Vandoorne takes advantage of red flag to win at Tokyo

Stoffel Vandoorne secured a victory in Formula E for the first time since Monaco 2022, after 49 winless races, thanks to a masterful strategy by Maserati MSG Racing during a rain-affected Tokyo ePrix.

The Belgian driver made an early stop for the mandatory PIT BOOST before a red flag regrouped the field, allowing him to emerge with over 30 seconds advantage over his rivals.

A strategy that paid off

Rain affected proceedings from early on, with approximately 25 millimeters of rainfall during the morning forcing the cancellation of qualifying and a revised schedule. These conditions created the perfect opportunity for Maserati's bold plan.

The Italian team opted to aggressively use energy to complete their mandatory stop before their rivals, gambling on a potential race interruption. The gamble paid off when Maximilian Guenther's car - who had previously won in Tokyo - developed technical issues requiring removal, triggering the red flag.

This situation allowed Vandoorne to maintain his position without losing time, as the race resumed with a standing restart. After all competitors completed their mandatory stops, the Belgian found himself leading with a comfortable margin.

Top positions

Oliver Rowland, starting from pole position in Nissan's home race, finished second despite having superior pace. The British driver extended his championship lead to 60 points - the largest mid-season advantage in Formula E history.

Taylor Barnard completed the podium with an impressive outside move at Turn 16, the same corner where he had crashed during first practice. The NEOM McLaren driver demonstrated the strong performance of the Nissan-powered machinery.

Sebastien Buemi (Envision Racing) finished fourth, followed by Dan Ticktum (CUPRA KIRO) who achieved his best result of the season. Edoardo Mortara took sixth, scoring valuable points for Mahindra Racing despite technical issues in the closing stages.

Nissan strengthens championship position

Following this round, Nissan consolidated its position in both teams' and manufacturers' standings. In the drivers' championship, Rowland now holds a 60-point advantage over Antonio Felix da Costa (TAG Heuer Porsche), who finished seventh.

Porsche endured a difficult race, with Pascal Wehrlein finishing outside the points in thirteenth. Jaguar also struggled, with both cars failing to score, though they took some consolation from customer team Envision's results.

The race demonstrated that in Formula E, particularly in changeable conditions, strategy can be just as important as outright pace.

The race demonstrated that in Formula E, particularly in changeable conditions, strategy can be just as important as outright pace.

Next race

Teams will have little time to analyze their performance as Formula E returns tomorrow at the same venue for Round 9 of the 2024/25 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

2025 Tokyo ePrix Results - Round 8