The second free practice session of the Formula E London E-Prix brought changing grip levels with a surprise name at the top of the timesheets. Nyck de Vries timed his final run perfectly to edge out Mitch Evans and Dan Ticktum. Several teams battled to adapt to evolving conditions when a light drizzle appeared in the closing minutes. As we head towards qualifying, everyting remains open.
Split-surface proves to be a challenge
The unique layout of the London E-Prix circuit with its indoor and outdoor sections offered changing grip levels for teams. Due to that, every minute of track time was critical for the teams. Jaguar TCS Racing and Nissan started FP2 strong, with both of their drivers finding early pace. In contrast, NEOM McLaren took a more cautious approach: Barnard began his session carefully, while teammate Bird spun on cold tyres, causing a brief yellow flag.
Envision Racing then showed a flash of form, followed closely by Mahindra Racing, whose two drivers delivered competitive lap times. Despite topping the timesheets at one point, di Grassi received radio feedback indicating a time loss in T1, suggesting there was still time to find.
Track evolution effects the session
Lap times began to fall rapidly after the halfway mark as most teams completed pit stops. Barnard ran wide at Turn 10. Despite that, both NEOM McLaren cars held top 3 positions with 17 minutes to go. Turn 10 continued to catch others off guard, including Beckmann and newly crowned champion Rowland, who was unusually down the order until the final 15 minutes when he vaulted into the top 5.
Conditions remained tricky as Buemi reported light drizzle in the closing stages. Proving once again, that mixed and wet conditions suit him, Evans went fastest with a risky lap. Taking aggressive lines and brushing the kerbs, he posted a time over three tenths clear of his nearest rivals — Ticktum and de Vries.
Lights spins and impending
A brief double yellow flag was triggered when Frijns spun after locking up into Turn 10. Shortly after, Dennis also ventured off track but quickly rejoined. Meanwhile, Ticktum improved to within 0.008 seconds of Evans. Both were left without an answer moments later, when de Vries topped the timesheets with only a minute remaining of the session.
Cassidy left his fastest lap time to the last seconds which proved to be a mistake. His flying lap was compromised by de Vries, only letting him climb up to a disappointing P19. If his teammate’s time is anything to go by, it doesn’t reflect the true pace of the car. The improved conditions from yesterday highlighted just how much track evolution can influence performance in London.
As the session wrapped, it was De Vries, Evans, and Ticktum who emerged on top. With such a variety of teams, the final race weekend of the season remains wide open. Who will have the advantage in qualifying?