The 2025 São Paulo E-Prix kicked off Season 12 with plenty of drama and on-track action. Pascal Wehrlein initially took pole, but a three-place grid penalty handed the top spot to Jake Dennis, who converted it into a strong race win.
Kiwi drivers Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy both made their presence felt, with Evans battling through incidents to score points and Cassidy climbing from 15th to claim his first podium for Citroën Racing. Red flags, collisions, and bold Attack Mode moves made for an unpredictable opener to the season.
Qualifying:
Qualifying in São Paulo delivered a dramatic start to the season, with Wehrlein initially claiming his third consecutive Pole Position at the Brazilian track.
However, the celebration was short-lived for the Porsche driver. Wehrlein was penalised for spinning his wheels as he left the pit lane, a breach of Season 12 sporting regulations, dropping him three places on the grid.
As a result, Dennis inherited pole for Andretti, setting up an intriguing front row alongside Dan Ticktum. Wehrlein, despite taking the pole points, started fourth.
The duel stages had been intense. In the semi-finals, Dennis narrowly edged out Edoardo Mortara, while Wehrlein overcame Ticktum to secure what would have been pole.
In the final, Wehrlein set a dominant lap, faster than Dennis, but the grid penalty meant he would line up behind the front row. Mortara and Nyck de Vries completed the top six, with Antonio Felix da Costa impressing in his first outing for Jaguar TCS Racing.
Kiwi drivers experienced mixed fortunes. Evans just missed out on progressing to the duels, finishing ninth overall in Group B with a lap of 1:12.589 — a mere 0.054 seconds shy of the top eight cutoff.
Cassidy struggled in Group B and ended up 15th on the grid, posting a best lap of 1:12.783. Despite the disappointment, Evans and Cassidy were determined to fight through the field in the race.
Group B qualifying had been particularly eventful. Felipe Drugovich led early but brought out a red flag after a heavy impact at Turn 6, while Lucas di Grassi also failed to make an impression after staying in the pits.
Norman Nato set the fastest lap of the group, narrowly edging out Wehrlein and de Vries to claim top honours. Evans’s lap was quick but just insufficient to move into the duels, with Taylor Barnard also missing out after clipping the final corner.
In Group A, Da Costa topped the session with a 1:12.140, followed by Jean-Eric Vergne and Mortara, while Dennis secured his place in the duels after a strong final lap.
Oliver Rowland, the defending champion, struggled to P5 and faced his own three-place grid penalty from a previous round, compounding his qualifying woes.
By the end of the day, the grid was set for a thrilling São Paulo E-Prix. With Dennis on pole, Ticktum beside him, and Wehrlein shuffled to fourth, the Kiwi duo of Evans and Cassidy would have plenty of work ahead to climb through the pack in the race.
São Paulo E-Prix:
The 2025 São Paulo E-Prix kicked off Season 12 in spectacular fashion, with Dennis storming to victory from the front row.
Dennis held the lead from the start, carefully managing his race while keeping close tabs on the drivers around him.
Wehrlein initially took the race lead in the opening laps, but his charge was complicated by strategic shuffles and the shuffle of Attack Mode activations. Wehrlein ultimately finished fourth, a solid points haul despite being denied the win by his grid penalty.
Seasoned campaigners like Mortara, De Vries, and Da Costa also featured prominently, with Drugovich impressing on debut for Andretti by finishing fifth. Nico Müller rounded out the top six, giving Porsche four cars in the top half of the field.
The Kiwi drivers were notable protagonists in a chaotic race. Evans battled hard after a tricky qualifying session, ultimately finishing inside the points despite being caught up in incidents.
At one stage, Evans found himself in the wall during a sequence leading to the dramatic late Red Flag, but he recovered to bring his Jaguar home safely.
Cassidy produced a standout performance for Citroën Racing, climbing from a lowly P15 on the grid to claim his first podium with the team. Cassidy unleashed an audacious Attack Mode charge on Lap 19, overtaking multiple cars down the main straight, including Wehrlein, to put himself into contention for the front.
Even a late Red Flag caused by Pepe Martí’s spectacular crash, where the rookie’s Cupra Kiro flew over Da Costa’s Jaguar, could not stop Cassidy from securing third place.
The race was punctuated by several dramatic incidents. Early chaos at the opening chicane saw Ticktum drop to the back of the pack after contact with De Vries, while Mortara received a five-second penalty for a first-corner clash.
Lap 22 brought further drama as Mortara and Di Grassi collided at Turn 6, forcing both into retirement and triggering a Safety Car period. Then on Lap 29, the Pepe Martí incident prompted a final Red Flag, setting up a one-lap shootout to the finish.
Dennis navigated the late-race turbulence expertly, overtaking Cassidy and Rowland on Lap 27 to claim his first win since Diriyah in 2024, and became the first driver to win from the front row at the Anhembi Sambadrome.
Rowland managed to salvage second, while Cassidy’s late-race heroics earned a memorable debut podium for Citroën Racing.
Cassidy reflected on his breakthrough result: “This is fantastic for everyone at Citroën Racing. Qualifying was tough, but the car was strong, and the team executed their strategy perfectly. To start the season with a podium is amazing, and I’m very happy for everyone involved.”
With Dennis leading the Drivers’ Championship and Andretti topping the Teams’ standings, the opening round set the stage for an exciting Season 12.
The next stop in Mexico on January 10th promises more high-speed action as teams and drivers look to build on their performances in São Paulo.
Header Image: Simon Galloway/LAT Images
