Formula E stages its first-ever night race on the streets of Japan this weekend, as Rounds 14 and 15 of the 2025/26 season bring the series to the Tokyo Street Circuit under lights for the first time. It arrives as the penultimate weekend of the year, with the championship picture freshly rewritten. Pascal Wehrlein took the Drivers’ lead from Mitch Evans in Shanghai and holds it by nine points heading into Tokyo, while Jaguar’s cushion over Porsche in the Teams’ fight has narrowed to six. Nissan return to their home country carrying Oliver Rowland’s imposing record at the venue: a win, two podiums and pole position in every Tokyo E-Prix he has started. The weekend also carries real sadness, with tributes planned for Citroën Racing Team Principal Cyril Blais, who has passed away.
Key Points: Tokyo E-Prix 2026 Preview
- Formula E’s first-ever night race in Japan: Rounds 14 and 15 at the Tokyo Street Circuit, Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 July
- Pascal Wehrlein arrives holding the Drivers’ Championship lead on 141 points, nine clear of Mitch Evans (132) after taking the lead from him in Shanghai
- Jaguar TCS Racing lead the Teams’ Championship on 243 points, six clear of Porsche (237) heading into the penultimate weekend of the season
- Saturday’s race includes the mandatory Pit Boost pit stop, Sunday reverts to the traditional format: two distinct strategic challenges across the double-header
- Oliver Rowland has one win and two podium finishes from three Tokyo races, and has started every Tokyo E-Prix from pole position
- Tributes planned across the weekend for Citroën Racing Team Principal Cyril Blais, including a minute’s silence on the grid ahead of Race 1
A Night Race Unlike Any Before
Formula E has raced in Tokyo for three consecutive years. It has never raced there after dark. That changes this weekend, with both rounds starting under lights for the first time on the streets of Japan. The 2.582km, 18-turn Tokyo Street Circuit surrounds the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition centre on the Tokyo Bay waterfront, combining long straights with tight technical sections and fast, flowing sequences into what is already regarded as one of the calendar’s most demanding anti-clockwise layouts. Under lights, with a compact circuit that punishes the smallest error, the technical challenge gains a variable nobody on the grid has faced here before.
The weekend also marks the final Asian outing for the GEN3 EVO car. Race distances are set at 36 laps (92.70km) for Race 1 and 33 laps (84.97km) for Race 2. Attack Mode allocations differ across the two days: Race 1 carries a single 360-second activation with a maximum of three armings and no time-split options, while Race 2 doubles that to two activations totalling 480 seconds, with armings up to five and time-split options of 2-6, 4-4 or 6-2 minutes. Hankook supply the ION Gen3.5 Evo tyre for the weekend, with three sets of new rubber allocated per race number, six front and six rear.
Saturday’s race carries the additional complication of Formula E’s mandatory Pit Boost stop, triggered within a state-of-charge window between 40 and 60 percent and requiring a minimum stop time of 34 seconds. Sunday’s race returns to the standard format with no mandatory Pit Boost stop. Two rounds, two different strategic puzzles, on a circuit that has rarely been forgiving of mistakes even in daylight.
The race is also part of a wider push by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Zero Emission Tokyo strategy, with HVO renewable fuel powering the event and a series of sustainability initiatives running alongside the on-track action, including FIA Girls on Track sessions and a Better Futures Fund donation to the Tokyo Council of Social Welfare.
A Tighter Fight at the Top
Four rounds remain on the calendar including this weekend, and only the London finale follows once Tokyo concludes. The top of the Drivers’ Championship already looks different to how it did a fortnight ago. Pascal Wehrlein took the lead from Mitch Evans in Shanghai and arrives in Tokyo on 141 points, nine clear of Evans on 132 after the Jaguar driver failed to finish Round 13. Oliver Rowland sits third on 114 points, having set the fastest lap in that same race, with António Félix da Costa fourth on 111 and Jake Dennis fifth on 109. Edoardo Mortara completes the top six on 103.
The Teams’ Championship is tighter still. Jaguar TCS Racing lead on 243 points, but Porsche have closed to within six on 237. Andretti sit third on 174, Mahindra fourth on 172, Envision Racing fifth on 130 and Nissan sixth on 125. Every point across this double-header carries added weight for both fights.
Nissan’s Home Record
Nissan Formula E Team return to their home country looking to put a difficult Shanghai double-header behind them, and they do so with history in their favour. Oliver Rowland has claimed one victory and two podium finishes from the three Tokyo races held to date, and has started every Tokyo E-Prix in the city from pole position, a record that sets him apart from anyone else on the grid at this venue.
