RACE REPORT: 2025 Tokyo E-Prix II
Race Notes
- The Andretti Formula E team returned to action today for the second race of the 2025 Tokyo E-Prix doubleheader, facing very different conditions from yesterday, with sunshine and high humidity. In the morning’s Free Practice 3 session, drivers quickly adjusted to the change in conditions with Jake Dennis finishing 11th and teammate Nico Mueller placed 18th.
- Both Andretti Formula E cars took part in Group B of Qualifying but were unable to progress to the Duels, with Dennis finishing seventh and Mueller 10th after making contact with the wall at the exit of the Turn 10 and 11 chicane.
- Once Qualifying was concluded and the grid was set, the No. 27 was set to take the start from 14th and the No. 51 from 20th.
- At the start of the E-Prix, both Andretti Formula E drivers tactfully held off taking their first Attack Modes as the rest of the field decided to take their extra 50kWh of power during the opening stages. The Andretti Formula E pair made their way through the field in the closing stages with their final Attack Modes, climbing to 11th and sixth, respectively.
- A late Safety Car was brought out on Lap 29 to recover Taylor Barnard’s stricken NEOM McLaren as he was hit from behind by Mahindra Racing’s Edoardo Mortara in Turn 6. As the Safety Car period ended on the penultimate lap, a one-lap sprint to the checkered ensued, with both Dennis and Mueller holding onto their positions.
- With Dennis finishing fourth and Mueller just outside of the points-paying positions in 11th, the Andretti Formula E team regained a position in the Team Championship Standings up to sixth with 80 points
- After the 2025 Tokyo E-Prix II, the Andretti Formula E team claimed its 61st top-five finish and 118th top-10 finish thanks to Dennis’ fourth-place result.
Race Results
Jake Dennis
No. 27 Andretti Porsche 99X Electric
P4
| Started | P14 |
| Standings | P5 (56 points) |
Qualifying
- Dennis found solid pace during the opening stages of his qualifying session, with his best lap time good enough for second at the halfway mark of Group B.
- As the session came to a close, the British driver struggled with tire temperature and aborted his final push lap, dropping to seventh at the checkered.
Race
- During the opening stages of the race, the No. 27 opted to save energy and go off-strategy to the majority of the field who had elected to take their first Attack Mode before Lap 10. In doing so, the Brit was able to quietly climb to 12th, having taken advantage of cars battling ahead.
- Dennis activated his first Attack Mode on Lap 18, and by the time the four minutes of extra power had expired on Lap 21, he had gained eight positions up to fourth.
- Shortly after on Lap 23, the No. 27 took his final Attack Mode and was able to hold off cars behind who had opted to save a longer boost of power for the closing stages of the E-Prix. Dennis was able to retain sixth when all cars in the top eight had used both mandatory Attack Modes.
- On Lap 29, Dennis was able to overtake both Mortara and Barnard, who had come together at Turn 6. The passes moved the No. 27 up to fourth, where, after the late Safety Car restart, Dennis would remain and take the checkered.
- During the 2025 Tokyo E-Prix II, Dennis made up the most positions of any driver on the grid (10)
- The Brit’s fourth-place finish marked his 34th top-five and 47th top-10 result in just 72 Formula E starts.
“Absolutely ecstatic with that result! To come from 14th to fourth on a track where you can barely overtake is pretty exceptional. Honestly, it was one of my best drives I’ve ever done in Formula E, so I can leave Tokyo a very happy man. The team did a great job with the strategy, and the car was behaving well, so to be leaving here with 12 points after a tricky qualifying is great for the team. We will carry this momentum into Shanghai in two weeks’ time.”
Nico Mueller
No. 51 Andretti Porsche 99X Electric
P11
| Started | P20 |
| Standings | P17 (24 points) |
Qualifying
- The No. 51 joined his teammate in Group B of Qualifying but unfortunately, in the closing stages of the session, made contact with the wall at the exit of the Turn 10 and 11 chicane. As a result, Mueller finished 10th.
Race
- Similar to Dennis’ strategy, Mueller opted to save his first Attack Mode until after the opening phase of the race, activating his extra 50kWh of power on Lap 12.
- Mueller elected to take his first Attack Mode on Lap 12, however, as he did, race control brought out the Full Course Yellow to clear the track of debris. Consequently, the Swiss driver was unable to use the majority of his Attack Mode as it was wasted under the slow conditions.
- At the halfway mark or the E-Prix, Mueller had the most energy of the field and after taking his second Attack Mode on Lap 18, began his charge through the field.
- By Lap 21, the Swiss was able to advance to 11th, and although he was passed in the closing stages of the race, he regained his position to 12th after post-race penalties were applied to cars ahead.
“I think after a really bad qualifying and our lack of one lap pace all weekend, the team executed a good race with both cars, which I’m happy about. To score points with Jake’s car was good, and I think we definitely had points on the cards with our race as well if that Full Course Yellow hadn’t have come out right when I took my first Attack Mode – it basically wasted our entire four minutes. Nonetheless, I think we had good pace in the race and made the most of our chances to move up, but obviously it’s not always in your hands and today we were not so lucky. Seventh or eighth was a real possibility today, but we’ll take the positives and hopefully be back in the points in Shanghai.”
Roger Griffiths
Team Principal
“A much more positive day today, all in all. The dry track made everything a little bit easier for everyone, though we are a bit disappointed with how qualifying worked out on both sides of the garage. We had hopes of making the Duels when arriving in Tokyo, as we felt that we had strong single lap pace. However, it didn’t really transpire.
We had a really well thought out and well executed race from both sides, considering our starting positions, and we certainly maximized the opportunities with the Attack Modes to successfully work our way through the field. To be up fighting in the top five at the end of the race with Jake was really positive thanks to some strong overtakes. I think it was a great result for the team considering where we started.
For Nico, I really felt for him. Sometimes, you just can’t catch a break, and the way he got caught out by the Full Course Yellow after taking his Attack Mode was super unfortunate. After putting it behind him, he still had some good racing out there and just missed out on a spot in the points. Overall, an encouraging end for the team coming out of Tokyo. It was great to be here in front of all the Japanese fans and also all of our friends from Nagase – we’re super pleased to be here and look forward to hopefully coming back next year.”
