- TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team tops teams’ standings
- Tokyo track poses particular challenge
- Next race with rapid charging pit stops
After last year’s debut, Formula E returns to Tokyo with a double-header. The Saturday race will include pit stops for 600 kW of rapid charging for the third time. Like in Monaco, narrow turns make qualifying a key success factor in Tokyo. World Champion Pascal Wehrlein and teammate António Félix da Costa also have the opportunity to extend their run of success in qualifying: at least one of the two factory drivers has qualified for the duels 20 times in a row with the highly efficient Porsche 99X Electric. No other team has ever achieved this.
Second half of the season gets underway
The race on Sunday sees Formula E enter the second half of the season. It was in this phase last year that da Costa and Wehrlein secured five of their total seven wins of the season. The two drivers are currently in second and third place in the drivers’ standings, while the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team is at the top of the table in the teams’ standings. The double-header in Tokyo will be Wehrlein’s third consecutive weekend of racing: After the Monaco E-Prix, he contested the World Endurance Championship WEC in the Porsche 963 for the first time. At the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, he finished in ninth place alongside Porsche factory drivers Kévin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor.
Porsche record in Tokyo
When Formula E made its debut on Japanese soil in 2024, António Félix da Costa moved up from ninth on the grid to finish in fourth place and secure his best result of the season at that point. In doing so, he paved the way for a strong second half of the season in which he claimed four wins. Pascal Wehrlein finished fifth and took the lead in the drivers’ classification. Representing the Porsche customer team Andretti Formula E, Jake Dennis finished on the podium in third place.
Third Pit Boost
Following Jeddah and Monaco, the Pit Boost returns. During the 34-second mandatory pit stop in the race on Saturday, 3.85 kWh of electricity will flow into the battery (10%) – innovative rapid charging with 600 kW of power. By way of comparison: The Formula E safety car – the sports car for the road, the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT – charges with up to 320 kW. The CCS (Combined Charging System) symbolises a transfer of technology to series production: The socket and plug from the 99X racing car and the electric Porsche sports car for the road are very similar. The CCS combines the benefits of alternating current charging with the benefits of direct current charging, meaning it enables more gentle charging at home and more powerful rapid charging on the go, for example.
Standard Formula E track in spectacular setting
Like last year, the race will be held on a 2.575-kilometre street circuit. The track runs anticlockwise around the Tokyo Big Sight convention centre on the waterfront in Tokyo. With 18 turns, several straights and plenty of 90-degree corners, it is a standard Formula E track – embedded into the Tokyo skyline and with the distinctive Tokyo Gate Bridge in the background. Particularly challenging is the exit of turn 2, where the asphalt drops sharply – all four wheels come off the ground briefly. An additional challenge for the drivers and cars, particularly seeing as the passage leads right into the next turn.
ABB FIA Formula E World Championship – standings after 7 of 16 races
Drivers’ classification
1. Oliver Rowland (GBR), 115 points
2. António Félix da Costa (POR), 67 points
3. Pascal Wehrlein (GER), 66 points
6. Jake Dennis (GBR), 44 points
14. Nico Müller (SUI), 24 points
17. Dan Ticktum (GBR), 18 points
22. David Beckmann (GER), 0 points
Teams’ classification
1. TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team (GER), 133 points
2. Nissan Formula E Team (JPN), 126 points
3. Mahindra Racing (GBR), 91 points
6. Andretti Formula E (USA), 68 points
11. CUPRA KIRO (USA), 18 points
Manufacturers’ classification
1. Nissan, 192 points
2. Porsche, 163 points
3. Jaguar, 115 points
Formula E Live on TV and online
Races 8 and 9 of the season get underway at 15:05 local time (8:05 CEST) on 17 and 18 May respectively, qualifying starts at 10:20 local time on both days (3:20 CEST).
The worldwide broadcasting schedule of the Formula E events is available at fiaformulae.com/en/ways-to-watch.
Comments on the Tokyo E-Prix
Florian Modlinger, Director Factory Motorsport Formula E: “We had a fair bit to work through after Monaco – but we are ready. The track in Tokyo is a standard Formula E street circuit with plenty of turns, and in terms of the asphalt is slightly different than Monaco. The starting position will be key here as well. Compared with Monaco, there is the added factor of both races being a different length for the first time – the Pit Boost race on Saturday is three laps longer than the race on Sunday. This calls for a different approach than for the previous double-headers with Pit Boost, particularly in terms of energy management.“
Pascal Wehrlein, Porsche factory driver (#1): “I’m looking forward to Tokyo. The race sold out last year; the huge interest and the atmosphere were really cool. The next few weeks will be super intense, but I’m looking forward to lots of race kilometres – and hopefully some good results as well.“
António Félix da Costa, Porsche factory driver (#13): “Monaco was definitely not an easy weekend, but I’m confident that we will be well prepared on arrival in Tokyo. The track suited us well last year. That weekend marked a turning point in my season. I’m looking forward to driving there again and making a comeback in the battle for the world championship.“
