DE VRIES TAKES POLE FOR THE FINAL FORMULA E RACE OF SEASON 12
Nyck de Vries will start the final race of the Formula E Season 12 from pole position after a strong qualifying session in London. Mahindra took the entire front row at the ExCeL Centre, with Edoardo Mortara qualifying second.
The result means the championship standings remain unchanged at the top before the final race. De Vries beat Mortara in the final duel, giving Mahindra its first pole position of the season and three important points.
It is also De Vries’ first pole position with the GEN3 car. The result is a major step forward for Mahindra, which was at the back of the grid at this same event three years ago and is now starting the final GEN3 race from the front row.
The three points keep De Vries ninth in the championship with 97 points. Mahindra is also fighting Andretti for third place in the Teams’ Championship, with only 10 points separating the two teams.
Mortara took second despite damaging his steering during the group stage. The Mahindra driver managed to adapt to the damaged car and still reach the final, securing another front-row start.
Pascal Wehrlein and Nico Müller were eliminated in the semi-finals and will start from the second row. Wehrlein therefore failed to repeat his pole position from Saturday, but he still starts ahead of his main championship rivals.
Müller will once again have an important role to play for Porsche. With Wehrlein leading the championship, the team could use both cars to help protect the German’s position during the final race.
Mitch Evans was eliminated by De Vries in the quarter-finals. Nick Cassidy also went out at the same stage after losing to Wehrlein and damaging his steering after hitting a barrier.
Dan Ticktum was eliminated by Müller after making a mistake in the chicane section, while Taylor Barnard lost his duel against Mortara.
Evans will start third alongside Barnard, while Cassidy and Ticktum complete the fourth row.
The championship fight also suffered a major change in the group stages. Antonio Felix da Costa was eliminated from Group A by just nine thousandths of a second after De Vries set the fastest time.
Norman Nato did not take part in qualifying after suffering a technical problem early in the session. Lucas di Grassi was also unable to qualify after an MCU problem stopped him during the morning practice session.
Di Grassi will start the final race of his Formula E career from the back of the grid. He will also have to serve a 20-place grid penalty.
The biggest surprise came in Group B, where championship contender Jake Dennis was eliminated with the eighth-fastest time. Mortara set the fastest lap in the group ahead of Müller, Ticktum and Barnard.
Dennis missed out by around one tenth of a second and will start the championship decider from 16th on the grid. That leaves the Andretti driver with a difficult task on a track where overtaking is not easy.
The title fight is now down to three drivers. Wehrlein leads the championship with 169 points, five ahead of Dennis. Evans is third, 21 points behind Wehrlein.
Wehrlein is therefore in the strongest position, while Dennis faces a major challenge from 16th on the grid. Evans also needs a very strong result to keep his title hopes alive after losing the chance to fight for victory in Saturday’s race because of the Full Course Yellow.
The Teams’ Championship will also be decided in the final race. Jaguar leads Porsche by just five points, 276 to 271.
Porsche has already secured the Manufacturers’ Championship and will now aim for a perfect end to Season 12 by winning the Drivers’, Teams’ and final race titles on the same day.
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