Qualifying for Round 12 of the 2025 Formula E World Championship in Jakarta delivered high drama and razor-thin margins, as changing weather conditions and unexpected performances shook up the grid. The looming threat of rain and a damp FP2 set the tone for a tense morning session, with drivers battling humid conditions and a drying track to secure a place in the Duels.
With several championship frontrunners — including Oliver Rowland, António Félix da Costa, and Pascal Wehrlein — failing to advance beyond the group stages, the door opened for fresh faces to shine. NEOM McLaren rookie Taylor Barnard stunned the field by setting the fastest time of the group stage, while veterans like Jean-Éric Vergne and Jake Dennis kept themselves firmly in contention.
After surviving tight battles in the Duels phase, Dennis and Barnard faced off in the Final. In a thrilling shootout, Dennis clinched pole by a mere 0.002 seconds — denying Barnard a maiden pole position and securing his first since Berlin 2024. The result sets the stage for an unpredictable race in Jakarta, with key title contenders starting further back on the grid.
Mixed conditions define Jakarta E-Prix Practice sessions
Formula E’s Round 12 in Jakarta commenced with two highly contrasting practice sessions at the Ancol Beach circuit, offering teams a complex challenge ahead of Qualifying. The debut of the GEN3 Evo car in Indonesia coincided with extreme heat in Free Practice 1, followed by unpredictable wet conditions in Free Practice 2.
Initially, drivers took to the dry track under intense heat during FP1. They quickly began improving lap times, with Mitch Evans setting the early pace. However, Robin Frijns triggered a red flag after a suspected suspension failure caused him to crash before Turn 7. Crucially, championship leader Oliver Rowland lost valuable track time and joined late. Although he climbed to fourth on the timing sheets, he later slid into the barriers, raising concerns about car damage.
As the session resumed, lap times fell steadily. Zane Maloney, Pascal Wehrlein, and Taylor Barnard all briefly led. Jake Dennis and Nico Müller improved further, yet Edoardo Mortara went fastest on an Attack Mode lap. Ultimately, Maximilian Günther topped the session with a 1:06.05, ahead of António Félix da Costa.
Subsequently, FP2 brought heavy humidity, a damp surface, and lower grip. Although drivers adapted quickly, Turn 6 emerged as a trouble spot, with several cars sliding. Frijns appeared to recover well, while Barnard continued to impress.
Early Attack Mode efforts from McLaren led the way briefly, but stronger competition soon overtook them. Meanwhile, Rowland and Frijns came under investigation for tyre pressure violations. As the session progressed, Jake Hughes posted the fastest lap, followed by Wehrlein and Barnard. Despite improved conditions late on, most drivers avoided risks with Qualifying approaching.
Heat and humidity for Round 12 Qualifying
After a challenging and damp FP2, Qualifying kicked off at 10:20 local time (03:20 UTC) on a drying track. However, with hot, humid conditions, the drivers faced a strenuous session as they battled for the Julius Baer pole position. The first part of Qualifying saw two groups of 11 drivers battling at 300kW to set a lap time, with the fastest four from each group securing a place in the duels session.
Group A: Vergne the top performer in Group A
As Group A Qualifying got underway at the Jakarta E-Prix, Nissan’s Oliver Rowland led the eleven drivers onto the track, closely followed by Tag Heuer Porsche’s António Félix da Costa. Da Costa was the first to set a competitive lap, posting an early benchmark of 1:17.847. Nissan’s Norman Nato soon added a 1:18.327 to the timesheets, temporarily slotting into P2, before Mahindra’s Edoardo Mortara surged to the top with a 1:16.419.
With seven minutes remaining, Lola Yamaha ABT’s Zane Maloney exploded onto the scene with a lap of 1:14.339, claiming P1 ahead of the drivers beginning their crucial qualifying runs. Andretti’s Nico Müller quickly responded by going top with a 1:11.187. However, Mortara soon edged ahead again, improving to a 1:10.760 to reclaim first place with just over five minutes left.
While both da Costa and Tag Heuer Porsche teammate Nick Cassidy improved their times, they ultimately fell short of the top four. Maserati MSG’s Stoffel Vandoorne briefly took the lead with a 1:10.657, only to be displaced by NEOM McLaren’s Sam Bird, who posted a 1:10.468.
