The London E-Prix Round Up: The End of an Era

With championship deciders and a team championship all to play for, the London E-Prix was always going to be a scorcher. With the weather outside beaming down, it was one not to be missed.

(Image credit to Formula E)

With the Gen3 Evo era of cars ending and up to nine championship contenders in with a chance to win in the final double-header, the London E-Prix was always looking to be one to watch. As the sun set on the ExCeL for the last time, a former champion would reclaim the title, but it was not the biggest headline of the weekend.

Still a Bridesmaid, Never a Bride

Mitch Evans was the one that fans around London wanted to win the championship, with plenty of Jaguar TCS Racing shirts around the ExCeL, but the weekend was not to be for the Kiwi driver. A dominant qualifying performance by both Porsche drivers on Saturday meant that they created a defensive masterclass, preventing Mitch Evans from moving forward in the race, and some late attack modes from Pascal Wehrlein and Jake Dennis, who finished first and second respectively, meant that Mitch Evans would have a lot of work to do come Sunday, finishing eighth.

Already on the back foot, lagging twenty points on Sunday, Mitch Evans would need to win the race on Sunday, hoping for the worst to come to Dennis and Wehrlein. A bad qualifying put Evans down in fifth, with the Porsche of Nico Müller in front of him. Antonio Félix da Costa, his teammate, tried to help him out, though, with an early attack mode, meaning he got past Pascal Wehrlein and put in a defensive masterclass as Evans tried to come past Müller.

Ultimately, this fighting cost him the win, with the top three building a steady lead in front, creating a gap of five seconds that could not be bridged. Even with a late yellow flag, Mitch Evans finished fourth in the race, which led him to finish in third place in the drivers’ championship, not the dream finish to his decade at Jaguar TCS Racing, just nine points behind Wehrlein.

Pascal Wehrlein and Jake Dennis Battle It Out

Jake Dennis came into his home race at the top of the drivers' championship, with Pascal Wehrlein just two points behind. The battle started in qualifying, with Pascal Wehrlein bettering Jake Dennis in both sessions, with Pascal finishing on top of qualifying on Saturday and Jake Dennis fifth in the first one. It was ultimately Wehrlein who took the win in Race 16. Dennis was able to gain positions, though, past Dan Ticktum, landing himself on the podium in second.

Just five points separated the two drivers in the final race, but qualifying did not go the way of Jake Dennis, finishing in sixteenth position. In the early laps of the race, Jake Dennis could not make ground, but with a later attack mode, he was able to move up the field. Pascal Wehrlein was meanwhile trying to get past Antonio Félix da Costa, who was defending his position and the team's championship.

With a well-timed attack mode, Jake Dennis was able to climb the field, going wheel-to-wheel with Pascal Wehrlein and climbing into the points, which meant that he was briefly leading the championship. After attempting an overtake on Pascal Wehrlein, the two collided, which led to Joel Eriksson spinning on track, leading to a DNF in his final race for Envision Racing. Damage to Jake Dennis’s car meant he took a pit stop, finishing a lap down, while Pascal Wehrlein was handed a five-second penalty. Both finished out of the points, but with a two-point difference, it was Wehrlein who took the world championship, making him the second driver to win two drivers’ championships. Dennis finished just five points behind Wehrlein in the final standings.

Jaguar TCS Racing Take the Teams Title

Jaguar TCS Racing came into the weekend ahead of Porsche Formula E Team on points and were looking to achieve their place at the top of the pit lane. The plan was set with a strong performance from Antonio Félix da Costa, achieving a podium finish in Race 16, while Pascal Wehrlein took the win. Mitch Evans was also able to pick up points, finishing eighth, and Nico Müller finished eleventh, despite Porsche locking out the front row ahead of the race, with Müller starting in second.

Porsche also had a poor day on Sunday, with both drivers not able to score, with Pascal Wehrlein contesting a highly defensive Antonio Félix da Costa in the early parts of the race. The late contact with Jake Dennis led to a five-second penalty and saw him finish fourteenth. Nico Müller finished just shy of the points in eleventh. Da Costa’s earlier attack moves against Pascal Wehrlein took him out of the points, finishing fifteenth, but Mitch Evans’s fourth place cemented the Teams' title. Jaguar TCS Racing finished just 17 points ahead of the Porsche Formula E Team, who finished second. Mahindra Racing finished third, with Andretti and Citroën rounding out the top five.

(Image cred to Formula E)

Taylor Barnard Still Making History

Despite Mahindra Racing leading the top two off the line in the second race, with Nyck de Vries taking pole position, Taylor Barnard and DS Penske took the underdog approach. While the field fought in the midfield, the two Mahindras built a steady lead. Barnard, who started sixth on the grid, took an early attack mode and was able to cycle through the field and reach third position.

By the time the attack mode had finished, a late second activation meant that Taylor Barnard was able to reach second, and a late charge on Nyck de Vries saw Taylor Barnard win the race, his first and DS Penske’s first podium of the season. His win meant that he continued to break records in Formula E, being the youngest Formula E race winner at 22 years old, superseding his teammate, Maximilian Günther. In the final race for DS Automobiles, the Briton gave them a great parting gift.

Saying Goodbye

The final races in London mean the sport is saying goodbye to some teams, drivers, venues and even tyres. London next year will be replaced by Brands Hatch, featuring a Gen 4 car with Bridgestone tyres and a rather different grid.

After 12 seasons of Formula E, Season 13 will see the absence of some world champions. Lucas di Grassi had a poor two races, DNFing them both as the car was plagued by issues all weekend. In a weekend that featured an ode to his past teams on the livery, Lola Yamaha Abt did not score any points, with Zane Maloney also only finishing seventh in the final race of the season.

The race also saw the last from Sébastien Buemi and Joel Eriksson at Envision Racing, with Buemi entering an advisory role and Eriksson’s plans yet unknown. Buemi had two consistent performances to finish his Formula E career, finishing fourth and fifth respectively. Joel Eriksson finished outside of the points in the first race, and DNF'd the second. The rumoured replacement, Maximilian Günther, who is leaving DS Penske, finished both races on the fringes of the points in twelfth and eleventh, respectively.

Norman Nato also announced that he is leaving Nissan, only scoring one point over the weekend in his last race for the team. His teammate, Oliver Rowland, who is continuing at Nissan, finished at the back of the points in tenth and ninth, achieving the fastest lap in both races. Dan Ticktum has also been vocal about not having a seat in Formula E next year, finishing sixth and sixteenth in the races. Teammate Pepe Martí DNF'd in the first race and finished eighth in Race 2 for CUPRA KIRO.

For Citroën, Nick Cassidy achieved a ninth and sixth finish in both races, and Jean-Éric Vergne DNF'd in Race 1 and scored a seventh in Race 2. Both are confirmed to race next year, as is Felipe Drugovich at Andretti, who finished outside of the points in both races.

As we say goodbye to the ExCeL and a true London race, as well as Gen3 Evo, we enter the four-month break; silly season seems to be well underway as there are many unknowns going into Gen 4. The lights may have gone out in London, but with a new generation of cars, drivers and teams waiting in the wings, the next chapter of Formula E is already beginning.

 Article Written by Amy Powis