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HANKOOK DEBRIEF: Five things we learned in Shanghai

FEATURE 06 Jul 2026 3 Mins

Here's the five biggest talking points from the Shanghai weekend.

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feature season 12

Gambling on the weather

Rain is known as the ‘great equaliser’ in motorsport, and the 2026 Shanghai E-Prix double-header certainly had its fair share of wet conditions!

REPORT: Di Grassi seals spectacular Shanghai E-Prix Round 13 win on final lap

Due to inclement weather conditions forecast for over the weekend, the sporting schedule was amended with qualifying and the E-Prix moved forward by three hours. This meant a very early start for the Formula E paddock, and decisions to be made around optimising car set up - should you prepare for a downpour, or should you throw the dice and hope the track dries?

A fairytale for Lucas di Grassi

To win big, sometimes you have to risk it all, and just when you think you’ve seen it all in Formula E, Lucas di Grassi reminds the world why he is a legend of the championship.

Starting from the back of the grid, the Lola Yamaha ABT driver and his team took a massive gamble on a dry weather set up for Sunday’s E-Prix - whilst the forecast (and the majority of the paddock) predicted rain on the horizon.

But the rain didn’t come, and in the closing stages of the race, the superior pace of the dry weather runners was unstoppable. After a late Full Course Yellow, The 2016/17 champion executed his final ATTACK MODE to perfection, passing Envision Racing’s Joel Eriksson on the penultimate lap as Vergne fought through to the lead - before dispatching the Citroën driver at Turn 1 on the final lap.

The victory is even more poignant, as di Grassi prepares to bid farewell to the championship at the end of the season, and retire from professional racing.

A nightmare for Evans

Heading into the weekend, Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans led the Drivers’ standings, 19 points ahead of reigning Formula E World Champion, Oliver Rowland, and 27 points in front of Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein.

Round 12 was dominated by the German driver, who had the perfect day, securing 28 points for pole position and the race victory. Evans had a strong start to the day by qualifying on the front row, but his race quickly unravelled and he ended the day with four points, after an eighth-placed finish.

RESULTS: The 2026 Shanghai E-Prix, Round 12

On Sunday, things went from bad to worse for Evans. The New Zealander missed on the Duels stages of qualifying and then failed to even make the start of the E-Prix, after the Jaguar squad discovered a devastating technical issue.

Meanwhile, Wehrlein followed up his Round 12 victory with a solid P4 finish. The 40-point haul from the weekend catapulting the German back to the top of the Drivers’ standings - the hunter becomes the hunted.

Podium breakthroughs

Formula E’s only back-to-back champion, Jean-Eric Vergne has had a tricky start to his first season with Citroën Racing, with a best finish of 6th heading into Shanghai. Like di Grassi, the Frenchman opted for a dry setup, which worked to his advantage in the latter stages of the race and saw him sail through from the back of the grid and secure his spot on the podium.

Likewise, Eriksson has flown under the radar for much of his rookie season, quietly putting in points scoring results. The Swedish-born racer fought brilliantly from the back of the grid to secure a spectacular P3 on Sunday, marking his first-ever career Formula E podium.

The championship intensifies with four to go

With four races remaining in the 2025/26 season, the fight for all three titles is closer than ever.

Wehrlein and Evans are out at the front of the Drivers’ standings, with Wehrlein leading the Jaguar driver by just nine points. Not to be ruled out of contention, Nissan’s Oliver Rowland, Jaguar TCS Racing driver Antonio Felix da Costa and Andretti’s Jake Dennis will all be looking to score big points in Tokyo and take their spot at the lead of the championship.

In the Teams’ standings, Jaguar TCS Racing managed to protect their narrow lead (243 points to Porsche’s 237). In the fight for honours in the Manufacturers’ World Championship, the German manufacturer holds the bragging rights with 384 points to Jaguar's 334.