Qualifying for Round 11 of the 2025 FE World Championship in Shanghai proved to be anything but conventional, as torrential rain, poor visibility, and worsening track conditions forced Race Control to abandon the Duels phase. Instead, the starting grid was decided solely based on Group Stage results, in accordance with the championship’s sporting regulations. Despite the chaos, Jaguar TCS Racing’s Nick Cassidy and Porsche’s António Félix da Costa rose to the occasion, each topping their respective groups to secure front-row starting positions for Saturday’s race.
Delayed start amid wet conditions
The disruption began even before any cars hit the track. Persistent heavy rain had soaked the circuit , prompting Race Control to conduct a last-minute inspection just ten minutes prior to the scheduled start. Though the track was visibly waterlogged and the forecast remained bleak, officials initially opted to delay the session rather than cancel it outright. A revised start time of 9:10 local time was set, only to be pushed back again to 9:45 as conditions failed to improve sufficiently.
Eventually, when the session did get underway, Race Control confirmed that Qualifying would proceed with just the Group Stage, scrapping the head-to-head Duels due to time constraints. This decision was in line with the sporting regulations, which stipulates that in exceptional circumstances, the grid can be formed based solely on Group results.
Group A: Cassidy masters treacherous conditions
Group A ventured out onto a soaked and slippery Shanghai circuit with Mitch Evans leading the charge. His teammate, Nick Cassidy, was slow to exit the pit lane and quickly came under investigation for failing to follow the Race Director’s instructions. Regardless, Cassidy found pace early, posting a 1:33.038 before shaving further time off to clock a 1:32.590.
As rainfall intensified and grip diminished, drivers struggled to find consistency. Nonetheless, Pascal Wehrlein momentarily went quickest with a 1:32.392 for Porsche, only to be narrowly beaten by Maserati’s Jake Hughes, who recorded a 1:32.283 despite being handed a black and white flag for driving unnecessarily slowly. Nissan’s Oliver Rowland received a similar warning moments later.
However, Cassidy was not done. With just over three minutes to go, the Jaguar driver delivered a blistering 1:31.305, reclaiming the top spot and showcasing his mastery of the treacherous conditions. Meanwhile, Mahindra’s Nyck de Vries had a spin, highlighting just how unpredictable the circuit remained.
In the end, Cassidy’s time proved unbeatable, placing him at the top of Group A. Behind him, Wehrlein, Hughes, de Vries, and Günther rounded out the top five. Nissan endured a difficult session, with Rowland only managing ninth.
Group A Standings:
- Nick Cassidy
- Pascal Wehrlein
- Jake Hughes
- Nyck de Vries
- Maximilian Günther
- Zane Maloney
- Mitch Evans
- Edoardo Mortara
- Oliver Rowland
- Dan Ticktum
- Norman Nato
Group B: Da Costa fastest as red flags halt running
The second group, Group B, faced even more punishing conditions in the FE Round 11 Qualifying in Shanghai. Da Costa set the early pace with a 1:33.649, while Race Control began handing out black and white flags to Taylor Barnard, Stoffel Vandoorne, and Robin Frijns for impeding by driving too slowly.
Jean-Éric Vergne slotted into second ahead of Lucas di Grassi, though da Costa soon extended his lead with a 1:32.952. Vergne and Vandoorne followed closely behind, both managing to improve slightly but unable to match da Costa’s benchmark.
The session soon descended into further chaos. David Beckmann spun at Turn 3 but rejoined the track, while Sébastien Buemi wasn’t so lucky—he beached his Envision car in the gravel, forcing a red flag. Though Buemi eventually returned to the pits, the resumed session lasted mere minutes before worsening weather brought out another red flag, this time for good.
With the clock ticking and no further improvements possible, da Costa retained the fastest time, placing him P1 in Group B and earning a front-row start.
Group B Standings:
- António Félix da Costa
- Lucas di Grassi
- Jean-Éric Vergne
- Stoffel Vandoorne
- Nico Müller
- Robin Frijns
- Taylor Barnard
- Sam Bird
- Jake Dennis
- Sébastien Buemi
- David Beckmann
Provisional Grid for Round 11
With the Duels cancelled, the grid was determined by group classification, with odd positions allocated to the top 12 drivers from the fastest group and even positions to the other.
CASSIDY TAKES POLE ⚡️
— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) June 1, 2025
A tricky session with wet conditions sees Nick Cassidy take Julius Baer Pole Position for Round 11 👊@Hankook_Sport #ShanghaiEPrix pic.twitter.com/Dcd8RIuuah
- Nick Cassidy
- António Félix da Costa
- Pascal Wehrlein
- Lucas di Grassi
- Jake Hughes
- Jean-Éric Vergne
- Nyck de Vries
- Stoffel Vandoorne
- Maximilian Günther
- Nico Müller
- Zane Maloney
- Robin Frijns
- Mitch Evans
- Taylor Barnard
- Edoardo Mortara
- Sam Bird
- Oliver Rowland
- Jake Dennis
- Dan Ticktum
- Sébastien Buemi
- Norman Nato
- David Beckmann
