2026 Madrid E-Prix Race Report: Da Costa Makes It Back-To-Back In Formula E’s Madrid Debut

Formula E came to Madrid for the first time, and the Circuito del Madrid Jarama – RACE delivered exactly the race the occasion demanded. António Félix da Costa started third, pitted on lap 12, timed his ATTACK MODE late, and held off a charging Mitch Evans by 0.386 seconds to make it back-to-back wins for Jaguar TCS Racing. The top four cars were covered by less than one second at the flag. Pascal Wehrlein survived rear wing damage from an early collision to take third and keep his championship lead intact. Round 6 of Season 12 gave Formula E a debut to remember.

Key Points – 2026 Madrid E-Prix Race Report

• Da Costa wins from P3 on the grid, back-to-back victories for Jaguar TCS Racing in Season 12
• Evans charges from P16 to P2, 0.386 seconds from the win at the flag
• Wehrlein takes P3 despite rear wing damage from early contact with De Vries
• Ticktum P4 for CUPRA KIRO, top four covered by 0.985 seconds across 23 laps
• Cassidy takes pole and three bonus points, finishes P17
• Wehrlein leads the championship on 83 points, Mortara 72, Evans 65

PIT BOOST Back In Play

The previous race in Jeddah last time out had no PIT BOOST, just the two normal ATTACK MODE activations and whatever you had built. Madrid brought the PIT BOOST back. The mandatory fast-charging pit stop returns ten percent energy and reshapes the race around one committed moment in the pit lane. Time it right and you have the car, the track position and the chance to build from in the closing phase. Time it wrong and you give the race away. The question was always who would commit first, and whether they would commit to the right timing.

The early laps answered a different question first. Nyck de Vries, starting second on the front row alongside polesitter Nick Cassidy, made contact with Wehrlein early on. The Porsche’s rear wing was left damaged, touching the tyre. Wehrlein had no idea if the car would survive the full 23 laps. Further back, Pepe Martí had moved to the front of the order from twelfth on the grid, leading the race to the delight of the home crowd.

Da Costa’s Lap 12 Call

Da Costa was the first of the leading group into the pit lane on lap 12. First to use PIT BOOST, he built the race he needed from that point. He pushed through the following laps and then took ATTACK MODE late, timing the activation to match those around him as the pit stop sequence settled across the field.

That set up the sprint finish. With a handful of laps remaining, Ticktum’s CUPRA KIRO was in da Costa’s mirrors, fast and pushing hard on home soil for the Spanish manufacturer. On lap 21, Ticktum made a move stick around the outside of Wehrlein to go second. Evans followed through at the final chicane to go third, with Wehrlein dropping to fourth.

Evans then had Ticktum ahead of him. He dealt with that quickly, sliced past, and took the fight directly to his own teammate. Da Costa placed the Jaguar in all the right places and held on to the flag.

“Back-to-back wins, a 1-2 for the team – that doesn’t happen often,” da Costa said. “It’s kind of a home race for me – I have a lot of friends and family here – and it’s a bit of a dream day. I’m happy for Mitch – he must have done an amazing race. I’ve got to go back and watch that because he came from the back.”

Evans From The Back

Mitch Evans started sixteenth. He finished second. The margin to his teammate at the flag was 0.386 seconds.

The New Zealander played the long game throughout. He built an energy advantage in the mid-race phase, used that buffer through the pit window, and found himself in the fight in the closing laps when it mattered. He was surprised to be there. He made the most of it. He thought the win was his.

“I should have won the race, but I don’t want to take anything away from António, he drove a mega race,” Evans said. “I was playing the long game and I had a good energy advantage that got me in the fight during the pit window, especially towards the end. I was surprised to be in the mix.”

Wehrlein Holds On

Pascal Wehrlein started sixth. Within a handful of laps De Vries had hit the back of his car and left the rear wing touching the tyre. He managed that damage for the full 23 laps. In the final phase he accepted the win was gone, backed off slightly to protect energy, and waited. When the Ticktum and Evans moves played out on lap 21, he was there to take third.

