Maximilian Guenther secured a much-needed victory for Maserati MSG in the first Tokyo E-Prix of the Formula E series. This denied Oliver Rowland, the leader for home team Nissan, a fairytale win. Rowland, who claimed his second pole position of the season, led for the majority of the race while carefully managing his energy to keep a pack of cars behind him on a challenging circuit for overtaking. Guenther initially lost second place to Edoardo Mortara’s Mahindra at the start but regained it using his second attack mode boost. He then took the lead from Rowland around two-thirds into the race. Rowland decided to give up the lead and follow behind the Maserati to conserve energy and potentially regain the lead when the Maserati went for another attack mode. However, Guenther maintained his lead and held off Rowland’s attempts to overtake him on the final lap. This victory was crucial for Maserati MSG, as the team still requires additional investment for its long-term future.
Rowland’s second-place finish was agonizingly close to being Nissan’s first victory since August 2020, making it a third consecutive podium for him. Guenther and Rowland benefited from the slower Porsche runners, as Mortara’s Mahindra and Sergio Sette Camara’s ERT held them back at various points in the race. Antonio Felix da Costa had a strong race, battling his way past his Porsche teammate Pascal Wehrlein and Jake Dennis from Andretti to become the highest-placed Porsche driver in the closing stages. However, a move on Rowland resulted in Dennis slipping between them, denying da Costa a podium finish. Wehrlein’s race was compromised when an unsuccessful attempt to pass Dennis damaged his front wing, allowing Norman Nato and Robin Frijns to overtake him. He managed to recover and finish in fifth place.
The sixth-place finisher and championship leader changed multiple times after the race. Mortara initially held the position but was later disqualified due to power overuse. Nato crossed the line just behind Mortara but received a time penalty for a collision with Frijns, causing him to lose his front wing. This penalty was later rescinded after a review and discussions between the teams and the stewards. As a result, Nato moved back up to sixth place, with Mueller in seventh, earning Abt Cupra’s first points of the season.
Jaguar’s Nick Cassidy lost the championship lead to Wehrlein after Nato’s penalty was initially applied. Cassidy had a challenging qualifying session, resulting in him starting 19th on the grid. His teammate Mitch Evans started ninth but had a collision with Sette Camara during the race, forcing him to pit for repairs and finish in 15th place.
While the works Nissan team continues to search for a Formula E win, their customer team McLaren had a recent victory in Sao Paulo. However, they struggled in Japan, with Sam Bird spinning in qualifying and receiving a penalty for impeding Jean-Eric Vergne. Bird spent the race at the back of the pack and made multiple pit stops. Hughes, Bird’s teammate, finished in 14th place after a collision with Lucas di Grassi.
Overall, the Tokyo E-Prix provided plenty of action and unexpected outcomes, with Guenther emerging as the victor and shaking up the championship standings.