RACE REPORT: 2026 TDK Tokyo E-Prix I
Race Results
| 2026 TDK Tokyo E-Prix I |
| Jake Dennis | P2 |
| Felipe Drugovich | P13 |
Race Notes
- The Andretti Formula E Liberty Walk special edition livery took to the track under the lights in the Japanese capital for the first time yesterday, with Felipe Drugovich and Jake Dennis finishing third and 16th, respectively. Action resumed today with Free Practice 2, which saw Dennis continue to demonstrate pace around the Tokyo Street Circuit, taking the checkered in fifth. Unfortunately, teammate Drugovich made contact with the wall at Turn 16 which brought out the Red Flag, ending his session early.
- As a result of the Brazilian’s crash, the No. 28 car was unable to take part in Qualifying. On the other side of the garage, the Season 9 World Champion topped Qualifying Group A and advanced to the Duels for Andretti Formula E’s 53rd appearance. Dennis progressed to the Final Duel, where he defeated Mahindra Racing’s Edoardo Mortara to secure Andretti’s 17th Pole Position and a second consecutive pole for the team. The result marked Andretti’s 33rd front-row start and 66th session topped in Formula E.
- The mechanics of the Andretti Formula E team did a phenomenal job to completely build a brand new race car from a bare monocoque, getting the No. 28 car ready for the opening race in Tokyo.
- The opening stages of the 2026 TDK Tokyo E-Prix I saw relatively little action until the PIT BOOST window opened, with Dennis holding onto the race lead and teammate Drugovich making up ground to 17th.
- Light rain started to fall on Lap 16, but by the time the PIT BOOST window opened, it had subdued. The Indianapolis-based squad opted for a late PIB BOOST strategy, which brought Dennis out behind the leaders with an Attack Mode advantage. Meanwhile, Drugovich was able to gain two places up into 15th during the mandatory stop.
- While the Brazilian was unable to utilize his energy advantage to those ahead, finishing an impressive 13th considering the circumstances, Dennis retook the lead though on the final lap suffered an energy cut and lost the lead at Turn 16, taking the checkered in second place to claim Andretti’s second podium in the Japanese capital.
- The result from Round 14 marks Andretti’s 44th podium-finish and 42nd race led.
- Heading into the 2026 TDK Tokyo E-Prix II tomorrow, the Andretti Formula E team remain third in the Teams’ Championship standings, building a gap of 13 points to Mahindra Racing in fourth and reducing the deficit to Porsche in second, with just 42 points separating the US-flag team to their manufacturer.
Jake Dennis
No. 27 Andretti Liberty Walk Edition Porsche 99X Electric
P2
| Started | P1 |
| Standings | P3 (130 points) |
Qualifying
- The No. 27 driver converted his Free Practice pace through into Qualifying, with the Brit topping his group to progress into the Duels for the 35th time.
- Dennis bettered DS Penske’s Taylor Barnard in the Quarter Final and automatically progressed to the Final Duel after Porsche’s Nico Mueller crashed out on his push lap, though the British driver was four-tenths quicker than the No. 51 driver up until that point.
- Advancing into his 16th Final Duel, extending his record for the most pole position shootout appearances of any Formula E driver, Dennis beat Mahindra’s Mortara to secure his ninth career pole and 19th front-row start in Formula E, earning three crucial Championship points in the process.
Race
- Starting from the pole, the No. 27 driver led every lap up until he pitted for his mandatory PIT BOOST on Lap 22, opting for a late stop strategy, emerging in fourth once the field had completed their charge.
- on Lap 25, Dennis activated his six-minute Attack Mode with a positive offset to the cars ahead who had taken earlier Attacks. As a result, the Brit was able to use his extra power to charge through the field and reclaim the lead on Lap 29 at the exit of Turn 15. Dennis held the lead of the E-Prix until the final lap, with the No. 27 car suffering an energy cut into Turn 16, providing the opportunity for Cupra Kiro’s Dan Ticktum to overtake Dennis and demote him to second where he’d take the checkered flag.
- The Brit’s second place in Tokyo marks his fourth podium this season, his 27th career podium and 77th top-five finish in Formula E.
- Heading into tomorrow’s E-Prix, the No. 27 driver climbs to third in the Drivers’ Championship standings with 130 points.
“We wrap up race one here in Tokyo with a second place and pole position. To come away with 21 Championship points and to close the gap to the leaders in the standings is something we can be proud of. Nonetheless, to ultimately lose out on the last lap on pretty much the final corner is super heartbreaking. It’s a bitter pill to swallow right now, but we can be proud of the car we had today and the pace we had to lead that much of the race on a track like this, which is super difficult to do. Unfortunately, in the end we just fell short. We’ll regroup, take the points we’ve scored and go again tomorrow.”
Felipe Drugovich
No. 28 Andretti Liberty Walk Edition Porsche 99X Electric
P13
| Started | P20 |
| Standings | P11 (65 points) |
Qualifying
- As a result of Drugovich’s crash in Free Practice 2, the Brazilian was unable to take part in Qualifying as repairs took place to his damaged Porsche 99X Electric.
Race
- Drugovich opted for an energy-saving strategy having started from the rear of the field, making up ground in the opening laps of the E-Prix to 17th where he would remain until his PIT BOOST on Lap 21.
- Emerging 15th from the pit stop cycle, the Brazilian driver took his Attack Mode soon after on Lap 27 and was able to progress up into 13th. His progress was halted however, with cars ahead delaying their extra power in order to build a positive deficit to those chasing behind.
- Ultimately, Drugovich would finish an impressive 13th considering the circumstances of having had a completely new race car built from scratch in under six hours time, just three places from the points.
“After the crash in Free Practice 2, we honestly weren’t sure if we would be racing today, let alone in a position to fight from the back of the grid in the way which we did, especially at a circuit where overtaking is so difficult. We were able to execute the strategy well and got close to the points, even if we just fell short in the end.
The biggest credit has to go to everyone in the garage. The mechanics built me a completely new car in just under six hours and the job they did was incredible. To give me a car capable of racing like that after such a big rebuild says everything about this team. I’m really grateful for all their hard work and I hope we’re able to repay them tomorrow.”
Roger Griffiths
Team Principal
“Formula E in the past has shown it can be a rollercoaster and today was one of those days. Felipe’s unfortunate incident in Free Practice 2 resulting in a heavily damaged car, which included the monocoque, meant we had to immediately start building an entirely new car. An absolutely unbelievable job from the mechanics on the No. 28 car, supported by the guys from the No. 27 crew, to get that ready. I’m not sure there’s another team in the paddock that could have achieved this. Plenty of people in the paddock have spoken to me and everybody is just in awe of our team. The fact it drove out the pit lane and completed the race distance is quite incredible. So hats off to them.
On the other side of the garage, an incredible day. A great Final Duel against [Edoardo] Mortara and an almost perfect race. It was always going to be a challenging race given how tight a track it is and with the PIT BOOST, but the team and Jake managed it almost to perfection. Unfortunately, Jake had the power cut and Ticktum had no choice but to overtake. We still achieved the one-two for Porsche, but it wasn’t the order in which we had wanted. Nonetheless, second is another really strong result for the team and it solidifies ours and Jake’s position in the Championship standings.
For Felipe to finish just shy of the points-paying positions with very little track time was also impressive. To go straight into the race in a brand new car and drive a sensible, conservative strategic race demonstrates his maturity. He’s still learning the track, but a great result for him to bring the car home with full race distance on it. We go again tomorrow looking for another good result to wrap up our Tokyo weekend.”
