Dennis beats Mortara to first Tokyo E-Prix pole

Jake Dennis claimed pole position for the first race of the Tokyo E-Prix, ending a fine run for Edoardo Mortara.

The Mahindra driver had gone fastest in both practice sessions, was the favorite for pole, and was more than two tenths up in the first sector of the final Duel against Andretti’s Dennis, but Dennis recovered to narrow the gap to 0.068s by the second sector. After Mortara made a mistake at Turn 15, Dennis was able to cross the line 0.052s quicker than Mortara, his lap time being 1m 11.863s.

Dennis started qualifying by topping the first Group ahead of Nico Mueller, Nick Cassidy, and Taylor Barnard, then in a similar fashion to the final, recovered from a slower first sector to beat DS Penske’s Barnard in his first Duel.

His second was a foregone conclusion after Porsche driver Mueller crashed out at the Turn 10-11 chicane after a big slide on entry, but an understeer moment at Turn 4 earlier in the lap meant Dennis was already looking good before the red flags came out.

Mortara's qualifying run began with second place in Group B behind Jaguar TCS Racing's Antonio Felix da Costa and ahead of Citroen's Jean-Eric Vergne and the Cupra Kiro of Dan Ticktum. He then saw off Vergne in his first Duel, before beating da Costa in the Semifinals.

Before the Duels there were a number of high-profile casualties in the Group stage.

Championship leader Pascal Wehrlein failed to advance for Porsche, finishing fourth, while reigning champion Oliver Rowland – who has started every previous Formula E race in Tokyo from pole position – struggled through Turns 4 and 5, having also looked uncomfortable throughout the practice sessions in his Nissan, and could only manage eighth. Felipe Drugovich failed to take to the track in the second Andretti in Group A after crashing in practice.

In Group B, championship contender Mitch Evans also finished eighth for Jaguar after struggling for grip throughout the session. Nyck de Vries in the second Mahindra also didn't advance after finishing sixth.

Dennis’ pole is his third of the season, and the three points that come with it have allowed him to leapfrog da Costa for fourth in the championship ahead of Saturday evening’s race.

Behind the front row of him and Mortara, da Costa will start third with Mueller fourth. Barnard and Ticktum will occupy the third row of the grid with the Citroens of Vergne and Cassidy seventh and eighth as the last of the drivers who made it to the Duels.

Wehrlein will start ninth ahead of compatriot Maximilian Guenther for DS Penske, with Nissan’s Norman Nato 11th and de Vries 12th. Envision Racing's Joel Eriksson and Sebastien Buemi will line up 13th and 14th, with Rowland down in 15th, a far cry from his usual Tokyo starting spot.

Evans will start Saturday night's race in 16th, ahead of Lola Yamaha Abt’s Lucas di Grassi in 17th, with Kiro’s Pepe Marti, Drugovich, and Lola’s Zane Maloney – slowest in Group B – completing the field.

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