QUALIFYING: Rowland takes Round 9 pole after a stunning Ticktum run falls short in Tokyo

There were no weather issues for Round 9's Qualifying session, as a dry track was the stage for a thrilling set of Duels. CUPRA KIRO's Dan Ticktum was on the brink of a superb run to Julius Baer Pole Position, but it was Nissan's Oliver Rowland who took the top spot and the front line for Round 9.

It's a career-best start for Ticktum, who was ahead in the Final until a wall clip meant Rowland has now taken his third pole in three Tokyo races, increasing his Drivers' standings advantage to 63 points. Rowland is the best average qualifier this season and has started from pole at the last two races, yet bizarrely had not won a Duels final until today.

TAG Heuer Porsche's Pascal Wehrlein and DS PENSKE's Jean-Eric Vergne had to settle for Semi spots, starting third and fourth respectively, while Mahindra's Edoardo Mortara and Lola Yamaha ABT's Lucas di Grassi were the quickest Quarters losers, so will start fifth and sixth on the grid.

Final

Rowland was the heavy favourite, but after a brilliant Quali, it was Ticktum who looked the better in the opening sectors, outpacing the championship leader until a slide into the wall scuppered his chances of a first-ever pole and delivered Rowland the win.

Semis

An intriguing Semi match up between Vergne and Rowland turned into an exhibition from the British driver who, despite a decent run from the Frenchman, clocked a lightning 1m12.007s to race to the Final. 

It was tough to predict a winner in a Semi between two in-form drivers. Before today, Ticktum’s only Duels win this season was in the Monaco Quarters, which was his first since Berlin in 2023. Wehrlein had looked good all day, but there was no denying Ticktum in a knife-edge Duel. 

Quarters

The first Quarter was an all-Nissan affair, guaranteeing the team a Semi place once again - Nissan have had a driver in every Semi so far this season. With powertrains matched, it came down to individual skill, and it looked like Norman Nato might make the cut. Rowland started eating away at Nato's lead from sector 1, however, and when Nato flicked the wall at the chicane, it gave Rowland the win and a place in the Semis.

Next up was Vergne vs di Grassi. Vergne has a record 17 poles in Formula E, while di Grassi boasts a record 41 podium finishes, and you could tell this was two experienced drivers, going tit for tat until the line. Ultimately, it was Vergne who won a Semis spot by a tenth of a second.

Quarter 3 saw Mortara and Ticktum head to head. The Predictor gave Mortara a 63% likelihood of winning, but Ticktum wasn't interested in those odds as he put together another great lap to progress.

The second one-team tussle in the Quarters was between Porsche's Antonio Felix da Costa and Wehrlein, in a repeat of Mexico City's Quali Final. Wehrlein won that time round, and when da Costa made an early mistake, the German took control of the Duel again, coasting through to the Semis.

Group A

With the session nearing its end, Turn 16 claimed another victim as TAG Heuer Porsche's Mitch Evans crashed heavily into the wall, smashing the back right wheel, with the tyre careening away from the car.

Once the track had been cleared, Nato took the initiative to move into the Duels spots, but it was Lucas di Grassi that stole the show with a superb final lap to beat Nato to top spot. Rowland finished safe in third, while Vergne kept his composure to take the final Duels place in the group. 

Group B

It was an incredibly tight group, with all eleven drivers separated by less than a second. Pascal Wehrlein continued his rapid pace-setting in FP3 to finish top, looking good to challenge deep into Quali. Mortara just missed out to place second, while Ticktum looked to be growing in confidence with each drive to finish third. Da Costa finished on exactly the same time as NEOM McLaren's Sam Bird, but took fourth due to setting his best lap first.

Andretti's Nico Mueller found the barrier at Turn 12 as the session ended, denying some of the field their final tilt at a top-four spot and making it a scramble to the finish.

SCHEDULE: Where, when and how to watch or stream the 2025 Tokyo E-Prix Round 9

Round 9 is up next on Sunday 18 May 2025. Make sure you don't miss a moment. 

View the full schedule in your time zone and check the broadcaster listings or tap the Ways to Watch button above to find out where to watch all the racing action where you live.

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