RACE REPORT: 2025 Shanghai E-Prix II
Race Notes
- Due to forecasted inclement weather for Round 11 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, today’s sporting schedule for the 2025 Shanghai E-Prix II was adjusted, with all sessions brought forward. Free Practice 3 and Qualifying took place an hour earlier, while the race was moved two hours ahead of its original start time in an effort to avoid the worst of the expected rain later in the afternoon.
- Free Practice 3 began as scheduled but was red-flagged after just six minutes due to worsening rain and unsafe track conditions. The session was extended in hopes of resuming, but the weather did not improve, and Free Practice 3 was ultimately canceled. In the limited running that took place, Nico Mueller finished 13th and Jake Dennis 15th.
- Following a 45-minute delay, Qualifying for Round 11 got underway in wet conditions with both Dennis and Mueller running in Group B. After initial laps were set, a Red Flag was brought out halfway through the session when Envision Racing’s Sébastien Buemi stopped on track at Turn 5. Although the session briefly resumed, worsening rain meant no drivers could improve on their earlier times. Race control ultimately red-flagged the session again and canceled the remaining two minutes. Mueller ended the session fifth, with Dennis ninth.
- Due to the challenging weather conditions, the Championship opted not to proceed with the Duels format for Qualifying. Instead, the starting grid was determined by the combined results of Group A and Group B. As Group A benefited from better track conditions, Mueller took the green from 10th, while Dennis lined up 18th.
- Both Dennis and Mueller have appeared in the same Qualifying group for the last seven consecutive E-Prixs. The only occasions the Andretti duo have been in separate groups were during the first four rounds of Season 11 (São Paulo, Mexico City and Jeddah).
- Although delayed by an hour and a half from its new start time, the E-Prix eventually got underway under Safety Car conditions, which lasted until Lap 7. After peeling into the pits, a rolling start initiated green flag racing at the Shanghai International Circuit.
- As the race got underway, half the field elected to take their first Attack Modes, with both Andretti Formula E drivers holding off to offset their extra 50 kWh of power to those that had activated it.
- On Lap 9, both the No. 27 and No. 51 took their first Attack Modes, choosing to use six of the eight minutes to maximize the all-wheel drive before weather conditions worsened as the race progressed.
- The Andretti duo showed strong racecraft in the challenging wet conditions, with Mueller making a series of overtakes to climb into sixth, where he would hold position with a solid defensive drive through to the checkered flag. Dennis also made early progress, working his way up to 12th from his starting position of 18th, but lost ground after a few moments of reduced grip caused him to run off track. In the closing stages, he was overtaken by drivers on late Attack Modes and ultimately finished 17th.
- After the Shanghai E-Prix doubleheader weekend, the Andretti Formula E team drops one place in the Team’s Standings to seventh, one point behind sixth-placed Maserati MSG Racing.
Race Results
Jake Dennis
No. 27 Andretti Porsche 99X Electric
P17
| Started | P18 |
| Standings | P9 (56 points) |
Qualifying
- With an interrupted red-flagged session, Dennis finished ninth in Group B, earning him a starting position of 18th.
Race
- Dennis took his first Attack Mode of the E-Prix on Lap 9 for six minutes to offset his extra power to those who had taken it ahead a lap earlier than the Brit.
- Dropping to 19th in the process of driving off the racing line through the activation loops, the No. 27 driver made the most of the all-wheel drive in the wet conditions and by Lap 22 had made his way up into 12th.
- The Season 9 World Champion experienced challenges with grip around the halfway mark of the E-Prix, experiencing a few off-track moments that cost him some time.
- Dennis activated his second Attack Mode on Lap 25 and battled to defend his position from rivals with longer final Attack Modes. Despite his efforts, he was unable to hold them off and ultimately crossed the line in 17th.
“Not the best weekend to be honest. We just lacked any real pace in the rain so ended up qualifying at the back. In the race, we ended up just driving round outside of the points, which wasn’t what we came here for. Our biggest priority ended up being just to not to pick up any damage or any penalties going into the next race. A day to forget and now we move onto Jakarta.”
Nico Mueller
No. 51 Andretti Porsche 99X Electric
P6
| Started | P10 |
| Standings | P15 (32 points) |
Qualifying
- Also taking part in Group B, Mueller was able to set a lap time good enough for fifth in the session before it was canceled by the Red Flag.
Race
- Like his teammate, Mueller activated his first Attack Mode for six minutes on Lap 9, ensuring the Swiss driver had an advantage early on in the race over those ahead who had only chosen to use four minutes of their first Attack Mode.
- In doing so, by Lap 13, the No. 51 was able to make several overtakes on his way into the top six.
- Taking his final Attack Mode on Lap 20, Mueller was able to hold off those behind who had more time remaining in the extra 50 kWh of power and take the checkered in sixth, earning his 17th top-10 finish in Formula E.
- Mueller moves up to 15th in the Driver’s Standings, gaining three positions in the rankings, having scored eight Championship points in today’s E-Prix.
“We weren’t the quickest out there at any point of today, but we were in the mix when it counted, which is all we could do today. I think we maximized our potential both in qualifying and in the race. From starting in the top 10, we made the right calls with our Attack Modes, kept it on the black stuff and when we had some pace, we managed to use it to our advantage and move forward. We made up positions with our well executed strategy and have to be pleased with that.”
Roger Griffiths
Team Principal
“It’s been a challenging weekend for the Andretti Formula E team, but we have come away with some positives with Nico’s sixth place, which was a just reward for his efforts today. From starting in 10th and driving a smart race by using his Attack Modes efficiently, he did well in the challenging conditions and found his rhythm during the race. It was great to see Nico getting some points coming out the weekend.
For Jake, it was a more difficult weekend. He never really felt comfortable in the car from the first session this morning in very wet conditions. It’s something as an engineering group that we really need to dig into and to understand why we appear to struggle a little bit more in these wet conditions. Plenty to learn, but it was good to finish the race on a positive note with some points. We’re also very pleased that we were able to go ahead and race in China today, given that at times today it was certainly looking unlikely. In a couple of weeks’ time we’ll be heading to Jakarta for the final Asia race where hopefully we can take a strong result in the Indonesian capital.”