“I wasn’t expecting to finish on the podium today but even better we did,” Wehrlein said. “Who knows what would have been possible without that contact. In the last couple of laps I just had to accept I was not in the fight for the win.”

De Vries was penalised and finished eighteenth. Wehrlein takes 15 points from a race he nearly didn’t finish. He leads by 11. That gap could have been significantly worse.

Mortara, CUPRA KIRO And The Rest

Edoardo Mortara finished fifth for Mahindra Racing. Genuine pace, but De Vries’ early incident removed one of their cars from contention. Mortara’s 10 points keep him second in the championship, 11 behind Wehrlein.

Dennis took sixth for Andretti. Buemi was classified seventh for Envision after a 1.9 second time penalty dropped him from sixth. Müller eighth for Porsche, claiming the fastest lap within the top 10 on lap 17 with a 1:34.287, which carries the bonus point. The overall fastest lap of the race went to De Vries with a 1:32.941 on lap 21, set after his penalty had already ended his afternoon. Martí recovered to ninth after leading early, a points finish the Spanish crowd acknowledged. Eriksson tenth for Envision.

Rowland finished sixteenth. No points from a race where he needed them. Cassidy started from pole, took three bonus points, and finished seventeenth. The gap to Wehrlein is now 32 points.

Away From The Track

Formula E’s Madrid debut drew a significant crowd to both the grandstands and the paddock. His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain attended the race. CUPRA KIRO team co-owner Sir Idris Elba took time away from filming the Luther sequel to be trackside. Rubens Barrichello attended alongside his son Eduardo, with Carlos Sainz Snr and Juan Pablo Montoya representing the sport’s racing history. Football brought Roberto Carlos, Thibaut Courtois and Dani Ceballos to the Circuito del Madrid Jarama – RACE.

Away from the circuit, Opel confirmed its entry into the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship for Season 13. Named the Opel GSE Formula E Team, the German manufacturer brings a long tradition in rallying, touring cars and endurance racing into the GEN4 era, joining the grid following DS Automobiles’ decision to exit the series, announced on the eve of the race.

Rookie Test – Sunday 22 March

The Rookie Test runs at Jarama tomorrow. Twenty drivers who watched today’s race from the sidelines now get their turn on a circuit that has one race’s worth of data behind it. That context didn’t exist this morning.

Final Classification – Madrid E-Prix 2026 Round 6

Standings Snapshot

Coffee Corner Take

Formula E’s first race in Madrid produced four cars covered by less than one second after 23 laps and 90 kilometres. That is the closest possible advertisement for what this series delivers.

Da Costa now has two wins in a row. He is 19 points off Wehrlein in the championship and closing. Jaguar are three points behind Porsche in the Teams’ standings and three in the Manufacturers’. Those gaps are as close as the field finished here. The question going into Berlin is whether Jaguar keep both drivers pointed in the same direction, because Evans believes he should have won today and he’s not wrong to think it. Da Costa placed his car perfectly and held on. That’s what champions do. The teammate argument will need managing before it becomes a bigger problem for a team with two drivers who want to win.

Wehrlein’s 15 points from a damaged car is quietly the most significant result of the day. A championship leader who can score a podium with a rear wing touching his tyre is not a driver who gives races away. Those points could make the difference at the end of the season. He leads by 11. Mortara is second and scoring consistently, keeping himself in the hunt. Da Costa and Evans are right behind them both. This championship is genuinely open and nobody has made a decisive move yet.

Cassidy started from pole and will be gutted with P17 and three points. His championship sits at 51, 32 behind Wehrlein. The speed is there in qualifying. He cannot convert it on race day at present. That pattern needs to stop in Berlin or his championship hopes will fade.

There is disappointment in a manufacturer leaving, but signing Opel for Season 13 is a huge coup for Formula E. The series keeps growing its manufacturer base going into the GEN4 era. Madrid showcased the sport’s close racing, unpredictable nature and growing fanbase. A double header in Berlin awaits next.