Dan Ticktum took a bittersweet pole position during qualifying for the London E-Prix, as a five-second time penalty denies him starting in the top spot. Nick Cassidy inherited pole.
After Saturday’s thrilling London E-Prix, the drivers prepared for the second qualifying session of the weekend.
Nissan-powered cars struggled once again in final practice, with Jaguar and Porsche power seeming to be the powertrain of choice.
As with Saturday’s race, track position would prove crucial for the race later in the day. Nissan needed to stage a fightback if the Japanese manufacturer had ambitions to seal the Teams’ and Manufacturers’ championship.
Group A
Qualifying for Sunday’s London E-Prix began with the usual mad dash out of the pit lane. Once again, however, Oliver Rowland opted to hold back from the initial rush onto the circuit.
Once the first runs were complete, it was Zane Maloney who led the field, from Nick Cassidy and Antonio Felix Da Costa.
Cassidy once again regularly featured at the top of the timesheets, with De Vries moving into second place with five minutes to go.
The drivers began to push, leading to a fluid grid order, before the final runs began in the closing minutes. The first representative time saw Edo Mortara leading from Cassidy, De Vries, and Evans.
Da Costa’s Porsche ground to a halt with a technical fault, bringing out the red flag. After a brief delay, the session resumed with four minutes and 30 seconds remaining.
At the chequered flag, The two Mahindra’s and Jaguars progressed to the duels. Oliver Rowland missed out on the duels for the second consecutive day.
Progressing to duels: Mortara, De Vries, Evans, Cassidy
Eliminated: Rowland, Frijns, Mueller, Dennis, Bird, Hughes, Maloney
Group B
The second group of cars took to the track, with all drivers leaving the pits immediately to maximise track position. The cars weaved on their first laps, tyre temperature once again proving crucial for a good lap.
Norman Nato led the times after the first runs, the drivers were by no means pushing. Vandoorne jumped to the top of the timesheets, with Lucas Di Grassi demonstrating track evolution by moving into third.
Once the drivers started to push, the lap times quickly started to tumble. The two DS Penske’s soon showed their pace, but it was Pascal Wehrlein who set the baseline for the drivers to beat with four minutes to go.
Drivers opted to stay out rather than fit new tyres. Once again, the order chopped and changed every few seconds, as the session entered its final minute. Dan Ticktum found himself at the top, his latest effort good enough for fastest.
Taylor Barnard and McLaren’s trying weekend continued, the British driver less than a tenth separating him from progressing to the duels.
At the chequered flag, Ticktum led the times, from Gunther, Wehrlein and Vandoorne, progressing to the London E-Prix qualifying duels.
Progressing to duels: Ticktum, Gunther, Wehrlein, Vandoorne
Eliminated: Nato, Barnard, Vergne, Buemi, Hughes, Di Grassi, Beckmann
London E-Prix qualifying duels
Quarter Finals
Mitch Evans vs De Vries
Mitch Evans had an advantage of a tenth of a second in the first sector. This increased by two tenths in the second sector, and although the gap closed to under a tenth of a second, he comfortably beat the Mahindra.
Nick Cassidy vs Edo Mortara
The second Jaguar vs Mahindra duel lasted mere seconds, as Mortara locked up into the first corner and ground to a halt with a brake fault. Cassidy progressed by default, taking the opportunity to get another practice qualifying lap in.
Wehrlein vs Gunther
Gunther held a tenth-of-a-second advantage over Wehrlein in the opening stages of the lap. This advantage increased in the second sector. Wehrlein attempted to close the gap but was eliminated.
Vandooorne vs Ticktum
Vandoorne’s car did not look poised as he started his lap. Ticktum led the Maserati by two tenths of a second in the first sector and set one of the fastest lap of the weekend, almost a full second ahead of the Belgian.
Semi Finals
Evans vs Cassidy
The Jaguar shootout saw tense scenes in the team garage. Separated by less than a tenth after the first sector, Cassidy held the advantage. Cassidy then ran wide, wrecking his lap. However, Evans slowed dramatically, allowing Cassidy to progress to the final.
Gunther vs Ticktum
The DS Penske vs Cupra Kiro duel saw Ticktum once again find speed, with Gunther struggling for balance. Ticktum crossed the line second, finding a further two tenths of a second to place him in the running for pole position at his home race.
However, with a five-place grid penalty for an incident in Saturday’s London E-Prix, Cassidy would inherit pole position, regardless of result.
London E-Prix qualifying final – Cassidy vs Ticktum
Cassidy started his lap first, the car looking hooked up and poised in the first three turns. A mistake at turn four compromised the end of his sector. Ticktum led by just under a tenth in sector one, increasing to two tenths in sector two, an advantage he held for the rest of the lap to take pole positon.
