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Rain is often described as motorsport’s great equaliser, and the 2026 Shanghai E-Prix double-header delivered exactly the kind of uncertainty that can fracture a weekend before the racing even begins. With inclement weather forecast, the sporting schedule was brought forward by three hours, forcing an early start for the Formula E paddock and a critical strategic question: prepare for a downpour, or gamble on a drying track?
That decision became the defining thread of the weekend. Set-up choices split the field, and when the expected rain failed to arrive on Sunday, those who had committed to dry-weather pace suddenly held the decisive hand.
Lucas di Grassi’s victory was the standout story. Starting from the back of the grid, the Lola Yamaha ABT driver and his team took the boldest possible route by committing to a dry-weather set-up while much of the paddock expected rain.
The reward was spectacular. In the closing stages, the dry-weather runners became increasingly difficult to contain. After a late Full Course Yellow, di Grassi deployed his final ATTACK MODE with precision, passing Envision Racing’s Joel Eriksson on the penultimate lap as Jean-Eric Vergne moved into the lead, then overtaking the Citroën driver at Turn 1 on the final lap.
It was a result loaded with emotion, given di Grassi is preparing to leave the championship at the end of the season and retire from professional racing. For more on the race-winning comeback, read our report on how Lucas di Grassi stunned Shanghai with victory from the back.
For Mitch Evans, Shanghai became a costly turning point. He arrived leading the Drivers’ standings by 19 points from Oliver Rowland and 27 from Pascal Wehrlein, but the balance shifted sharply.
Wehrlein dominated Round 12, taking pole and victory for a 28-point score. Evans qualified on the front row but finished eighth, collecting only four points. Sunday was worse: he missed the Duels in qualifying and then failed to start after Jaguar TCS Racing discovered a major technical issue.
Wehrlein backed up his Round 12 win with fourth place in Round 13, taking 40 points from the weekend and moving back to the top of the standings. The hunter has become the hunted.
Vergne also benefited from the dry set-up call, charging from the back to claim his first podium of a difficult opening season with Citroën Racing. Eriksson, meanwhile, converted a strong recovery into third place, securing the first Formula E podium of his career.
With four races remaining, Wehrlein leads Evans by nine points. Rowland, Antonio Felix da Costa and Jake Dennis remain in contention, while Jaguar narrowly leads Porsche in the Teams’ standings, 243 points to 237. In the Manufacturers’ World Championship, Porsche holds the advantage over Jaguar, 384 to 334.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.
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