In the final three minutes of Group A Qualifying, Maloney surged to second with a 1:10.503. Yet as the remaining drivers pushed hard for Duel stage positions, Maloney dropped to fourth, with Mortara and da Costa reclaiming P1 and P2 respectively. With less than two minutes remaining, Mortara’s 1:09.944 set the pace, with da Costa trailing by 0.431 seconds at 1:10.375.
As the chequered flag fell, DS Penske’s Jean-Éric Vergne topped the timesheets, putting in a 1:09.460 to edge out Andretti’s Jake Dennis by 0.462 seconds. Mortara secured third, while Cassidy completed the top four. The session saw drama as championship leaders Rowland and da Costa failed to advance to the Duels. Race Control also noted an incident between Vandoorne and da Costa.
Results for Group A Qualifying
- Jean-Éric Vergne – 1:09.460
- Jake Dennis
- Edoardo Mortara
- Nick Cassidy
- António Félix da Costa
- Sam Bird
- Nico Müller
- Stoffel Vandoorne
- Oliver Rowland
- Zane Maloney
- Norman Nato
Through to Duels: Jean-Éric Vergne, Jake Dennis, Edoardo Mortara, Nick Cassidy
Group B: Barnard fastest of Qualifying
Group B Qualifying at the Jakarta E-Prix began with DS Penske’s Maximilian Günther leading the eleven remaining drivers onto the Jakarta E-Prix circuit, closely followed by Tag Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein — a key contender in the championship fight. With both Oliver Rowland and António Félix da Costa failing to advance from Group A, Wehrlein was in a prime position to capitalise.
Jaguar TCS Racing’s Nick Cassidy set the initial benchmark with a 1:14.837, but Günther soon took command with a 1:10.062 as the pace began to rise with just under seven minutes on the clock. Envision Racing’s Sébastien Buemi then raised the stakes, jumping to the top with a 1:09.692.
Around the five-minute mark, Wehrlein went quickest with a 1:09.330 — not only topping Group B at the time but also beating Jean-Éric Vergne’s best from Group A. Mahindra’s Nyck de Vries slotted into second with a 1:09.439, but Buemi soon struck back with a 1:09.326 to edge back into P1.
As the session entered its final stages, the battle intensified. Cupra Kiro’s Dan Ticktum vaulted to the top with a 1:09.152, only for de Vries to respond with a 1:09.249, putting himself back into contention. With just over 90 seconds remaining, Jaguar’s Mitch Evans fired in a strong 1:09.128, temporarily taking P1 as drivers lined up for one last push.
The closing moments were chaotic, as several drivers found themselves caught in heavy traffic during their final flying laps. Despite the congestion, Buemi delivered a stunning 1:09.024 to return to the top. But the drama didn’t end there — NEOM McLaren’s Taylor Barnard shocked the field with a blistering 1:08.968 to snatch P1. De Vries settled into P2, while Buemi and Ticktum completed the top four. Though de Vries’ 1:08.928, he was classified P2 as he set it after Barnard.
Meanwhile, Wehrlein’s earlier time of 1:09.330 left him only seventh, making him the latest championship frontrunner to miss out on the Duels. To make matters worse, he was placed under investigation for driving too slowly during the session, adding potential post-session consequences to an already frustrating outing.
Results for Group B Qualifying
- Taylor Barnard – 1:08.968
- Nyck de Vries – 1:08.968
- Sébastien Buemi
- Dan Ticktum
- Mitch Evans
- Maximilian Günther
- Pascal Wehrlein
- David Beckmann
- Jake Hughes
- Lucas di Grassi
- Robin Frijns
Through to Duels: Taylor Barnard, Nyck de Vries, Sébastien Buemi, Dan Ticktum
Duels
Following a surprising set of Group A and B Qualifying sessions at the Jakarta E-Prix, the top four drivers from each group advanced to the high-stakes Duels phase.
