With the best lap time of the weekend, Edoardo Mortara secured pole position once again in Jeddah. From 20:00 local time, the Swiss driver will have another opportunity to fight for victory.
Mortara claimed his fifth career Julius Baer Pole Position and his second consecutive start from the front at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, confirming the strong momentum he has built with Mahindra Racing. After starting from pole and finishing on the podium in yesterday’s race, the Swiss-Italian once again set the benchmark in qualifying for the second race of the double header.
Lining up alongside him on the front row will be Jake Dennis, who delivered a clear turnaround in form and took Andretti into the Duels for the first time in Jeddah. The second row will be shared by António Félix da Costa for Jaguar TCS Racing and Oliver Rowland for Nissan, both showing improved pace compared to earlier sessions.
Completing the top five, Jean-Éric Vergne once again demonstrated solid consistency, while Maximilian Günther extended DS PENSKE’s strong run in Jeddah, reaching the Duels in every qualifying session held at the venue so far.
Among the major names eliminated early were championship leader Pascal Wehrlein for Porsche, who will start 11th, and Miami race winner Mitch Evans, only 13th on the grid.
How qualifying unfolded
The group phase took place under conditions very similar to those seen in Round 4, with sessions scheduled at mirrored times to the previous day. As a result, track temperature and grip levels remained broadly comparable.
In Group A, Mortara once again set the pace, topping the session at the chequered flag. Günther followed closely in second, continuing his strong adaptation to the circuit, while Rowland improved on his Friday performance to secure a place in the Duels. Vergne claimed the final transfer spot.
Despite showing competitive pace, Dan Ticktum narrowly missed out in fifth, just 0.020s shy of progression. Wehrlein and Evans were also eliminated at this early stage, underlining the intensity of competition in Jeddah qualifying.
Group B saw Félix da Costa go quickest, edging out Dennis. Both advanced alongside Sébastien Buemi in third and Nick Cassidy, who secured the final Duels position. Zane Maloney recorded his strongest qualifying of the season in fifth, while Nyck de Vries finished ninth and will face penalties after overnight changes to his car.
Duels
The first quarter-final pitted Rowland against Günther. Despite Günther’s impressive record of reaching the Duels in every Jeddah E-Prix so far, it was the reigning champion who prevailed, claiming his first Duel victory of the season.
Next up, Mortara faced Vergne. Setting the fastest lap of the entire weekend, the Mahindra driver opened a gap of around four tenths to comfortably advance, reinforcing his status as one of the most effective qualifiers this year.
The third Duel featured Dennis and Buemi. Maintaining a perfect head-to-head record against the Swiss driver, Dennis was once again superior, opening a three-tenth margin to progress.
In the final quarter-final, Cassidy initially held the advantage but made a costly error, allowing Félix da Costa to turn the tables and advance with a clear margin. The Portuguese driver remains the only competitor to have started every race this season from the top ten.
Semi-finals
Rowland vs Mortara
Mortara was first out on track and, mirroring his performance from the day before, delivered another clean and controlled lap. The Mahindra looked particularly composed over the kerbs, and Mortara secured his place in the final, leaving Rowland to start from the second row.
Dennis vs Félix da Costa
In the second semi-final, Dennis immediately set the tone and built an early advantage. Extending his unbeaten run in semi-final Duels since the opening race of last season, the Andretti driver defeated Félix da Costa to book a spot on the front row.
Final Duel
The final saw Dennis and Mortara go head to head. After a difficult start to the Jeddah weekend, Dennis arrived in the showdown with Andretti’s strongest performance so far. Mortara, meanwhile, was focused on converting another pole into a genuine victory opportunity.
With a clear understanding of the circuit and full confidence in his package, Mortara repeated Saturday’s achievement to secure a second consecutive pole position. After struggling with wheelspin off the line in yesterday’s race, the Swiss driver will be aiming to turn track position into a winning result this time around.
Race preparation
According to Félix da Costa, the race taking place just hours after qualifying is expected to have a different profile from Saturday’s event. Without the PIT BOOST, acceleration phases and energy management will play a greater role.
“Today’s race should be slower in terms of acceleration and more focused on energy saving. Yesterday we consumed a lot of energy early on because of the safety car in the opening laps. Performance levels are likely to be quite different,” he explained, pointing to a more strategic and nuanced contest in the second race of the Jeddah double header.
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