Maximilian Guenther led Jean-Eric Vergne in a DS Penske 1-2 in the opening Shanghai Formula E race - the first time the pit boost fast-charging format had been used at a track where the high energy saving 'peloton' tactics were likely.
The addition of mandatory pitstops into races that already featured 'pack racing' and two of the newly-powerful attack mode deployments seemed ripe for confusion going into the season. With all the pitstop races so far taking place on tighter tracks where the 'peloton' tactic wasn't needed, the opening race at the modified version of Formula 1's Chinese Grand Prix venue was the first chance to see if the combination of formats worked.
And though polesitter Guenther won by a massive (by Formula E standards) seven seconds, that was down to excellent tactics of having a little attack mode and more energy saved than the other frontrunners when the pit window was completed and the pack came back together.
That allowed him to pounce on championship leader Oliver Rowland and make a break. But in his wake, just 2.7s covered second to 10th positions, with Guenther's team-mate Vergne bursting from fourth to second in a final-chicane dive past Dan Ticktum and Taylor Barnard.
A chaotic ending to say the least 😅
— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) May 31, 2025
Here's how the battle for P3 unfolded around the last few turns 👇@Hankook_Sport #ShanghaiEPrix pic.twitter.com/CqeySl3UGk
Ticktum had charged up from 21st on the grid to second before that but ended up a gutted fourth for Kiro behind McLaren driver Barnard - who is now up to second in the championship as Porsche got its energy strategy wrong and Pascal Wehrlein and Antonio Felix da Costa slumped to 12th and 13th.
Rowland had bruising battles with both Nissan's customer McLaren and his team-mate Norman Nato and fell back to fifth.
Squeezed into a spin 😫
— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) May 31, 2025
An unfortunate moment for Cassidy's race, causing him to fall down from P6 @Hankook_Sport #ShanghaiEPrix pic.twitter.com/otS1TiafYd
Jaguar's awful season got no better, with Mitch Evans and the soon-to-depart Nick Cassidy the last finishers in 20th and 21st. Evans started with huge penalties for component changes and Cassidy limped home with damaged suspension having been spun in a chicane clash with Edoardo Mortara and Vergne.
Leading finishers
1 Maximilian Guenther (DS Penske)
2 Jean-Eric Vergne (DS Penske) +7.016s
3 Taylor Barnard (McLaren) +7.488s
4 Dan Ticktum (Kiro) +7.866s
5 Oliver Rowland (Nissan) +8.140s
6 Norman Nato (Nissan) +8.242s
7 Sam Bird (McLaren) +8.458s
8 Nyck de Vries (Mahindra) +8.875s
9 Sebastien Buemi (Envision) +9.369s
10 Robin Frijns (Envision) +9.677s
