Round 9 of the 2024–2025 ABB FIA FE World Championship began with a dry and bright FP3 session on Sunday morning in Tokyo, a stark contrast to the wet and chaotic conditions of Saturday’s Round 8. Pascal Wehrlein led the way, setting the benchmark with a 1:12.011 to end the session fastest overall.
Early running: Evans leads the field out
At exactly 08:00, the lights turned green and the pit lane opened. Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans was the first to venture out on the dry track, followed swiftly by the rest of the grid. Maserati MSG Racing’s Stoffel Vandoorne, however, remained in the pit lane while all twenty-one other drivers commenced their exploratory laps. Three minutes into the session, Vandoorne eventually joined the circuit.
The opening minutes passed uneventfully as drivers completed installation laps and gathered data. Soon after, lap times began to register and the competitive pace emerged.
First timed runs: Wehrlein and Rowland trade top spot
Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team’s Pascal Wehrlein set the initial benchmark with a 1:14.405. Nissan Formula E Team’s Norman Nato slotted into second with a 1:14.575. Oliver Rowland soon bettered them both with a 1:14.167 to go fastest. Lola Yamaha ABT Formula E Team’s Zane Maloney impressed early, going third with a 1:14.445.
However, Wehrlein quickly responded, reclaiming first place with a 1:13.855. Cupra Kiro’s Dan Ticktum climbed into second with a 1:14.065, shuffling Rowland down the order.
Lola Yamaha ABT duo rise, Mortara and da Costa respond
As the FE FP3 session entered its second quarter, Lola Yamaha ABT made their presence felt at the Tokyo E-Prix. Maloney surged to the top with a 1:12.750, closely followed by teammate Lucas di Grassi, who went second with a 1:13.030. After setting their laps, both drivers returned to the pits.
Nissan’s Edoardo Mortara then went fastest with a 1:12.620, though he was later shown the black-and-white flag for driving unnecessarily slowly. Tag Heuer Porsche’s António Félix da Costa improved shortly after, going top with a 1:12.517.
DS Penske’s Jean-Éric Vergne moved into fourth, neatly splitting the Lola Yamaha ABT drivers. Meanwhile, Sam Bird survived a light impact with the barrier and climbed above Vergne on the timesheets.
With just over 20 minutes remaining, most teams returned to the garage. Envision Racing took the opportunity to rehearse their PIT BOOST stop in preparation for the upcoming Shanghai E-Prix.
Wehrlein sets the pace as field tightens
In the third quarter of the session, Wehrlein continued to assert his dominance. He improved his time to 1:12.011, a lap that would remain unbeaten. Nato followed closely with a 1:12.157 to secure second. NEOM McLaren Formula E Team’s Taylor Barnard placed third with a 1:12.455.
Mortara occupied sixth with a 1:12.620, just 0.010 seconds ahead of teammate Nyck de Vries in seventh. Dan Ticktum improved again, clocking a 1:12.344 to take third before Barnard was pushed to fourth.
Despite the intensity, the session remained remarkably clean. Drivers executed their programmes with discipline, keeping clear of each other and the barriers.
Final push: Hughes breaks into top three
In the final ten minutes, teams focused on race setup and qualifying simulations. For several minutes, the timesheet remained largely unchanged. Eventually, Vergne improved to a 1:12.334 to climb to third.
Maserati’s Jake Hughes then found even more time, posting a 1:12.326 to edge ahead of Vergne and slot into third position. DS Penske’s Maximilian Günther concluded the session ninth, while several others improved marginally.
Oliver Rowland, however, endured a frustrating finish. A spin in the final minutes destroyed his flying lap, and although his car remained undamaged, he found himself at the bottom of the classification. He ended the session behind David Beckmann, who had earlier brushed the wall but continued.
Session results: Wehrlein unchallenged at the top
As the chequered flag flew, Wehrlein’s 1:12.011 remained the time to beat. Nato held second, while Hughes’ late improvement secured him third. The session closed with a dry and relatively drama-free 30 minutes, setting the stage for an exciting qualifying session and the Round 9 race to come.
Results from FP3 at the 2025 FE Round 9: Tokyo E-Prix
- Pascal Wehrlein
- Norman Nato
- Jake Hughes
- Jean-Éric Vergne
- Dan Ticktum
- Taylor Barnard
- António Félix da Costa
- Edoardo Mortara
- Maximilian Günther
- Mitch Evans
- Jake Dennis
- Nyck de Vries
- Robin Frijns
- Zane Maloney
- Sam Bird
- Lucas di Grassi
- Stoffel Vandoorne
- Nico Müller
- Nick Cassidy
- Sébastien Buemi
- David Beckmann
- Oliver Rowland
