REPORT: Vandoorne times it right to win rain-hit Tokyo E-Prix Round 8

The Belgian led Maserati's first laps of the season on the way to the chequered flag, as he emerged from the PIT BOOST stops with more than 30 seconds in-hand on next-best Oliver Rowland in Nissan's home race. A first win in three years for Vandoorne, ending a 49-race drought going back as far as Monaco 2022 in his title-winning campaign.

The team's plan was to jump for that mandatory PIT BOOST stop early by burning through their usable energy quick-fast, hoping for a subsequent stoppage to the race - made more likely in tricky, soaking conditions at Big Sight. 

RESULTS: The 2025 Tokyo E-Prix Round 8

Duly, a Red Flag was flown with last year's Tokyo winner Maximilian Guenther suffering technical problems and his car requiring recovery, meaning Vandoorne's PIT BOOST stop effectively became a freebie with the rest of the field yet to blink and the pack reset with a standing restart.

Polesitter Rowland had the measure of the pack early on, on outright pace alone but Maserati MSG Racing's strategy ploy ultimately undid any hopes of the Brit reaching the top step of the podium.

Taylor Barnard pulled off a storming move around the outside of Turn 16 - where he suffered a heavy shunt in Free Practice 1. The NEOM McLaren driver rounded out the top three.

Monaco winner Sebastien Buemi (Envision Racing) came home fourth with a season-best result for Dan Ticktum (CUPRA KIRO) of fifth. Edo Mortara rounded out the top six with more strong points for a resurgent Mahindra Racing.

All that saw Rowland extend his Drivers' advantage to the widest margin in Formula E history at the half way point of a campaign - 60 points over Antonio Felix da Costa (TAG Heuer Porsche). Nissan head Porsche 144 points to 139 in the Teams' table and 225 points to 179 in the Manufacturers' standings.

We're back at the same time tomorrow in Tokyo for Round 9 of the 2024/25 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

As it happened...

The Safety Car led the pack away amid soggy conditions, after some 25mm of rain fell over the course of the morning in the lead up to lights out.

After four laps, the field formed up for a standing start and Rowland headed Mortara through the Turn 1 and 2 chicane, while Barnard aimed to get his car's nose up the inside of the Mahindra through the opening left-hander.

A few drivers - the highest-placed of which being Sebastien Buemi - jumped for the first of their mandatory 50kW four-wheel drive ATTACK MODE boosts. The extra traction firing him four seconds faster than the rest as he sliced from eighth to fourth in just a few turns.

Even with 4WD, the Envision still looked a handful - the Swiss narrowly keeping his car out of the wall before dispatching Barnard for third at Turn 1 on Lap 7. That same tour, he stole P2 from Mortara and set about leader Rowland.

Of the leaders, Mortara and Barnard were next in ATTACK - the Mahindra driver taking full advantage to pinch P2 back from Buemi but finding himself three seconds shy of leader Rowland when his initial 50kW boost ended. McLaren's Barnard did likewise, his boost propelling him to a storming move for a then-P4 around the outside of de Vries at the tricky Turn 16 where he shunted earlier in the weekend.

On Lap 10, Rowland found himself up on energy and three seconds clear out-front ahead of Mortarta, Buemi, Barnard, de Vries, Nato, Frijns, Vergne, Ticktum and Guenther.

Lap 13 saw Guenther's car go "red" and grind to a halt, demanding a Red Flag so it could be cleared safely.

The pack were led round by the Safety Car to a standing start on Lap 15, with Rowland firing off the line once again to lead the pack through Turn 1 - flying to a two-second advantage once again just a lap later before jumping to ATTACK number one as he aimed to build a buffer for his PIT BOOST stop as the windy conditions continued to help dry the circuit out.

Of the lead few, Barnard was first to move for PIT BOOST on Lap 18, with Vandoorne having gone first, pre-Red Flag - a godsend for the Belgian, with the time lost during that stop immediately wiped out with the enforced restart.

As the stops began to shake out, Barnard managed to jump Mortara for a net XXX while Vandoorne did indeed hit what would be the front ahead of Rowland, Barnard, Mortara and Buemi. Ticktum put in some strong laps, led the race briefly, and filtered into a net fifth spot come Lap 27.

At Turn 2 on Lap 28, Vandoorne ran wide before lighting the rear tyres up into a spin. With a 25-second lead over Rowland, though, it ultimately wouldn't matter.

From there, it was a waltz to the flag for the Maserati MSG Racing driver, with the scrap in-behind the Belgian. Buemi made use of ATTACK to dispatch Mortara for fourth on Lap 33 - the Mahindra lacking full power despite being in ATTACK himself.

SCHEDULE: Where, when and how to watch or stream the 2025 Tokyo E-Prix Rounds 8 and 9

After making its debut last season, Formula E returns to the streets of Tokyo. Last season was just the one event, now there's double the action across Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 May 2025 - make sure you don't miss a moment. 

View the full schedule in your time zone and check the broadcaster listings or tap the Ways to Watch button above to find out where to watch all the racing action where you live.

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