Round Eight Tokyo E-Prix qualifying cancelled with FP2 results to determine grid

Credit: Andrew Ferraro

Qualifying for round eight of the 2024/25 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship has been cancelled following significant rainfall on Saturday morning.

Formula E had made just the second visit to Tokyo in the history of the world championship, and with it was also the first double-round weekend at the Tokyo E-Prix. However, the round eight qualifying was cancelled due to the extremely heavy rainfall at the circuit making it unsafe for the drivers to use.

Despite Race Control trying to give the weather time to improve so qualifying could be run, unfortunately Race Director Marek Hanaczewski was left with no choice but to cancel the qualifying session.

Following the cancellation of qualifying, Hanaczewski confirmed that the grid for Saturday's later E-Prix was to be determined by the results of Free Practice 2. This would give Oliver Rowland pole position for the second successive time for the Brit at Tokyo.

Rowland topped Free Practice 2 and it has proved pivotal for him in the championship, as he picks up three world championship points for picking up pole positions. Rowland has the chance to extend it further, with second place Antonio Felix Da Costa starting 11th and third place Pascal Wehrlein starting 17th.

Free Practice 2 saw Rowland fastest by over six tenths faster than the Mahindra Racing car of Edoardo Mortara, who was second and the Swiss driver will share the front row with Rowland. 

Rowland's teammate Norman Nato is to start third after finishing there in Free Practice 2. Nato will start alongside Taylor Barnard on the second row, as the young NEOM McLaren driver will start in fourth place.

Last year's Tokyo E-Prix winner Maximilian Gunther will go from ninth place for DS Penske, behind his teammate Jean-Eric Vergne in eighth. Gunther won from second position in the 2023/24 season.

The race is scheduled to begin at 15:05 local time should everything start and run smoothly. This is also 07:05 for UK viewers. This is all very weather dependent with the treacherous rain that has already fallen on the Tokyp E-Prix circuit this weekend.

2024/25 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship: Round 8 - Tokyo E-Prix starting grid

1. Oliver Rowland
2. Edoardo Mortara
3. Norman Nato
4. Taylor Barnard
5. Nyck De Vries
6. Sebastian Buemi
7. Dan Ticktum
8. Jean-Eric Vergne
9. Maximilian Gunther
10. Robin Frijns
11. Antonio Felix Da Costa
12. Sam Bird
13. Nick Cassidy
14. Stoffel Vandoorne
15. Jake Hughes
16. Zane Maloney
17. Pascal Wehrlein
18. Lucas Di Grassi
19. Mitch Evans
20. David Beckmann
21. Nico Mueller
22. Jake Dennis

Brandon Whiteside
Writer - F1 Journal