Welcome to Formula E Season 12, where being fastest means absolutely nothing if you dare spin your tyres in the pit lane. Pascal Wehrlein dominated qualifying in São Paulo, posting the quickest time by three-tenths. His reward? Starting fourth because of wheelspin.
You couldn’t write this stuff. Except someone did, and now it’s a sporting regulation.
The New Rule Nobody Asked For
Wehrlein secured his third consecutive São Paulo pole position. He even gets to keep the three championship points that come with it. But he won’t start from the front because Formula E’s newest brainchild decided wheelspin in the pit lane is suddenly unforgivable.
“I find it quite ridiculous. We all know the rule that you are not allowed to wheelspin the tyres in the pit lane, but that is not what I did.” – Pascal Wehrlein
Right then. So the man who actually committed the alleged crime says he didn’t do it. But the stewards saw wheelspin, slapped him with a three-place grid drop, and called it a day. Nothing suspicious about that.
Article 23.18 states burnouts and wheelspins are forbidden in the pit lane. Fair enough if someone’s doing donuts. But penalising a driver for wheelspin during a normal pit exit? That’s the sort of petty nonsense that makes fans roll their eyes.
Dennis Inherits Pole By Default
Jake Dennis gets the surprise Christmas present nobody expected. The Season 9 champion struggled in practice, sitting down in 17th. Then he turned it around in qualifying, only to get beaten by Wehrlein fair and square in the final duel.
“I mean you’d take it any day of the week, after where we were in practice, when we were down in P17.” – Jake Dennis
Can’t blame him for celebrating. But Dennis knows this inherited pole comes with strings attached. No driver has ever won the São Paulo E-Prix from the front row. Not once in three previous attempts. The curse is real, and now Dennis gets to test whether it extends to inherited poles.
His biggest weakness remains Sector 1, where he admitted his braking settings are all over the place. Starting from pole with dodgy brakes? Bold strategy.
The Porsche-Powered Front Row
Despite Wehrlein’s penalty, the front row remains entirely Porsche-powered. Dan Ticktum lines up second in his Cupra Kiro, which uses an older Porsche powertrain. The British driver reached the semi-finals and pushed Wehrlein hard, losing by just 0.074 seconds.
Ticktum’s proving he belongs in the title conversation. And if chaos erupts at the front, he’s perfectly positioned to capitalise.
Rowland’s Championship Defence Starts From 13th
Oliver Rowland carries a three-place grid penalty from last season’s London finale. The reigning champion caused a collision with Nico Müller and now pays the price in Brazil. He’ll start 13th despite qualifying fifth in Group A.
The cursed number one plate strikes again. Rowland barely made it through Group A, missing the duels by 0.050 seconds. Now he faces a damage-limitation exercise in the opening race of his title defence.
Nothing says “this is fine” quite like starting your championship reign from 13th place.
Lola Yamaha ABT’s Nightmare Morning
Both Lola Yamaha ABT drivers suffered driveshaft failures. Zane Maloney’s car died during Group A. Lucas di Grassi’s followed suit in Group B. The Brazilian legend also copped a three-place penalty for failing to slow under red flags, dropping him to 20th for his home race.
Imagine explaining that to your sponsors. Home race. Passionate crowd. Maximum marketing opportunity. Starting dead last with a broken car.
Formula E giveth, and Formula E absolutely taketh away.
Qualifying’s Tight Pack Shows Gen3’s Final Form
Free Practice 2 saw the top ten covered by half a second. Wehrlein topped the session, but Mahindra looked ominous with both drivers in the top five. The competitive balance Formula E promised? It’s actually delivered.
Four different teams filled the top five in FP2. When qualifying arrived, Norman Nato shocked everyone by topping Group B for Nissan. Edoardo Mortara reached the semi-finals for Mahindra. António Félix da Costa impressed on his Jaguar debut, advancing from Group A.
This Gen3 finale might actually live up to the hype. Whether anyone watches remains the real question.
The Irony Of Wehrlein’s Penalty
Here’s the delicious irony. Wehrlein keeps his three championship points. He’s officially on pole position in the record books. But he starts fourth on the grid because someone decided wheelspin threatens public safety or something equally absurd.
“For the race, it’s maybe not that bad actually to not start from pole position, but still, if you’re the fastest, you want to start from the front.” – Pascal Wehrlein
He’s not wrong. Starting fourth might actually help him avoid the curse that’s befallen every front-row starter in São Paulo history. Silver linings and all that.
But let’s be honest. This penalty is ridiculous. Formula E introduced a new rule, applied it zealously on day one, and created unnecessary controversy. The German was fastest. Everyone knows it. Yet he’s been shoved down the grid for something he claims he didn’t even do.
Welcome to Season 12. Where being fastest matters less than following rules nobody properly understands yet.
