London ePrix 2025: Presentation and stakes of the last ePrix of the season

Thanks to his twelve points scored during the second race of the Berlin weekend two weeks ago, combined with Pascal Wehrlein’s underperformance, Oliver Rowland became the Formula E world champion for the first time in his career. In front of his home crowd, the British driver will want to celebrate his successes while others will fight for the places of honor.

London, capital and distributor of titles

In addition to housing the official residence of the British royal family and some of the world’s most iconic landmarks, London has already had the honor of awarding four out of the ten titles in the history of Formula E.

Present on the calendar since season 1 in 2015, the British capital has always featured double-header races. During the inaugural season of the electric single-seater championship, despite the victories of Sébastien Buemi and Sam Bird, it was Nelson Piquet Jr who was crowned champion.

The following year, Nicolas Prost became the first driver in Formula E history to win two races in the same weekend, and it was Buemi who was crowned champion. London was then absent from the calendar for several seasons before returning in 2021 at the ExCeL London circuit, with the first two editions of the ePrix having been held at Battersea Park.

In 2021 and 2022, the two races are placed in the penultimate position on the calendar. Jake Dennis wins there once each year, while Alex Lynn and Lucas di Grassi win the other two races on the program.

In 2023, London regains its place as the final, and it is Jake Dennis who is crowned champion. The two races go to current Jaguar drivers Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy, during an edition where the rain disrupted both drivers and organizers.

Finally, the 2024 edition was the stage for the crowning of Pascal Wehrlein, the winner of the first race. Serving as a link to the current season, it was Oliver Rowland who triumphed in the second race of the weekend.

The shortest circuit on the calendar

The layout of the London ePrix has the particularity of being composed of an indoor section and an outdoor section that winds in and around the ExCel exhibition center located in the east of the British capital.

With its 20 turns and 2.09 kilometers length, the circuit is the shortest on the calendar and leaves little room, if any, for errors. Overtaking is difficult there, and qualifying is more important than elsewhere.

The first part of the lap consists of tight corners before the chicane at 6 and 7, which opens onto a faster section. This runs from turn 8 to turn 16, starting with turn 9, a 90° right-hander that leads onto the longest straight on the circuit, including the start/finish line.

Two chicanes follow before a right-hand curve leading to the braking at turn 16 where the drivers encounter the artificial light of the ExCel exhibition hall. The lap concludes with two tight turns after a lap where breathing moments are rare for the drivers.

A drivers’ title already awarded, suspense among the teams

Two weeks ago in Berlin, Oliver Rowland became the 10th world champion in the history of Formula E. Thanks to remarkable consistency, especially at the beginning of the season, highlighted by four wins in nine races, the Nissan driver dominated the season from start to finish.

Already in the fight for the title last season, Rowland finally achieved the ultimate prize after eight seasons in FE. However, the work is not yet finished. To make the celebration complete, the Briton will be Nissan’s main asset to secure the team title.

With 23 points behind Porsche, the Japanese manufacturer can become champion provided that its two drivers finish ahead of those from the German team. Fresh from his recent victory at the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo, Norman Nato will be back behind the wheel of his Nissan e-4ORCE 05 filled with confidence.

Third, DS Penske can also vie for the title if circumstances play in its favor. The Franco-American team will mainly have to watch out for Jaguar, six points behind. With its two victories in Berlin, the English team has turned the corner on a difficult season just like its driver Nick Cassidy, winner of two of the last four races.

The New Zealander can now actually aim for the runner-up position behind Rowland among the drivers. With Wehrlein, Taylor Barnard, Antonio Felix da Costa, and therefore Cassidy being within less than 25 points, the reigning champion cannot afford any mistakes if he wishes to become vice-champion.

The start of the two races of the London ePrix will be given on Saturday, July 26 at 6 PM and Sunday, July 27 at 6 PM (French time).