In the final free practice session ahead of qualifying for the 2026 Lianxin Sanya E-Prix, it was Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein who went quickest with a time of 1m5.095, 0.016 ahead of Edoardo Mortara, who continued to show promising pace behind the wheel of his Mahindra machine.
Jake Dennis (Andretti) finished in third, ahead of Mortara’s Mahindra teammate Nyck de Vries and CUPRA KIRO’s Dan Ticktum.
Current championship leader, Mitch Evans (Jaguar TCS Racing), was a little further back in ninth. But with a 40% chance of rain forecast, who will find the upper hand in qualifying?
WATCH: What time is the 2026 Lianxin Sanya E-Prix and how can I watch it?
As it happened…
Race day in Sanya opened with Free Practice 2 at 08:30 local time, giving drivers a final 40 minutes to get to grips with the challenging Chinese circuit ahead of qualifying (due to take place at 10:40 local time).
Tricky Turn 9 continued to cause issues for drivers, with Dan Ticktum struggling to nail the braking point and ending up in the run off twice in the opening stages of the session. Meanwhile, Edoardo Mortara had no such issues, maintaining his strong pace from Free Practice 1 and leading Envision’s Sebastien Buemi by the halfway point.
Former champions Oliver Rowland (Nissan) and Antonio Felix da Costa (Jaguar TCS Racing) had a close call, after the Nissan driver lost control of his car, spinning the rear and nearly collecting the Jaguar driver in the process.
Despite holding steady at the top of the times, Mortara was ultimately pipped to the post by Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein - a wry smile on the face of Porsche technical director, Florian Modlinger, the only indication of their qualifying confidence.
SCHEDULE: Where, when and how to watch or stream the 2026 Lianxin Sanya E-Prix, Round 11
Formula E is back in action, and the championship fight is on! This weekend, we return to Sanya for Round 11 of the 2025/26 season. It’s been seven years since Formula E has raced on this Chinese island, and with only eight drivers on the current grid having raced here before, anything can happen.
Qualifying: Saturday 20 June, 10:40 local / 03:40 BST
Race: Saturday 20 June, 15:05 local / 08:05 BST
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