Guenther beats Barnard to pole for first Shanghai E-Prix race

Maximilian Guenther will start on pole for the first race of the Shanghai E-Prix doubleheader after defeating Taylor Barnard in the final of the head-to-head Duels stage of qualifying.

The DS Penske driver set a pole time of 1m 08.234s, lapping 0.387s quicker than Barnard, whose bid for pole unravelled after a slide at Turn 7 and a missed apex at Turn 10.

Guenther's qualifying run began by topping the first Group session ahead of Jake Dennis, Nick Cassidy, and Oliver Rowland. He then defeated Rowland in his first Duel, ending the Nissan driver's streak of poles that had stretched back the last three races.

In the Semifinals he beat Nick Cassidy, who was contesting the head-to-head portion of qualifying for the first time this season (he'd made it there in Mexico City, only to be given a penalty).

NEOM McLaren man Barnard had topped his group, too, ahead of Nyck de Vries, Pascal Wehrlein, and David Beckmann who made it to the Duels for the second time in his career.

The Cupra Kiro driver was beaten by Barnard in the first part of the Duels, however, and Barnard went on to better reigning series champion Wehrlein in the Semifinals to qualify for the final.

Guenther's pole, and the three championship points that come with it, moves him from 11th to eighth in the points standings before Saturday's race, while it helps DS Penske move ahead of McLaren in the Teams' standings, too. It also ends a six-race run of pole positions for Nissan powered cars. Coincidentally, Guenther was the last non-Nissan car to start a Formula E race from pole position, doing so in the first race of the Jeddah E-Prix back in February

Behind Guenther and Barnard, Wehrlein will start third with Cassidy fourth, de Vries fifth, and Rowland sixth.

Dennis and Beckmann will start seventh and eighth as the last of the two drivers to make it to the Duels, with Jake Hughes starting ninth after he failed to improve on his final lap in the Group stage. Jean-Eric Vergne will start 10th following a fifth-place finish in his group, like Hughes, after losing time in the final corner on his last push lap.

Edoardo Mortara will line up 11th ahead of Sam Bird, Nico Mueller, Stoffel Vandoorne, and Norman Nato.

Robin Frijns will start 16th, with Antonio Felix da Costa a lowly 17th after topping both practice sessions while using the full 350 kW and four-wheel drive, but struggling to get the most out of his car with the 300 kW and rear-wheel-drive in use in the Group stages.

Mitch Evans was classified 18th after qualifying but will start at the back of the grid as a result of a cumulative 80-place grid penalty for multiple component changes. That moves Zane Maloney up to 18th, ahead of his Lola Yamaha Abt teammate Lucas di Grassi, Sebastien Buemi, and Dan Ticktum.

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