After a stormy Round 8, Tokyo decided to bless the drivers and fans of Formula E with some more dry weather racing at Big Sight. The drivers didn't miss the opportunity for a final rainless Free Practice session, putting the track to good use in a confident FP3.
It was TAG Heuer Porsche's Pascal Wehrlein who made the most of the better conditions, posting a 1m12.011s lap. He was closely followed by Nissan's Norman Nato, who again used the car's powertrain to good effect for a 1m12.157s, and rounding off the top three was Maserati MSG Racing's Jake Hughes, taking the baton from teammate Stoffel Vandoorne to make it around the track in 1m12.326s.
DS PENSKE's Jean-Eric Vergne looked dangerous, pushing on from some good driving in Round 8 to clock a 1m12.334s, as did Lola Yamaha ABT's Dan Ticktum on 1m12.344s. Round 8 podium clincher Taylor Barnard of NEOM McLaren finished in sixth with a controlled 1m12.455s.
As it happened...
There was little risk of FP3 being of as much importance as yesterday's FP2, which became de facto qualifying after Round 8 quali was cancelled. You couldn't tell from the racing on show, however, as the drivers started strongly, understandably smashing yesterday's lap times even while working on their tyres and brakes.
The chicane was tempting once again, with drivers including NEOM McLaren's Sam Bird and Barnard threading the needle. DS PENSKE's Maximilian Guenther wasn't hanging around either after a disappointing Round 8, a mix of risk and reward turning into tight lines and wheel work.
Lola Yamaha ABT's Zane Maloney looked strong from the off, reacting to the better weather with confident, consistent laps, and was in the leading pack at the halfway stage, along with Bird, Mahindra Racing's Edoardo Mortara and Porsche's Antonio Felix da Costa.
Despite PIT BOOST not being a feature of today's race, Porsche used part of the session to go through their PIT BOOST procedures, most likely in preparation for Shanghai's Round 10. It didn't hinder their fastest laps, with Wehrlein in particular posting solid times throughout the session. CUPRA KIRO's Dan Ticktum looked nippy after his Round 8 podium, seemingly dispelling his own doubts about the car's dry weather performance.
Oliver Rowland finished bottom of the standings after slipping during his final lap, while Jake Hughes left it late to climb up the list into third - another Maserati stalking the Nissan drivers around Tokyo. The standings were refreshingly jumbled, with only half a second separating the top ten, adding more interest to an already intriguing quali.
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