
We also saw that by lap 7, almost everyone save Rowland had switched to attack mode, with some battling between Da Costa and Barnard. Ticktum took the lead on lap 8, and Rowland and Barnard made contact when the NEOM McLaren driver passed him for P2. Wehrlein then switched to attack mode and passed Barnard and Rowland for P2. De Vries’ car, number 21, received a black and white flag for causing an accident. Mortara, Nato, and Da Costa were fighting for P5 by lap 11.
As the pressure increased, Di Grassi almost struck Da Costa’s back but was able to avoid getting hit. This was prior to Da Costa going into the pits for a DNF following a collision with Mortara under FCY and De Vries bringing out a full course yellow after making contact with Bird once more. With Rowland still not in attack mode and car 17, Nato, being investigated for speeding under FCY, lap 15 brought us back to green. Nick Cassidy’s Jaguar showed amazing speed and technique as he moved up the grid from P13 to P9, while Wehrlein took the lead on lap 17.
After a brief fight during which there was only slight contact, Rowland passed Cassidy for P5. Lap 19: Dennis demonstrated why Andretti shouldn’t be disregarded by going from P14 to P4, and Nato received a 5-second penalty for speeding in FCY. With three seconds remaining in attack mode on lap 26, Rowland went outside and took the lead. After Rowland and Wehrlein made contact while traveling side by side, Mortara was on defense once more, this time with Barnard. The youngster was able to pass both him and Ticktum for P3. Until lap 29, when we witnessed contact with Mortara send Barnard into the wall for a yellow, bringing out the SC, the Nissan driver took the lead with ease as the top six displayed intense attacking and defensive driving.
Rowland sat at P1, Wehrlein in P2, Ticktum in P3, and Dennis in P4 after the safety car was deployed, while Mortara was given a five-second penalty for causing an accident. It was a sprint to the checkered flag with no extra laps, and Rowland won, followed by Wehrlein in P2 and Ticktum in P3. With one DNS and three DNFs, this race featured numerous highs and lows, culminating in Rowland’s fourth victory and Ticktum’s maiden podium finish in Formula E. After Round 9 in Tokyo, we proceed to Rounds 10 and 11 in Shanghai.