It’s time to set the grid for the first ever Tokyo E-Prix! Who will start from pole in Japan, a driver who has proven his speed in practice like Rowland or Evans r an outsider?
Group A features both Jaguar and Andretti drivers, as well as Rowland, Buemi, Hughes, Da Costa, Mortara, Di Grassi and Daruvala. The first competitive lap is set by the Nissan driver in 1:21.064s, and is joined in the provisional Duels by Da Costa, Hughes and Cassidy, who mentioned full throttle issues on the straights.
With five minutes to go, Evans has taken the lead 1:20.049s, as Mortara, Cassidy and Di Grassi are in. Dennis almost brushed the wall going the extra mile so as to make his way to the Duels, buthe has to settle for P2 as Rowland returns to lead with a time in the 1:19s.
Cassidy mentions being impeded by Di Grassi but the instance is not investigated.
In the final, heated moments of the session, Mortara and Cassidy slot in between Rowland and Dennis to complete the first set of drivers advancing to the Duels.
Surprisingly, leader of FP2 Evans hasn’t made the cut in the 100th E-Prix for Jaguar, and Envision’s Buemi couldn’t make it further up the order than P11 in spite of the speed showcased in the previous days.
Group B saw Fenestraz’s first attempt immediately bested by Gunther’s 1:20.121s, with the duo provisionally joined by Vergne and Muller.
In a shocking turn of events, Cassidy’s time has been deleted for a technical infraction, thus allowing his teammate Mitch Evans to advance to the next round.
After the second round of attempts, Frijns leads from Wehrlein, De Vries and Muller , with all drivers returning to the pits for a quick tyre change.
ERT’s Sette Camara and Fenestraz both clipped the wall while on their latest fast laps. Ultimately Gunther takes P1 in 1:19.390s, followed by Sette Camara, Mueller and Wehrlein
Mortara, Vergne and Bird both stopped on track on their last attempt at the chicane. The Brit, who had been frustrated by having to pit early due to something stuck on his tyre, is under investigation alongside Vergne for impeding,
The McLaren driver had to slow and stop at the chicane due to a rear tyre lockup, and will start from the last row. Another illustrious eliminated is Fenestraz, ay Nissan0s first ever home round.
Dennis and Mortara will face each other in the first Duel of the weekend. The Swiss driver began with 0.123s of advantage over the Brit, taking a lot of risks and even clipping the wall. The gap has increased over the span of the lap to 0.315s, as Mortara kicks out the reigning champion
The second Duel features Evans and Rowland, the two fastest drivers in Japan. Rowland began with a 0.143s of gap over the Kiwi, but Evans collided with the wall and left quite a bit of debris on track. Ultimately the former Mahindra driver is through with yet another lap in the 1:19s.
Up next is Muller vs Sette Camara, a very unexpected pair. The Ert driver began with a small gap over the ABT colleague, who closes it to only 0.041s, but goes on to make a mistake as he ran too close to the barriers. The Brazilian driver ultimately advances with a 1:19.100s, which is one of the best times of the weekend so far.
The last quarter final of the day sees Gunther vs. Wehrlein in his pink Porsche. The Maserati driver started with a 0.165s gap over the other German, increased to over three tenths by the chequered flag.
The first Final spot will be decided between Rowland and Mortara. The Nissan driver started ahead by only 0.021s, increased to 0.201 by the half of the lap, but the Swiss shouldn’t be counted out as he caught up a bit. Ultimately it wasn’t enough as Rowland wins Semi Final 1.
Gunther faces Sette Camara for a front row spot. The Brazilian started slightly ahead, but touched the wall and made a mistake allowing Gunther to develop a 0.300s gap in the first sector, increased to 0.900s by the halfway point and over 2s by the end of the lap.
Nissan vs Maserati for pole position. Gunther began with a slight 0.036s gap over Rowland, but the Brit was able to recover and develop a 0.210s advantage. However, he clipped the wall, allowing for Gunther to catch up. It’s the tightest round of the day as Rowland gets pole for only 0.021s.