Quarter-Finals: Mortara vs Dennis, Cassidy vs Vergne, Buemi vs de Vries, Ticktum v Barnard
Quarter-Final 1 featured Mahindra’s Edoardo Mortara going up against Andretti’s Jake Dennis. Mortara was first to hit the track and laid down a 1:07.289 after a promising opening. However, a scruffy Sector 3 left the door open, and Dennis capitalised with a clean lap, posting a 1:07.249 to edge into the Semi-Finals.
Quarter-Final 2 pitted Jaguar TCS Racing’s Nick Cassidy against DS Penske’s Jean-Éric Vergne. Cassidy delivered a commanding performance, topping all three sectors to clock a 1:07.141. Vergne, by contrast, struggled throughout and could only manage a 1:08.033 — well off the pace.
Quarter-Final 3 saw Envision Racing’s Sébastien Buemi take on Mahindra’s Nyck de Vries. Though Buemi was the first out on track, de Vries looked more composed and consistently quicker. The Dutchman beat Buemi in every sector and set a strong 1:07.170. Buemi’s 1:07.601 was not enough to stay in the fight.
Quarter-Final 4 featured an exciting duel between Cupra Kiro’s Dan Ticktum and NEOM McLaren rookie Taylor Barnard, who had topped Group Qualifying. Ticktum gained the early advantage with a quicker Sector 1, but Barnard fought back in the remaining sectors. In one of the tightest margins of the day, Barnard crossed the line with a 1:06.953 — narrowly beating Ticktum’s 1:06.958 by just 0.005 seconds.
Through to the Semi-Finals: Jake Dennis, Nick Cassidy, Nyck de Vries, Taylor Barnard
Semi-Finals: Dennis vs Cassidy, de Vries vs Barnard
Semi-Final 1 saw Andretti’s Jake Dennis go head-to-head with Jaguar TCS Racing’s Nick Cassidy. Dennis was first to take to the track and set the pace early with a 19.627 in Sector 1, while Cassidy could only respond with a 19.276. Dennis continued to build on his lead in Sector 2 with a 20.443 compared to Cassidy’s 20.958. In Sector 3, Cassidy’s run unravelled further with a scrappy 28.406, while Dennis kept it clean with a 26.695. The Brit crossed the line with a 1:06.765 to book his spot in the Final, while Cassidy could only manage a 1:09.126 after a difficult final sector.
Semi-Final 2 featured Mahindra’s Nyck de Vries against NEOM McLaren’s Taylor Barnard. De Vries got off to a strong start, putting in a 19.703 in Sector 1, but Barnard narrowly bettered him with a 19.696. From there, Barnard extended his advantage, posting a 20.367 in Sector 2 and a 26.696 in Sector 3 — outpacing de Vries’ 20.493 and 26.845. The young McLaren driver crossed the line in 1:06.759, just edging out de Vries, who finished with a 1:07.041.
Barnard and Dennis advanced to the Final, setting up a thrilling conclusion to a dramatic Jakarta qualifying session.
Final: Dennis vs Barnard
The Final Duel saw Andretti’s Jake Dennis face NEOM McLaren’s Taylor Barnard for pole position. Dennis was first out and set a 19.554 in Sector 1. Barnard responded with a slightly quicker 19.529 to take the early lead. He extended it in Sector 2 with a 20.362, narrowly beating Dennis’ 20.384. However, Barnard lost time in Sector 3, managing only a 26.824 compared to Dennis’ 26.775. At the line, Dennis secured the Julius Baer Pole Position with a 1:06.713 — just 0.002 seconds ahead of Barnard’s 1:06.715. This marked Dennis’ first pole position since the 2024 Berlin E-Prix.
Provisional results after Formula E Round 12 Qualifying at the Jakarta E-Prix
- Jake Dennis
- Taylor Barnard
- Nyck de Vries
- Nick Cassidy
- Dan Ticktum
- Edoardo Mortara
- Jean-Éric Vergne
- Sébastien Buemi
- António Félix da Costa
- Mitch Evans
- Sam Bird
- Maximilian Günther
- Nico Müller
- Pascal Wehrlein
- Stoffel Vandoorne
- David Beckmann
- Oliver Rowland
- Jake Hughes
- Zane Maloney
- Lucas di Grassi
- Norman Nato
- Robin Frijns
