The Jeddah E-Prix Qualifying session was set to be intense after action-packed practice sessions at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
With a new layout and the addition of Pit Boost, drivers have had to adapt quickly.
Ultimately, Günther claimed the pole position after an intense fight against fellow German driver Pascal Wehrlein.
What has happened so far in Jeddah?
Rookie Free Practice: Young talents’ time to shine
Kush Maini topped the timesheets with a 1:17.184 in Mahindra’s GEN3 Evo, followed by Gabriele Minì and CUPRA KIRO’s Mikkel Jensen. The session showcased future Formula E stars.
Free Practice 1: Rowland Led Nissan charge
Oliver Rowland clocked 1:15.849 for Nissan, with teammate Norman Nato just a tenth behind. Edoardo Mortara took third for Mahindra while reigning champion Pascal Wehrlein finished sixth. A bumpy final chicane and close calls hinted at the battles ahead.
Free Practice 2: Da Costa set the pace
António Félix da Costa posted a 1:15.470 for Porsche, ahead of Maximilian Günther and Jake Hughes. Nissan’s strong form continued with Nato and Rowland in third and fourth. After a collision between Vandoorne and De Vries, the session ended under a red flag.
How does Qualifying work?
Formula E qualifying follows a unique, competitive format that creates close racing and unpredictable results. The session is divided into two main phases: the Group Stage and the Duels Stage.
Group Stage
At the start of qualifying, the drivers are split into two groups based on their positions in the championship standings. Each group is given a set amount of time, usually 10 minutes, to set their fastest possible lap. During this period, drivers must carefully manage their energy while finding the best possible track conditions.
At the end of the group stage, the four fastest drivers from each group move on to the next round, known as the Duels Stage. The remaining drivers who do not advance are ranked based on their lap times and placed in positions 9 to 22 on the starting grid.
Duels Stage
The top eight drivers from the group stage then compete in a head-to-head knockout format. This phase consists of:
- Quarter-finals, where the eight fastest drivers are paired off and race against each other in one-lap shootouts.
- Semi-finals, where the four winners from the quarter-finals compete again.
- The Final, where the two fastest drivers go head-to-head for pole position.
The driver who wins the final secures pole position, while the runner-up starts from second place. The losing semi-finalists start third and fourth, and the quarter-finalists are placed in positions five to eight based on their times.
Qualifying Group A
The first lap of Group A was less spectacular; it was all about warming up the tyres and getting used to the track at this stage.
Taylor Barnard set the first fast time with a 1:17.505, followed by Nyck de Vries who was 0.275 seconds slower. Nico Müller set a 1:17.855, initially finishing in third place, while Sam Bird, Barnard’s team-mate, was 0.468 seconds slower.
Robin Frijns, who had to park the car early in FP2, also struggled in this segment of the weekend – he spun on one of the first laps.
The last fast lap by all the drivers showed what they could get out of their cars.
Barnard improved to a 1:17.429. Maximilian Günther moved up to second place with a 1:17.491. De Vries made a significant improvement to third place with a 1:17.492. Mitch Evans completed the four drivers who advanced to the Duels.
Out of the Group Stage are:
- Nick Cassidy
- Sam Bird
- Antonio Felix da Costa
- Nico Müller
- Sebastien Buemi
- Lucas di Grassi
- Robin Frijns
Qualifying Group B
The first fast times came with just under 7 minutes left on the clock in Jeddah.
Jake Dennis set a 1:17.933 but was knocked off P1 by Stoffel Vandoorne, who set a 1:17.815. Shortly afterwards, Dan Ticktum set the initial benchmark in the Cupra Kiro with a 1:17.793.
But all these times did not stand for long, as Oliver Rowland and Pascal Wehrlein both went under the 1:17.700s to put themselves in P1 and P2.
Further down the timesheet, Edoardo Mortara had not set a time until a few minutes before the end of the session – and as the time on the clock ticked down, it became clear that the Mahindra driver would not be able to set a time.
The track evolution became apparent on the last laps of the group qualifying.
Oliver Rowland set the fastest time of the group qualifying in Jeddah, a 1:17.182. Jake Hughes was 0.274 seconds slower, Wehrlein was 0.312 seconds, and Dan Ticktum completed the four drivers who continued. He drove a 1:17.506.
Out of the Group stage are:
- Jean-Eric Vergne
- Norman Nato
- Stoffel Vandoorne
- Jake Dennis
- David Beckmann
- Zane Maloney
- Edo Mortara
The Duels
De Vries vs. Günther
De Vries took to the track ahead of Günther. Both set reasonably good laps without incident. De Vries set a 1:16.216, while Günther set a 1:15.472 and advanced to the semi-finals.
Evans vs. Barnard
Evans and Barnard were next to post their fastest times in one lap in Jeddah.
Right from the start, Barnard was faster than Evans in the first sector, but this did not continue in sector two. Shortly before the finish line, they were very close together, but Evans set a 1:15.574 and Barnard advanced to the semi-finals with a 1:15.560.
Wehrlein vs. Hughes
Most assumed that reigning world champion Pascal Wehrlein would win this battle against Jake Hughes. During the lap, both drivers were close together, but in the last sector, Hughes lost some time. Wehrlein set a 1:15.380, while Hughes set a 1:16.352 after going extremely wide in turn 13.
Ticktum vs. Rowland
The last quarter-final was between Dan Ticktum and Oliver Rowland. Ticktum was first out on track, but in the first and second sectors, Rowland was a little faster, just under a tenth. Ticktum set a 1:15.754, and Rowland managed to knock him out with a 1:15.371.
The Semi-Finals
Barnard vs. Günther
Barnard took to the track before Günther. Both were close together across all sectors, but Barnard hit a kerb too hard, which caused him to lose sometime. Barnard set a time of 1:15.396, but Günther improved to a 1:15.219.
Wehrlein vs. Rowland
Rowland took a different approach to his colleagues – and Wehrlein – at Turn 4, which allowed him to gain a tenth straight away. But in the last sector, Wehrlein caught up, setting a 1:14.499. Rowland was knocked out with a 1:15.058.
Final
Wehrlein vs. Günther
The ‘old German showdown’ saw Günther against Wehrlein on the last fast lap before the first E-Prix in Jeddah.
Günther did his hot lap ahead of Wehrlein. In the first sector, they were still close together, but in the second sector, Günther took a chicane too wide, which cost him time. But they were extremely close to each other until the end of the lap. Günther took pole with a 1:14.911, while Wehrlein set a 1:15.197.
Final results
- Maximilian Günther
- Pascal Wehrlein
- Oliver Rowland
- Taylor Barnard
- Mitch Evans
- Dan Ticktum
- Nyck de Vries
- Jake Hughes
- Nick Cassidy
- Jean-Éric Vergne
- Sam Bird
- Norman Nato
- Antonio Felix da Costa
- Stoffel Vandoorne
- Nico Müller
- Jake Dennis
- Sébastian Buemi
- David Beckmann
- Lucas di Grassi
- Zane Maloney
- Robin Frijns
- Edoardo Mortara
Feature Image Credit: Photo by Alastair Staley/LAT Images | FE Media Centre
