ePrix de Shanghai – Race 1: DS Team Penske wins twice, Max Günther ahead of Jean-Eric Vergne
At the end of a strategic race and a final lap of rare intensity, the two drivers of the Franco-American team secured a one-two finish that puts them back in the championship.
The engineers at Stellantis Motorsport can be proud. After a Maserati victory two weeks ago in Tokyo, this time the two DS Penske cars climbed to the top two steps of the podium during the first race of the ePrix weekend in Shanghai.
Starting from pole, Maximilian Günther relinquishes first place to his pursuer Taylor Barnard. The two men are quickly joined by championship leader Oliver Rowland, who started from the sixth position on the grid. Several single-seaters then exchange the race lead, including Stoffel Vandoorne, the first driver to trigger an Attack Mode.
In this fourth race of the season with a mandatory Pit Boost, the pit window was set to open on the 13th of the 29 laps scheduled for this first race of the weekend. That’s when Günther’s strategy came into play. Deciding to delay the activation of his second Attack Mode as much as possible, the German driver used his power surplus to regain the lead and hold onto it, crossing the finish line seven seconds ahead of his teammate.
Because it is indeed Jean-Eric Vergne who finishes second. Sixth at the start of the last lap, the French driver climbs back up on his competitors until the last chicane where he performs an epic double overtake on Barnard and Dan Ticktum.
DS Penske achieves the first double victory in its history, allowing Günther and Vergne to move up to 5th and 6th places in the drivers’ championship. The team, whose cars are developed in Satory in the Paris region, finds itself in third place.
The second race of the weekend will take place Sunday at 9 a.m. (French time).
Shanghai ePrix 2025 Ranking – Race 1
| Driver | Team | Times | Gap | Laps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maximilian Günther #7 | DS PENSKE | 1:11.773 | – | 29 |
| 2 | Jean-éric Vergne #25 | DS PENSKE | 1:12.130 | +7.016 | 29 |
| 3 | Taylor Barnard #5 | NEOM McLaren Formula E Team | 1:11.363 | +7.488 | 29 |
| 4 | Dan Ticktum #33 | Cupra Kiro | 1:12.288 | +7.866 | 29 |
| 5 | Oliver Rowland #23 | Nissan Formula E Team | 1:11.817 | +8.140 | 29 |
| 6 | Norman Nato #17 | Nissan Formula E Team | 1:12.071 | +8.242 | 29 |
| 7 | Sam Bird #8 | NEOM McLaren Formula E Team | 1:11.814 | +8.458 | 29 |
| 8 | Nyck de Vries #21 | MAHINDRA RACING | 1:12.641 | +8.875 | 29 |
| 9 | Sébastien Buemi #16 | Envision Racing | 1:11.626 | +9.369 | 29 |
| 10 | Robin Frijns #4 | Envision Racing | 1:11.883 | +9.677 | 29 |
| 11 | Stoffel Vandoorne #2 | Maserati MSG Racing | 1:11.878 | +10.972 | 29 |
| 12 | Pascal Wehrlein #1 | TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team | 1:11.699 | +11.326 | 29 |
| 13 | António Félix Da Costa #13 | TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team | 1:11.791 | +11.873 | 29 |
| 14 | David Beckmann #3 | Cupra Kiro | 1:11.809 | +12.123 | 29 |
| 15 | Nico Müller #51 | Andretti Formula E | 1:11.845 | +13.343 | 29 |
| 16 | Jake Hughes #55 | Maserati MSG Racing | 1:11.412 | +13.695 | 29 |
| 17 | Jake Dennis #27 | Andretti Formula E | 1:12.023 | +13.810 | 29 |
| 18 | Lucas Di Grassi #11 | LOLA YAMAHA ABT Formula E Team | 1:11.514 | +16.559 | 29 |
| 19 | Zane Maloney #22 | LOLA YAMAHA ABT Formula E Team | 1:11.149 | +19.327 | 29 |
| 20 | Mitch Evans #9 | Jaguar TCS Racing | 1:11.142 | +43.437 | 29 |
| 21 | Nick Cassidy #37 | Jaguar TCS Racing | 1:10.564 | +50.858 | 29 |
| 22 | Edoardo Mortara #48 | MAHINDRA RACING | 1:12.913 | DNF | 24 |
