THIS week, Formula E (FE) fans say Konnichiwa as Tokyo’s streets play host to the next two rounds of the championship.
The Japanese city’s street circuit has been revised and shortened from its first iteration used in the 2024 season. The current layout measures approximately 2.58 km, featuring the removal of the chicane at Turn 16 and track widening at several corners to improve flow and overtaking opportunities.
After a favourable reception following its inaugural ePrix, the accelerating battles between the 24 drivers for the FE World Drivers’ Championship are bound to deliver drama, chaos, and elation as they cross the start-finish line.
Maximilian Günther won the 2024 ePrix for Maserati, taking the spoils from Nissan’s Oliver Rowland eight laps before the chequered flag after conserving energy throughout. Defending champion Jake Dennis completed the podium in third place for Andretti.
“The track is phenomenal,” Gunther said after his win. “It’s super technical and super challenging for us and the teams to set everything up properly.
“To get super close to the walls, you have to have good confidence in the car, and there’s even jumps that we have in a lap, so it’s a big mixture of everything. For me, that is what Formula E is all about, to race so tight around these street circuits.”
Oliver Rowland continues his extended drivers’ championship lead into this hometown (for his team) round, with strong odds to win one or both races on Saturday and Sunday.
This possibility was supported by Rowland’s fast timing during the first free practice session, where he posted the third-fastest lap at 1:12.469, behind DS Penske’s Maximilian Günther in second at 1:12.430, and teammate Norman Nato, who topped the practice times with a 1:12.152.
With three wins and five podiums in the first seven rounds, the Brit holds a commanding lead going into the Tokyo double-header. Rowland’s consistency and race intelligence, evidenced by his 50% win rate in recent races and strong championship position, reflect a driver who can exploit the nuances of street circuits like Tokyo to his advantage.
As for Rowland’s teammate Norman Nato, the Frenchman is in dire need of consistent and positive results to lift the dampener on his season. Nato’s best result this year was a sixth-place finish in Miami, where he secured pole position and initially won the race but was penalised alongside Rowland for not using his full allocation of Attack Mode energy – a strategic miscalculation partly attributed to the team.
Tokyo’s circuit is predominantly tight and technical, with a few short straights, requiring a setup that favours precision and energy efficiency rather than outright high-speed cornering. This layout suits Nato’s driving style, which focuses on smoothness and minimising mistakes in tight sections. While he is still seeking a breakthrough podium since his 2024 Shanghai result, Tokyo has proven a more fruitful venue for points thanks to his strategic approach and car performance.
However, Nissan’s hopes for a victorious home race aren’t the only intriguing storyline this weekend. TAG Heuer Porsche is closing the gap to Oliver Rowland in the drivers’ championship standings and on the race circuit.
Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein, the Season 10 champion, along with teammate António Félix da Costa, has consistently battled Rowland in a triple-threat championship fight. Both drivers have stood on the podium multiple times this season, with Wehrlein clinching a win in Miami.
Wild cards on the Tokyo circuit include Andretti’s Jake Dennis, who earned a podium in Monaco and is still searching for his first race win this season, and McLaren’s rookie Taylor Barnard, who has secured multiple poles and is another potential race winner to watch despite his crash that red-flagged the first free practice.
The double-header weekend promises exhilarating racing on the revised circuit, with whispers of rain potentially impacting qualifying sessions and race strategies, adding an extra layer of unpredictability to the event.
