Maloney and Ticktum hit with Shanghai E-Prix grid penalties after Sanya red-flag breaches

Shanghai weekend begins with penalty pressure

Formula E arrives in Shanghai for Rounds 12 and 13 of the 2025/26 championship with two drivers already facing compromised starts to the weekend. Zane Maloney of Lola Yamaha ABT and Dan Ticktum of CUPRA KIRO will both carry grid penalties into Round 12 following incidents during the 2026 Lianxin Sanya E-Prix.

Maloney faces 43-place grid drop and stop-go penalty

Maloney’s case is the more severe. The Lola Yamaha ABT driver enters the weekend with a 43-place grid penalty, the bulk of which comes from hardware changes made during the Sanya weekend.

The team changed Maloney’s inverters, listed as MCU components, and gearbox after qualifying. Because those changes were made post-qualifying, the accumulated 40-place grid drop is carried over to the next race, Round 12 in Shanghai.

A further three places were added after the stewards determined that the driver of car 22 was speeding under red flag conditions. Maloney had been involved in the incident that triggered the red flag and, while recovering and attempting to return to the pit lane, did not immediately reduce speed to 50km/h.

With only 20 cars on the grid, the full penalty cannot be served through grid positions alone. As a result, Maloney will also be required to serve a 10-second stop-go penalty at the start of the Shanghai E-Prix.

Ticktum also penalised after red-flag infringement

Ticktum was also caught by the same red-flag procedure. Like Maloney, the CUPRA KIRO driver had been involved in the incident that led to the stoppage.

According to the stewards, Ticktum failed to reduce his speed to 50km/h after rejoining from the incident scene. Instead, his car only reached that speed after approximately 14 seconds.

That breach results in a three-place grid drop for Round 12 in Shanghai. While far less damaging than Maloney’s combined sanction, it still leaves Ticktum with work to do on a fast, flowing and unforgiving circuit where track position could prove costly.

Shanghai schedule

The Shanghai E-Prix weekend begins with Free Practice 1 on Friday 3 July at 16:00 local time, followed by Free Practice 2, qualifying and Race 1 on Saturday 4 July. Sunday 5 July features Free Practice 3, qualifying and Race 2, with both races scheduled for 15:05 local time.

As Formula E heads to the Shanghai International Circuit, the championship fight intensifies — but for Maloney and Ticktum, the weekend already starts from a position of damage limitation.