The penultimate race weekend of the 2025 Formula E season is underway and the teams are back in Berlin, Germany. With 40 minutes of practice done and Friday concluded, let’s look at how this weekend is shaping up!
Practice starts off strong
Free Practice 1 was a great chance for all 22 drivers to get familiar with the circuit, starting off relatively calmly. 10 minutes into the session saw Vergne leading the timing table with Dan Tiktum behind him for the time being.
Tiktum will be hoping for another strong weekend, having recently achieved his first FE win and looking stronger in the Cupra Kiro car.
Pivotal for the Championship
Oliver Rowland was quick to set the pace with a 59.254 being set at the 29 minute mark. Berlin is among the shorter and quicker circuits on the calendar, which will make for a highspeed race.
Rowland is on the cusp of his first drivers championship, with the Porsche duo behind him in the standings. This weekend in Berlin will be key as to whether the Brit walks away with a championship trophy, or if this battle goes all the way to London. Pascal Wehrlein is a driver familiar with achieving championships, so he wont let this one go very easily.
Solid session for Barnard
By the 20 minute mark, the top spot was claimed by Taylor Barnard with 58.042. The Neom McLaren rookie is currently sitting 4th in the championship, with his best finish being P2. Barnard looked to have great understanding of the circuit and how to handle the bumps in the track.
Some drivers including Lucas Di Grassi were testing the track limits, locking up into turn 1 and coming close with the wall on the exit.
Final Push into the Barrier
With 2 minutes left on the clock, Da Coasta and Wehrlein made contact into the start finish straight. Wehrlein hit the rear of his teammate which sent Da Coasta into the wall. Replays showed the two drivers not understanding each other’s intentions which led to the contact.
The incident meant a red flag and an early finish to the first practice session this weekend. To conclude, Wehrlein topped the timing sheet with Mortara in P2 and Cassidy in P3.
The conclusion of FP1 will not be something Porsche want any repeats of, especially with both championships on the line. Lets hope they can turn this around for Saturday.