Pascal Wehrlein Wins Second Formula E Title in Chaotic London Finale

LONDON —

Pascal Wehrlein won his second Formula E Drivers' World Championship on Sunday, surviving a chaotic season finale in London that saw the title lead change hands several times before the checkered flag, according to FIA, the sport's governing body.

Wehrlein, who drives for Porsche, spent much of the race defending his points lead against Jaguar TCS Racing's Mitch Evans and Andretti's Jake Dennis, FIA said in its account of the race. On Lap 27, Wehrlein's team told him to let a faster Sébastien Buemi of Envision Racing pass, and a separate move by da Costa let Dennis overtake for eighth place, briefly putting Dennis atop the virtual championship standings as Wehrlein slipped to 12th, according to FIA.

The race turned again four laps later. Contact between Wehrlein and Envision Racing's Joel Eriksson at Turn 16 pushed Wehrlein further back in the field, but the same incident caused damage to Dennis's car that ended his championship bid, FIA said. Evans, who needed a win to take the title, finished fourth after Barnard and the two Mahindra cars built a gap at the front that he could not close, according to FIA.

A Teenager Makes History

The race itself went to Taylor Barnard, who drove for DS Penske. Barnard timed a late Attack Mode activation to pass Edoardo Mortara for second, then overtook Nyck de Vries into the final corner with two laps left, FIA said. At 22 years and 76 days old, Barnard became the youngest race winner in Formula E history, according to FIA, and the win came in what FIA said was DS Automobiles' final race in the series.

"That's the first time I've cried for a long time," Barnard said, according to FIA. "To be the youngest race winner feels amazing and to do it in front of the home crowd, it feels unbelievable."

Wehrlein, who said his family could not attend the race, credited his team with performing under pressure. "You don't crack under the pressure," he said, according to FIA. "We love the pressure, we embrace it, and we get even better with pressure."

Teams' Title Goes to Jaguar

Evans's fourth-place finish was enough to secure the Teams' World Championship for Jaguar TCS Racing, FIA said, even though the driver missed out on the individual title. Porsche had already clinched the Manufacturers' World Championship earlier in the season in Tokyo, according to FIA.

Sunday's race marked the final competitive outing for Formula E's current generation of cars, known as GEN3, FIA said. The series' next generation of car, GEN4, is scheduled to begin pre-season testing in Madrid in November ahead of its debut in the 2026/27 championship season, with FIA saying the new car will produce 600 kilowatts of power, more than 815 horsepower, along with all-wheel drive throughout the race.