Lucas di Grassi produced one of the great late-race recoveries in Formula E history to win the Shanghai E-Prix Round 13, handing Lola Yamaha ABT its first victory in its current form. What made the result so striking was not just the win itself, but the way it came together: from 18th on the grid, through changing conditions, and finally on the last lap after a perfectly timed sequence of attacks. On a day when drying asphalt rewarded the brave, di Grassi was the driver who read the race best.
The early stages belonged to the drivers who committed to the gamble of a drying setup. As the field regrouped after the opening caution and the race settled into rhythm, those with the right balance began to climb rapidly. Joel Eriksson, Jean-Eric Vergne and di Grassi all surged forward, each making up 16 places from their starting positions at one stage of the race. But the decisive detail was the timing of the Full Course Yellow, which wiped out Eriksson and Vergne’s ATTACK MODE activations while leaving di Grassi with his still available.
That advantage changed everything. Once the caution ended, di Grassi used his remaining boost to close in on the leaders and then attack with precision. He passed Eriksson at the hairpin on the penultimate lap before switching focus to Vergne, who had just moved ahead in the fight for the lead. One lap later, on the final tour, di Grassi swept around the outside of the Frenchman at Turn 1 and took the win. It was a classic Formula E move in a race that had been turned upside down by weather, timing and nerve.
For di Grassi, the victory was doubly significant. It was his first trip to the top step of the podium since 2022, his first Formula E win for the Lola Yamaha ABT project, and another reminder of his longevity at the very highest level. At 41 years and 328 days old, he also became the series’ oldest podium finisher, reinforcing just how exceptional his performance was. It was the kind of race that rewards experience without dulling ambition.
Podium Fight
Jean-Eric Vergne came home second after spending much of the closing phase in the sharp end of the battle, while Joel Eriksson took third for his best Formula E finish yet. Eriksson had looked well placed to convert his strong pace into victory, but the final sequence of attacks and the timing of the caution worked against him. Even so, a maiden podium was a deserved reward for a driver who had been consistently quick when the conditions began to open up.
Pascal Wehrlein had looked strong early on and led for part of the race, but he could manage only fourth at the flag. Even so, the result was enough to keep him at the head of the drivers’ standings after a difficult weekend for rival Mitch Evans. Sébastien Buemi took fifth for Envision Racing after another tidy and effective drive, while Felipe Drugovich slipped to sixth after starting from pole and spending much of the race trying to defend as the field came alive around him.
Title Picture
The biggest championship story was the trouble that hit Mitch Evans before the race even began. A technical issue kept the Jaguar driver from taking the start, and that proved costly in a title battle that had gone into the weekend with a 19-point advantage for the New Zealander. Wehrlein’s fourth-place finish, combined with Evans’ non-start, was enough to flip the standings and leave the Porsche driver nine points clear.
The team and manufacturers’ tables also remained tight. Jaguar TCS Racing still lead Porsche in the Teams’ championship, while Porsche continue to head Jaguar among the manufacturers. With two more races in Shanghai now complete, the season has moved into a very sharp phase, and the margins are small enough that every strategic call matters. Di Grassi’s win did more than shake up one race; it showed again how Formula E can reward the driver who keeps his nerve when the rest of the field is reacting.
