Formula E heads to Jakarta for Round 12 of Season 11, marking the debut of the GEN3 Evo car in Indonesia. The Ancol Beach circuit challenges drivers with a mix of speed, tight corners, and coastal flow. Championship leader Oliver Rowland leads a fiercely competitive field, with Pascal Wehrlein and rising star Taylor Barnard in pursuit. As the title race intensifies, Formula E in Jakarta promises high-stakes action.
Going green for Free Practice 1 in Jakarta
The 40 minutes of free practice for Formula E in Jakarta began with everyone driving out to familiarise themselves with the track conditions. Right at the start, the Full Course Yellow test was carried out, something that happens during every FP1.
It is extremely hot in Jakarta, something the teams and drivers have to take into account for their qualifying and race preparation.
Mitch Evans was the first to set a fast time with a 1:10.07, followed by team-mate Nick Cassidy.
Last year Jakarta was not on the Formula E calendar, but the year before – with the Gen 3 car – the fastest time was a 1:09, so an improvement was on the cards.
After about 10 minutes, this time had already been beaten by 17 drivers. Evans was still in first place with a 1:08.827, followed by Maximilian Günther 1:08.86. Antonio Felix da Costa rounded off the top three at this point with a 1:08.94.
Red Flag after Frijns crashed
Robin Frijns triggered a red flag after contact with the barrier before Turn 7. Shortly before this corner, he drove over a bump and was effectively just a co-driver. A suspected failure of the front right suspension led to him grazing the barrier and ultimately having to park his Envision.
Looking at the other times set so far, Jake Dennis was 4th with a 1:08.98, followed by Cassidy with a 1:09.09.
The Formula E championship leader, Oliver Rowland, was not even on the track at the time of the red flag – so he is missing a large part of his preparation for the next sessions.
Green flag again
… Or maybe not – the session was extended by 10 minutes, and when the Formula E cars returned to the Jakarta track we were back to the same point in terms of time as before the red flag.
With just under 20 minutes left on the clock, Zane Maloney set a 1:07.89 to move into the top spot, but Pascal Wehrlein quickly overtook him with a 1:07.20. Sam Bird in the NEOM McLaren also set a good time with a 1:07.50, but team-mate Taylor Barnard was 8 hundredths quicker.
Jake Dennis set the fastest lap time shortly afterwards with a 1:06.98 – what would be the fastest time of the day today?
Dennis’ team-mate Nico Müller set an even faster time. But Edo Mortara in the Mahindra also drove an Attack Mode lap, which put him in first place with a 1:06.38.
Frijns’ team-mate Buemi showed that he also has problems with his Envision – he was in 21st place at the time, but the time he then set put him into P5.
Final 10 Minutes of FP1 in Jakarta – and another small crash
Günther put in an extremely good final sector and took first place with a 1:06.05. Da Costa in the Porsche was +0.292 seconds behind.
Things did not look good for Formula E championship leader Rowland in Jakarta. Even though he set a time that put him in 4th place, he lost the rear shortly afterwards and drove into a barrier. Unlike Buemi, he was able to continue, so there was no red flag. His Nissan should still be damaged.
On the final laps we saw a personal improvement from several drivers, but nobody set a faster time than Günthers with a 1:06.05.
Final Results
- Maximilian Günther
- Anotonio Felix da Costa
- Edoardo Mortara
- Oliver Rowland
- Nico Müller
- Mitch Evans
- Nick Cassidy
- Dan Ticktum
- Jean Eric Vergne
- David Beckmann
- Norman Nato
- Nyck de Vries
- Jake Dennis
- Taylor Barnard
- Sebastien Buemi
- Jake Hughes
- Stoffel Vandoorne
- Pascal Wehrlein
- Zane Maloney
- Sam Bird
- Lucas di Grassi
- Robin Frijns
