Jake Dennis secured pole position for the Formula E race in Sanya after defeating Andretti team-mate Felipe Drugovich in an all-Andretti final. Championship leader Mitch Evans and Dan Ticktum will line up on the second row. One of the biggest talking points of the session was the early elimination of Edoardo Mortara and Antonio Felix da Costa. Despite being the two most successful qualifiers of the season so far, neither driver progressed beyond the group stage.
Group A
The opening qualifying group featured Evans, Mortara, Nico Müller, Nick Cassidy, Sébastien Buemi, Pepe Martí, Drugovich, Taylor Barnard, Norman Nato, and Lucas di Grassi. Conditions were particularly demanding, with ambient temperatures reaching 32°C and track temperatures climbing to 52°C.
Cassidy adopted a cautious approach early on after receiving instructions from his team to complete two preparation laps before pushing for a representative lap time. A brief yellow-flag interruption occurred when Martí ran into the escape road at Turn 9. An area that had already caught out several drivers during practice.
As the clock ticked down, Drugovich moved to the top of the timesheets with a lap of 1:07.337. The Brazilian remained unbeaten in the group, progressing alongside Barnard, Evans, and Cassidy. Mortara’s session ended unexpectedly in the group phase, while Buemi, Martí, Müller, Nato, and di Grassi also failed to advance.
Group B
Reigning world champion Oliver Rowland headed Group B, joined by Wehrlein, Felix da Costa, Dennis, Nyck de Vries, Joel Eriksson, Ticktum, Jean-Éric Vergne, Maximilian Günther, and Zane Maloney.
Drivers again took their time before committing to qualifying runs. Wehrlein, who had set the pace in the second practice session, established himself at the head of the field midway through the group with a 1:07.496. Ticktum and Dennis, both running Porsche-powered machinery, remained close behind.
A late yellow flag was triggered when Maloney stopped on the track with damage to the rear-right corner of his car after brushing the wall at Turn 3. Wehrlein finished fastest in the group, with de Vries, Ticktum, and Dennis also advancing. Felix da Costa’s exit was another major surprise, while Eriksson, Rowland, Günther, and Maloney were also knocked out.
Quarter-Finals
Evans vs. Barnard
The opening duel produced one of the closest finishes of the season. Barnard held the advantage through the first sector, but Evans responded strongly in sector two and edged through by a remarkable one thousandth of a second.
Cassidy vs. Drugovich
Drugovich stamped his authority on the contest immediately, building a healthy margin early in the lap. He eventually defeated Cassidy by 0.392 seconds to reach the semi-finals.
Ticktum vs. de Vries
Ticktum produced the stronger lap through the opening sectors and maintained enough of an advantage to eliminate de Vries by just 0.044 seconds.
Dennis vs. Wehrlein
Dennis and Wehrlein were evenly matched in the opening stages, but a small mistake from the Porsche driver proved costly. Therefore, the Andretti driver progressed comfortably, finishing 0.423 seconds clear despite a minor scare towards the end of the lap.
Semi-Finals
Drugovich vs. Evans
Drugovich carried his strong form into the semi-finals, delivering a lap that was 0.025 seconds quicker than Evans’ effort to book a place in the final.
Dennis vs. Ticktum
Ticktum’s challenge unravelled after a lock-up at the hairpin. The error left Dennis with an unassailable advantage, the Briton finishing more than 17 seconds ahead after Ticktum’s compromised lap.
Final: Dennis Beats Teammate to Pole
The final guaranteed Andretti a front-row lockout, with Dennis facing Drugovich for pole position. A mistake from Drugovich opened the door for Dennis, who produced a clean and commanding lap to win by 1.078 seconds.
The result marked Dennis’ first pole position of the 2026 Formula E season and the eighth pole of his Formula E career. It also secured Andretti’s first one-two in qualifying, with both cars occupying the front row of the grid.
Behind the Andretti pair, Evans and Ticktum qualified third and fourth, respectively. Barnard, de Vries, Cassidy, Wehrlein, Eriksson, and Buemi rounded out the top ten. However, Barnard is set to drop ten places on the grid due to penalties carried over from incidents involving Nato and Vergne in Monaco. Elsewhere, Müller finished 16th in the second Porsche works entry, while DS Penske’s Maximilian Günther qualified 17th.