A faultless drive from Mitch Evans saw the Jaguar driver clinch the top spot at the first race of the 2025 Berlin E-Prix.
2025 Berlin E-Prix starting grid
A wet qualifying led to a mixed-up starting grid for the first round of the 2025 Berlin E-Prix, with Jaguar’s Mitch Evans on the front row — his first pole position since the 2024 London E-Prix. Robin Frijns qualified second, in a stellar result for Envision Racing.
Meanwhile, championship leader Oliver Rowland started from third, teetering on the precipice of his maiden championship title. Porsche’s hopes took a hit early after Pascal Wehrlein and Antonio Felix da Costa came together in FP1. Wehrlein was handed a three-place grid drop for his part in the incident, relegating the defending champion to P9 — far from ideal as he fights to keep his title hopes alive heading into London. Da Costa fared a little better, lining up in sixth.
Lights out at the Tempelhof Circuit
A great start for Mitch Evans saw the Jaguar driver head into Turn 1 ahead of Frijns, with Oliver Rowland losing two places off the starting line, losing out to Günther and Da Costa. An early safety car came out, after the Andretti of Jake Dennis failed to get away, leaving the Brit stranded by the starting line. The drivers behind Dennis did well to avoid the stricken car.
The safety car peeled away after one lap out on track. Evans was quick to take his first Attack Mode, with Da Costa and Wehrlein joining him. Frijns inherited the lead from Evans, but the Kiwi swiftly snatched it back, cruising away from the Envision.
Evans maintained the lead into Lap 5, but soon came under pressure from Antonion Felix da Costa. Wehrlein was also on the charge, still under Attack Mode. Up five spots into P4, the Porsche driver was looking to steal P3 from DS Penske’s Maximilian Günther. He got the move done on Lap 6.
Felipe Drugovich, covering for Mahindra driver Nyck de Vries, received his maiden Formula E penalty — a five-second sanction for speeding in the pit lane.
Championship leader Rowland looked to climb back up the order, having slipped down to P7. With Attack Mode under his wings, he slipped past Günther to take P6, his visions firmly set on Jean-Eric Vergne up ahead. He couldn’t get it done, running out of Attack Mode before he could make the move.
10 laps down
The pack continued to carve a racing line out on the greasy track following Saturday morning’s downpour. The front runners had all taken their first Attack Mode allowance by this point.
Da Costa came under pressure from Envision’s Robin Frijns, but a lack of traction made it a challenge for Frijns to make the move on the Porsche. Evans was still in the lead, looking perfectly comfortable up at the front.
Wehrlein eyes up the lead
Wehrlein equally looked comfortable, now ahead of teammate Da Costa. He cruised away in P2, chasing down Mitch Evans for the lead. Evans still had over three seconds on Wehrlein, but the Porsche driver had pace on his side, and was steadily closing the gap.
Further back, McLaren’s Taylor Barnard was fighting to claw his way into the top 10. He took Attack Mode and quickly picked off the two Maseratis, working his way up to P9. Rowland was just ahead of Barnard, in P8.
Pit Boost window opens
Lap 19 saw the first handful of drivers slip into the pits for their mandatory Pit Boost. Günther was the first to pit, re-emerging in P20, just ahead of Zane Maloney.
Rowland got onto the radio, questioning how much pressure he was under from the cars behind. As things stood, the Brit was still a way off from clinching the Driver’s title, with the battle set to carry on into Sunday’s race.
Vandoorne and Sette Câmara came into the pits on Lap 21, followed soon after by Jaguar’s Nick Cassidy — meaning race leader Evans’ Pit Boost was still a way off. He emerged alongside David Beckmann, a lap down from the race leaders.
Vergen and Da Costa were the first of the frontrunners to take their Pit Boost, emerging P13 and P15 respectively. Frijns, Hughes and Mortara then pitted, leaving just the top four yet to pit.
15 laps remaining
Evans pitted on Lap 25, just seconds ahead of Wehrlein. The Jaguar driver got back onto the track two paced ahead of Wehrlein, both cars desperate to claw their way back up to the front.
By Lap 27, both Cupra Kiras were still yet to take either of their Attack Modes. Meanwhile, a penalty was handed down to Edoardo Mortara, after an attempt to make a move on Rowland ended in light contact between the pair.
Evans was back up to first, Wehrlein hot on his heels in P2. Vergne rounded out the top three, with his teammate Günther in P4 — a strong showing for the DS Penskes.
The safety car came back out on Lap 29, after suspension damage brought David Beckmann to a stop out on track. The Cupra Kiro driver had come together with Nissan’s Sette Câmara, the latter taking damage to the front and rear of his car. Sette Câmara received a 10-second penalty for his role in the collision.
The safety car came back in at the end of Lap 32, with green racing getting back underway on Lap 33. Unlucky Jean-Eric Vergne was forced to retire the car, bringing his race to an early end.
Damage for Rowland
A nightmare for Oliver Rowland, as the championship leader came together with Vandoorne, spinning out on Lap 34, picking up damage in the process. With no choice but to return to the pits, Rowland’s hopes of tying up the championship on Saturday were dashed. The battle would now continue into Sunday’s race. Rowland vented his frustrations with the Maserati on the radio — but the incident looked more like the unfortunate consequence of an overambitious lunge.
Two additional laps were added, and Evans still had one hand on the trophy, five seconds ahead of Pascal Wehrlein. The Porsche driver, however, was relentless in his pursuit of the Jaguar, steadily closing the gap under Attack Mode.
Meanwhile, a double podium looked to be on the cards for Porsche, with Da Costa back into P3, ahead of Edoardo Mortara.
Wehrlein ran wide on Lap 40, squashing the German’s chances of a home race win. Evans was faultless, taking the chequered flag from pole, with Wehrlein in P2. A five second penalty for Da Costa dropped the Porsche driver from P3 to P10 — a brutal blow to Porsche’s hopes of a double podium at home.
Full Results
- Mitch Evans – Jaguar
- Pascal Wehrlein – Porsche
- Edoardo Mortara – Mahindra
- Taylor Barnard – McLaren
- Nick Cassidy – Jaguar
- Maximilian Günther – DS Penske
- Sebastien Buemi – Envision
- Nico Müller – Andretti
- Dan Ticktum – Cupra Kiro
- Antonio Felix da Costa – Porsche
- Sam Bird – McLaren
- Stoffel Vandoorne – Maserati
- Robin Frijns – Envision
- Jake Hughes – Maserati
- Sergio Sette Câmara – Nissan
- Zane Maloney – Lola
- Felipe Drugovich – Mahindra
- Lucas di Grassi – Lola
- Oliver Rowland – Nissan (DNF)
- Jean-Eric Vergne – DS Penske (DNF)
- David Beckmann – Cupra Kiro (DNF)
- Jake Dennis – Andretti (DNS)
Feature image credit: Simon Galloway/LAT Images for Formula E