“It’s always special coming back to Tokyo. Racing at Nissan’s home event is something we all look forward to, and the atmosphere around the circuit is fantastic. I’ve always enjoyed driving this track and it’ll be interesting to see how it changes under the lights for the first night race here. It’s another important weekend with plenty to fight for, so hopefully we can put everything together and deliver a strong result in front of our home fans.”
Oliver Rowland, Nissan Formula E Team
Rowland arrives third in the standings, six podium finishes and a single win to his name this season. As reigning Drivers’ World Champion, he’s still in contention to defend the title. Tokyo arrives at exactly the point in the season where Nissan need it most, with Rowland having started every race here from pole and never finished outside the podium places.
Around the Grid
DS Automobiles and PENSKE AUTOSPORT arrive at their third consecutive Tokyo weekend with Maximilian Günther and Taylor Barnard sharing the DS E-TENSE FE25 cars. Günther is a Season 10 race winner in Japan, while Barnard finished third in the first race of last year’s Japanese weekend, giving the pairing a genuine Tokyo track record of their own to defend this weekend.
Lola Yamaha ABT arrive off the back of a landmark result. Lucas di Grassi took the team’s first-ever Formula E victory in China, a result he says also makes Lola winners in every category of international open-wheel racing. That win falls just before what di Grassi has already flagged as a race with extra significance for the team.
“Achieving the first ever victory for Lola was a truly special moment in my career and of course a massive boost for the team who have been working so hard over the past two seasons. The first time I raced in China with Formula E I won, and therefore to get my second podium and first victory for Lola at my last race in China was the perfect way to close this chapter. The fact this win means Lola has now won in every category of international open-wheel racing is even more special. It’s also great to have this result just before heading to Yamaha’s home race in Tokyo. We showed good pace in Japan last year, scoring 10 points in the second race and we hope to repeat, or even better, that performance this weekend.”
Lucas di Grassi, Lola Yamaha ABT Formula E Team
In Memory of Cyril Blais
Monaco Sports Group, Citroën Racing, Stellantis Motorsport, Formula E and the FIA confirmed on Monday 20 July the passing of Citroën Racing Team Principal Cyril Blais. Tributes will be held across the Tokyo weekend, with a minute’s silence on the grid ahead of Race 1 on Saturday.
“We are all so saddened to lose Cyril. Many of the team have known and worked with him for several years. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and colleagues throughout the paddock. Cyril believed so much in this team and we will respect his family’s wishes to honour him in the best way we can, by continuing to race in his memory with the exact dedication and passion he instilled in all of us.”
Beth Paretta, Managing Director, Citroën Racing Formula E Team
“We are heartbroken by the loss of our colleague and friend, Cyril, and our heartfelt thoughts and condolences are with his family, loved ones and all those who knew him. Cyril’s passing is a devastating loss for his family, for MSG, Citroën Racing, and for our entire Formula E community. To honour his immense contribution to the sport, the Citroën Racing Formula E Team and the wider Formula E community will pay tribute to Cyril’s memory and incredible legacy during this weekend’s Tokyo E-Prix.”
Jeff Dodds, CEO, Formula E
No further comments have been shared, out of respect for the family’s privacy and wishes.
Session Timings: Tokyo E-Prix 2026
Tokyo, Japan (JST)
United Kingdom (BST)
Central Europe (CEST)
United States (Eastern)
Note
All times listed are local to the region shown. Tokyo operates on JST (UTC+9). UK is BST (UTC+1). Central Europe is CEST (UTC+2). US Eastern is EDT (UTC-4). Times shown exclude media-only press conference sessions. Live on talkSPORT in the UK. Full global broadcast listings via Formula E’s official Ways to Watch platform.
Coffee Corner Take
A first night race is the kind of thing a series only gets to do once. Formula E has waited three years in Japan to find out what Tokyo Big Sight looks like under lights on a street circuit already built to punish the smallest mistake. Nobody knows what that combination does until the lights come on Saturday.
Layer the championship on top of it and the stakes sharpen further. Wehrlein’s nine-point lead traces to one weekend: a win in Shanghai while Evans failed to finish Round 13. That’s the whole swing. Now he has to defend it somewhere nobody in this championship has raced after dark.
Rowland has the strongest known baseline in the field, even if the night format is new to him too. Pole every time he’s started here. A win and two podiums from three races. If there’s a driver walking into Tokyo with genuine reason to expect a good weekend, it’s him, on home soil, at the one venue that has never let him down.
Six points separate Jaguar and Porsche in the Teams’ fight. Nine separate Wehrlein and Evans at the top. Only the London finale remains after this one. Tokyo doesn’t just introduce Formula E to night racing in Japan. It’s the last weekend before whatever remains of both title fights is settled in London.
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