Formula E delivered a strategic double-header in Saudi Arabia as Rounds 4 and 5 of the 2025/26 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship produced two contrasting but equally tactical races, with Pascal Wehrlein and António Félix da Costa emerging as the weekend’s winners in Jeddah.
Round 4: Wehrlein Executes Perfect Strategy in Landmark 100th E-Prix
Pascal Wehrlein marked his 100th Formula E start with a measured and strategically precise victory for Porsche, converting a third-place grid slot into a win through perfectly timed deployment of pit boost and attack mode.
Choosing to activate the 50kW all-wheel-drive attack mode later than his immediate rivals, the Season 10 World Champion created an overlap that allowed him to build an advantage of around eight seconds in the closing stages. From there, Wehrlein controlled the pace to the finish.
Pole-sitter Edoardo Mortara endured a difficult launch, dropping to fifth by the end of Lap 1 after wheelspin off the line, but the Mahindra driver recovered strongly with a late attack mode charge to claim second place. Jaguar’s Mitch Evans followed a similarly aggressive late-race strategy, carving through the field to secure third and a second consecutive podium.
Nico Mueller finished fourth for Porsche, ahead of António Félix da Costa and Nick Cassidy, the latter climbing from 13th on the grid in one of the race’s standout recovery drives.
Round 5: Da Costa Converts Strategy Into First Jaguar Victory
Twenty-four hours later, António Félix da Costa turned the tables, delivering his first victory with Jaguar TCS Racing in a race defined by energy management and timing of attack mode activations.
Da Costa was the first among the frontrunners to commit to both mandatory boosts, using clean air during the second activation phase to establish a margin he managed to maintain to the chequered flag, winning by 2.5 seconds. The result marked Jaguar’s sixth victory in nine races and Da Costa’s first since Portland in 2024.
Sébastien Buemi secured second place after cycling through the lead during the race’s energy-critical phases, while reigning champion Oliver Rowland completed the podium following an early spell at the front.
Mortara once again showed strong pace but had to settle for fourth despite securing consecutive pole positions across the weekend. Dan Ticktum edged teammate Pepe Martí for fifth in a late-race battle, while Evans added seventh place points. Wehrlein, unable to repeat his Round 4 form, finished eighth ahead of Jean-Éric Vergne and Taylor Barnard.
Championship Picture After Jeddah
The Jeddah double-header tightened the championship narrative. Wehrlein now leads the Drivers’ standings on 68 points, holding a six-point advantage over Mortara, with Rowland third on 49.
In the Teams’ Championship, Porsche leads with 113 points to Jaguar’s 86, while Porsche also heads the Manufacturers’ table 143 to 124, underlining the importance of consistency as the season develops.
Formula E’s Next Stop: Madrid
Formula E now turns its attention to Europe, with the championship resuming in Madrid on 21 March for Round 6, where the balance between outright pace, energy efficiency and race strategy is set to remain decisive in shaping the 2025/26 title fight.
