The final qualifying session of the Formula E season delivered all spicy ingredients: changing weather conditions, technical issues, red flags, and team orders. Ticktum may have taken pole (and three points) on paper, but it will be Cassidy who lines up first on the grid for the race. Ticktum carries over a penalty from yesterday’s race after hitting Evans.
Group stage
Group A
The first group featured both Jaguar TCS Racing cars, Mahindra Racing and Andretti drivers, along with Da Costa, Maloney, Frijns, Rowland, and Bird. Jaguar and Mahindra hit the ground running, occupying the Fantastic (top) Four early on.
The drama soon struck when da Costa went off-track. TAG Heuer Porsche confirmed a technical issue. His engineer warned him that continuing might damage the engine, so he stopped the car. That brought up a red flag. Since he caused the stoppage, da Costa will start from the back of the grid.
After the session resumed, Mortara retained the top spot with a 1:08.583. The four drivers advancing from Group A were Mortara, de Vries, Evans, and Cassidy. Rowland just missed out in P5.
Group B
With the second group rolling out, Jaguar’s Evans was already on the radio complaining the car “felt horrendous.” DS Penske set the early benchmark before Wehrlein went top with a 1:08.640, just shy of Mortara’s best.
Günther then took P1, with his teammate looking to copy him. Vergne made a critical mistake in the final sector though and just missed out. Ticktum stunned the field by going even faster than Mortara’s Group A time, as di Grassi once again struggled. His last lap was the fastest with a personal best middle sector, but he only went second-slowest, just ahead of Beckmann.
Ticktum, Günther, Wehrlein, and Vandoorne progressed into the duel stage.
Duels Stage
Quarterfinals
- QF1: Evans vs. De Vries
In a rematch of Saturday’s final, Evans and De Vries clashed again. Light rain had begun to fall as the Jaguar driver reported on radio. It was him who adapted better to the changing conditions and eliminated the Mahindra driver. - QF2: Cassidy vs. Mortara
Their teammates faced off in the second duel. Mortara locked up after losing the brakes and stopped early on in a run-off zone. That gave Cassidy an easy path to the semifinals. - QF3: Wehrlein vs. Günther
Günther started off his lap strong and despite Wehrlein’s typically faster second half, the TAG Heuer Porsche driver couldn’t close the gap. Günther surprisingly proceeded into semifinals. - QF4: Vandoorne vs. Ticktum
Ticktum delivered a sensational lap, finishing nearly a second ahead of the Maserati MSG Racing driver. He confirmed his good form from yesterday.
Semifinals
- SF1: Cassidy vs. Evans
The Jaguar teammates squared off, and with Cassidy making a driving error and going too deep into T16. Evans had the chance to advance easily. Instead, he slowed down near the end to play a strategic team game in support of Cassidy’s possible P2. With both having a sure top 3 start thanks to Ticktum’s penalisation, they prioritized the better position in the drivers’ championship.
- SF2: Ticktum vs. Günther
Ticktum once again showed strong pace, leading from the start and never letting go. Günther had no answer although he started off his lap well enough.
Final
Ticktum officially claimed pole with a flawless lap — but due to a five-place grid drop penalty for his collision with Evans in Saturday’s race, he’ll start from sixth. That hands Cassidy pole position for the final race of the season.
Cassidy took the blame when coming on the radio:
“Sorry, sorry, sorry. No, I didn’t do it. I am so sorry, you guys were perfect. I just… I am sorry to the team. I was not good enough.“
Nevertheless, Ticktum takes the Julius Baer pole position trophy and three additional points. It is a well deserved one, the first for Cupra Kiro since 2017.