Wehrlein perseveres to Formula E title as Barnard wins London finale

Pascal Wehrlein has won the ABB Formula E world championship for the second time after a manic final race at London’s ExCeL Centre in which Taylor Barnard became the youngest winner in the series’ history.

Barnard’s win came from nowhere, with Mahindra’s two front row starters Nyck de Vries and Edoardo Mortara controlling much of the race, but the DS Penske driver utilized a late Attack Mode power boost to overhaul both with two laps remaining.

Holding the championship lead and nearest challenger Jake Dennis mired in the pack, Porsche driver Wehrlein was in a strong position to take the title and right from the off he was the third party in a breakaway at the front with both Mahindras. But with Jaguar’s Antonio Felix da Costa using an early Attack Mode, he looked to spoil the Porsche party and aid his teammate Evans' title challenge.

Da Costa had previously muscled his way past a resolutely defending Porsche's Nico Mueller, himself working to help his own teammate. Wehrlein went for his first Attack Mode on lap 5, two laps after da Costa, but although the Jaguar driver's expired first, it took until the last seconds of Wehrlein's own use of extra power and four-wheel drive to find a way past three laps later going into Turn 1, having tried multiple times the lap before.

By this point it was a five-car breakaway out in front with the Mahindras, Barnard, who'd quietly got into contention with his first Attack Mode, Wehrlein and da Costa. De Vries let Mortara through to the lead on lap 11 to give his teammate a gap to take his first Attack Mode, having missed the activation loop four laps earlier. Further in the field, Mueller was again playing the team game, holding up Evans who needed nothing less than a win to have a chance at claiming the championship, but he was being kept away from the lead pack.

Mueller's defense of Evans was catching the ire of the Jaguar man, who protested over the radio about the Porsche driver moving under braking. Their duel was interrupted with the Attack Mode-using Sebstien Buemi splitting them at Turn 9 on lap 15. It wasn't long before he passed Mueller as well and the battle was resumed, and a lap later, with a bit of contact, he finally found a way past at Turn 19.

With Evans now in clear air, da Costa began trying to hold up Wehrlein to bring Evans back into contention.

On lap 26 Evans finally took his first Attack Mode, a four-minute use, and at Turn 16 da Costa strategically placed his car to hold up Wehrlein and allow Evans to pass both for fifth. The moment also allowed Nick Cassidy to move into sixth, while his Citroen teammate Jean-Eric Vergne, Dennis – who had been nowhere for much of the race up to this point – and Pepe Marti all split da Costa and Wehrlein who was out of the points in 11th.

On lap 29 Wehrlein was back in Attack Mode and once again crossing swords with da Costa, but Dennis had quietly found himself into seventh, which was enough to take the championship.

But the championship was far from settled, and on lap 32 all predictions were blown apart when an incident between Dennis, da Costa, and Wehrlein – as the Andretti driver tried to pass both at Turn 16 – with Joel Eriksson also getting collected, left both Dennis and Wehrlein outside the points. Evans was still a distant fourth though, and despite his second Attack Mode, he didn't have enough time to catch up to the lead three and challenge for the win.

That win looked like it was going to Mahindra one way or another, but Barnard had other ideas with a late Attack Mode of his own, going to the lead at the final corner with two laps to go.

Barnard saved his best for last to become Formula E's youngest winner. Alastair Staley/Getty Images

Ultimately Evans finished fourth, behind Barnard, de Vries and Mortara, with Wehrlein taking 14th and Dennis a lap down in 18th. With Wehrlein and Dennis both failing to score and Evans missing out on the crucial win, the standings ended the race as they started, with Wehrlein on top.

Barnard’s win was the first of the season for DS Penske after a torrid year where it had failed to finish on the podium all campaign. It makes Barnard Formula E’s youngest winner at 22 years and 76 days in what was the final race he had to take that record. It’s also a 19th win for the DS brand in Formula E which is exiting the series after this season.

Wehrlein’s title makes him just the second double champion in Formula E after Jean-Eric Vergne who won the 2017-18 and 2018-19 titles for Techeetah and DS Techeetah.

Porsche had already wrapped up the manufacturers’ title before the weekend, but Jaguar took the teams’ title for the second time. It’s also a third crown for team principal Ian James, who took over from James Barclay at the start of the season, having won back-to-back titles with Mercedes in 2020-21 and 2021-22.

In the rest of the points finishers behind Evans, Buemi took fifth in what is is final race for Envision Racing, with Cassidy in sixth, Vergne in seventh, Pepe Marti eighth, Oliver Rowland ninth and Norman Nato coming through from the back of the grid to take the final point in 10th.

In his final motor race, Lucas di Grassi retired on lap 13.

RESULTS