The second qualifying session started with Mitch Evans as the driver to beat, after a strong Free Practice 3. Evans was also yesterday’s pole-sitter and winner, but was served a five-second penalty for a collision with Hughes. Nick Cassidy also looked to make a comeback after a hiccup yesterday, causing him to miss out on a win.
Greenlight for Group A
The lights went green for Group A, where both Jaguars are in. They would not want a repeat of 24 hours ago, even though Evans made it through to the Duels. Cassidy almost won from tenth, so Jaguar will have to look out for their strategy going into the race.
ABT Cupra’s Nico Müller was the latest driver to fall victim to Turn 10/11, running off just outside of Turn 11.
Another excursion onto the grass 👀
— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) June 30, 2024
Turns 10 and 11 continue to be a hazard for the drivers, with @nico_mueller running wide in the first stage of Qualifying.@Hankook_Sport #PortlandEPrix pic.twitter.com/GEJf6cO3by
Robin Frijns continued his momentum after yesterday’s podium, setting the fastest time of 1:09.665. Jean-Éric Vergne pushed to second, having a better start to the qualifying session. There was a decent gap between Frijns and JEV, with just over a tenth separating the two.
Evans was knocked out of the top four, as times began to roll in, Jehan Daruvala hopping on to third and Jake Hughes into fourth.
Mitch Evans was eliminated out of Qualifying as the chequered flag was waved.
Frijns kept it cool, finishing Group A’s session on top, followed by JEV, Cassidy and Hughes.
Group B
Group B also had big names, including both TAG Heyer Porsche drivers. With one Jaguar already out, Porsche needed a good session to defend their team standings. António Félix da Costa was fast yesterday and looked like he brought that speed over.
Another notable performance went to Caio Collet, who has been doing an impressive job, filling in for Oliver Rowland, who is out with an illness.
The banking laps were coming in, and it was DS Penske versus Andretti, Stoffel Vandoorne, holding the top slot from Jake Dennis. Pascal Wehrlein was also provisionally through, along with Sacha Fenestraz. Da Costa was just a tenth off the Nissan driver.
The lap time to beat was a 1:09.800, to knock Vandoorne out of first, and it was Da Costa who drove under that 1:9.800, topping the timesheets. Nyck De Vries improved to third, but there was one more lap to go.
Wehrlein had one more shot to deliver a good lap and keep himself in the championship fight.
Norman Nato and Collet had a minor incident, with both drivers running wide iat Turn 11.
Jake Dennis ran off the track at the final corner, putting him out of Qualifying! Dennis looked for a chance to progress but lost a rear, due to a mistake in Turn 11, putting Da Costa on top of Group B.
Dennis spins! 😵💫
— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) June 30, 2024
The @AndrettiFE driver brings out a brief yellow flag at the end of the Group B Qualifying.@Hankook_Sport #PortlandEPrix pic.twitter.com/mohd25Ctcf
Both Porsches made it through. A critical moment for their championship fight, both in the Driver’s and Teams’ titles.
Duels
The first pair to go up against each other were JEV and Cassidy, with JEV moving on to the semis, fighting the corners. Meanwhile, Frijns lost time to Hughes in the second sector, but the NEOM McLaren driver pulled back and Frijns just made it through by 14 thousandths.
It was a disastrous start for De Vries, who ran deep into Turn 1, ultimately giving Bird the advantage of three tenths. The Mahindra driver put up a fight and came close, but Bird just made it through, winning his first Duel of the season.
The TAG Heuer Porsche drivers went head-to-head, with Da Costa leading over three and a half tenths on Wehrlein. Da Costa held that advantage around the lap, taking the win over his teammate.
Semi-Finals
The Semi-Finals were set with JEV going against Frijns and Bird against Da Costa.
Frijns started off quick in the first sector, but JEV pushed hard to beat the Envision by two-tenths of a second, after a slight mistake from Frijns out of Turn 7. JEV moved on to the final.
Bird put up a fight and welcomed the challenge to Da Costa, but the Porsche driver built the gap by a tenth and a half, crossing the line into the finals.
Finals
It was Da Costa versus Vergne. Just less than a hundredth separated the two during their semi-finals.
The first sector went to JEV, with the DS Penske driver acing the first corner. Da Costa was strong in the second sector, but it was not enough to beat the Frenchman, setting a record. JEV took home his 17th pole in Formula E.
MOST POLES IN FORMULA E HISTORY 😮💨
— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) June 30, 2024
A record-breaking @JuliusBaer Pole Position for @JeanEricVergne 👏@Hankook_Sport #PortlandEPrix pic.twitter.com/nDp5Y66nVZ
