Feature by Katy Fairman
As far as motorsport season-openers go, the 2025 Google Cloud São Paulo E-Prix was pretty special. Won by Jake Dennis and Andretti, after almost two years of no victory, the race brought strategy, drama and a huge crash for rookie Pepe Martí which thankfully he safely walked away from.
São Paulo never disappoints
This is the fourth running of the São Paulo E-Prix, and every race has been filled with excitement and entertainment. 2025 and Season 12 was no exception, with Andretti’s Jake Dennis making history as the first person to win the race from the front of the grid.
JOIN US: Buy your tickets for Formula E in Season 12
The race saw over 200 overtakes, so many race leaders, the field split by just a second and another scary but safe crash which is a testament to the safety of these GEN3 Evo machines. It was another nail-biter event, with race-defining moments wherever you looked.
Dennis’ return to the top spot
The Anhembi Sambadrome Circuit is famous for its long straights and heavy braking zones, which encourages lots of slipstream to conserve energy. However, Dennis balanced this well, leading off the pack after inheriting the first-place grid slot, after a three-place grid drop for Pascal Wehrlein (Porsche) after being found guilty of wheelspinning in the pit lane.
He moved position around, dropping back but leaving his final ATTACK MODE until later in the race and looked set for the victory until the race was stopped with a Red Flag. Thankfully, he was able to keep back his competition for a well-earned victory – his first since Jeddah in Season 10.
Citroën Racing podium on debut
It was a super start for Citroën Racing on their Formula E debut, with driver Nick Cassidy climbing from 15th on the grid to third place. The iconic French manufacturer is using Formula E as their first championship to compete in single-seater racing, and have instantly been rewarded with 15 points in Brazil.
How Citroën Racing are making history in the Formula E World Championship
Nick Cassidy continued his strong run of form, after three consecutive wins at the end of last season for Jaguar TCS Racing, Now making the switch to Citroën, his performance is all the more impressive considering he’s now racing with a whole new Stellantis powertrain.
Porsche powertrains look strong
In addition to Jake Dennis’ win, there were also another two Porsches in the top five with Pascal Wehrlein finishing in fourth and his new teammate Nico Müller fifth for the works’ team. There would have been four Porsches in the top six, but a post-race penalty for Felipe Drugovich for speeding under Full Course Yellow meant he was given a five-second time penalty and demoted to 12th. He will also need to serve a three-place grid drop in Mexico City for overtaking under the same conditions.
Wehrlein also picked up the Julius Baer Pole Position and three championship points in qualifying, but also needed to serve a three-place penalty. Dan Ticktum of CUPRA KIRO – a customer team of Porsche – was also looking rapid, starting alongside Dennis on the front row before his race completely unraveled with a puncture followed by two drive-through penalties for working on the car in unsafe conditions and then wheelspinning in the pitane – a new sporting rule for Season 12.
HISTORY: Who are all the Formula E champions from Seasons 1 to 11?
Safety in the sport continues to impress
Much like Pascal Wehrlein’s crash here last season, São Paulo was also host to another enormous crash but this time for Formula E rookie Pepe Martí. The former Formula 2 driver made the transition to the all-electric championship for this season, and was running in eighth before the scary shunt.
Misjudging the call for the Full Course Yellow, Martí launched over the top of Antonio Felix da Costa’s Jaguar and Nico Müller for Porsche, before flying through the air and barrel-rolling across the tarmac. As a result, Martí has been handed a penalty that will see him start next month’s Mexico City E-Prix from the back of the grid for his part in the collision after “arriving at the scene too quickly and was unable to react in time to prevent an impact”.
SCHEDULE: Where, when and how to watch or stream the 2025 Mexico City E-Prix, Round 2
After an action-packed first race of Season 12, it’s not long to wait until we return to one of our favourite races: Mexico City. The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez has been a staple on the calendar since Season 2, and will be returning to your screens for race day on 10 January 2026.
Find out more
UNMISSABLE: Watch the brand-new season of 'Driver' on Amazon Prime
CALENDAR: Here's every race set for the 2025/26 Formula E season
FOLLOW: Download the Formula E App on iOS or Android
TICKETS: Secure your grandstand seats and buy Formula E race tickets
HIGHLIGHTS: Catch up with every race from Formula E IN FULL
HOSPITALITY: Experience Formula E and world-class motorsport as a VIP