Nyck De Vries came out on top of a chaotic second Formula E Tokyo E-Prix in a final-lap fight, as Jake Dennis claimed the championship lead while Porsche clinched the constructors’ title.
In a race completely shaped by the rain that fell before the start, leaving the track wet throughout the first part of race, de Vries took advantage of a red flag that came at the perfect moment with just a few laps to go.
Although the rain spared the race itself, the precipitation that fell before the start left the track completely wet and, with the race taking place at night, the asphalt took longer to dry, making for an unpredictable E-Prix.
After just a few laps Antonio Felix da Costa seemed to already have victory in his hands, having built a decent gap over his pursuers, but as the laps went by the track gradually dried and the pace changed to bring the pack together.
An incident involving Joel Eriksson, Edoardo Mortara, Da Costa and Zane Maloney with just a few laps remaining forced race control to show the red flag which neutralised the race.
After the race resumed behind the safety car, race control opted for a one-lap of green flagging running to allow the drivers to fight for victory on track.
Jake Dennis, Andretti Formula E
Photo by: Takashi Aoyama / LAT Images via Getty Images
The red flag was a huge aid for De Vries because he was struggling for pace over the closing laps. Instead, the Dutchman only needed to defend his position on the final lap to take his second victory of the season.
With the change in conditions during the race, those who had attacked in the first part when the track was wet ultimately paid the price. Those, on the other hand, who had taken a more cautious approach in the first part of the race, both in terms of set-up and in terms of energy saved, ultimately managed to emerge over the long distance. This was precisely the case for De Vries and Dennis.
Over the course of a final lap of all-out attack for everyone, Dennis was unable to find a way past De Vries and Nick Cassidy, thus having to settle for third place which, given the poor race for his other title rivals, still gave him to the lead in the championship with just the double-header London finale to go.
Fourth place went to Oliver Rowland, to keep an outside shot at defending his Formula E world championship, now in fourth position, 14 points behind Dennis. Jean‑Eric Vergne took fifth place on the road for Citroen but is under investigation for not returning to the pits when race control showed the red flag.
Norman Nato took sixth for Nissan ahead of Sebastien Buemi, Nico Muller, Taylor Barnard and Max Guenther.
Former championship leader Pascal Wehrlein endured a nightmare race down in 16th having pushed too much in the first part of the race and slipped back throughout the second half of the race.
The Porsche driver has slipped to third in the standings, but for the German team there is consolation in having secured the constructors’ title with two races to spare.
Formula E Tokyo E-Prix – Race 2 results
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– The Autosport.com Team
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