Did the Jakarta E-Prix live up to the FE season thus far? Well, FE FP2 at the 2025 Jakarta E-Prix threw a curveball at the grid. After a relatively normal FP1 session, the skies opened for FP2 to make for another memorable wet session. It wasn’t Shanghai, but it proved difficult for drivers nonetheless. Jake Hughes was able to capitalize on the evolving and drying track to time his late flying lap to claim P1.
A Slippery Start
The session began with a damp surface and scattered spray across the street circuit, making it difficult for drivers to find rhythm. Drivers’ times changed with the forecast, with lap times moving around during the early part of the session. Pascal Wehrlein led the field with a 1:15.097 with around 24 minutes to go. But even at the front, it was clear that grip was scarce. Drivers across the grid were dealing with rear-end sliding and understeer into tight corners.
Mortara, Vandoorne, De Vries, and Rowland followed close behind as the top five with 20 minutes left. It appeared that teams hesitated to commit fully to any one setup. Many drivers spent quite a bit of time in the pits during the session. Vergne, in particular, was struggling visibly, though he eventually clawed his way to P9 with about 11 minutes remaining.
Jaguar’s Rough Morning
It was a tale of two very different sessions for Jaguar TCS Racing. Mitch Evans managed only P13 with a 1:15.697, while teammate Nick Cassidy suffered more. Cassidy completed very few meaningful laps and wound up P22, nearly four seconds off the top. According to team members, front-right suspension issues curtailed his running. Will that be resolved before qualifying?
Hughes Strikes Late
Jake Hughes gradually built pace throughout the session, moving to P4 with 18 minutes remaining before launching himself to the top with a 1:13.673. It was a strong lap in tricky conditions and one that would go unbeaten through to the checkered flag. McLaren’s rookie Taylor Barnard also made headlines by climbing to P3 in the final minutes. A stellar performance from the young Brit rookie.
Edoardo Mortara and Stoffel Vandoorne rounded out the Top Five, with Mahindra and Maserati both looking more competitive than expected in the wet. De Vries, Oliver Rowland, Robin Frijns, Jean-Eric Vergne, and Jake Dennis completed the Top 10 for the FE 2025 Jakarta E-Prix FP2 session.
Qualifying to Come
Only three drivers were in the garage during the closing laps, a clear indicator that every team wanted every bit of wet running they could get. With the forecast pointing to similar conditions for qualifying, FP2 may end up being the most valuable 60 minutes of the day.
Hughes and Maserati look dialed in, while Jaguar, DS Penske, and Andretti have work to do. If the rain sticks around, don’t be surprised to see more surprises on the timesheets later today.
*
The FE 2025 Jakarta E-Prix continues at 10:20 a.m. local time for the Qualifying session.
Feature Image Credit: Formula E Media Centre
Get 10% off all official F1 Merch at TheRaceWorks.com using code ‘EF1‘ at checkout.