Formula E’s return to Sanya was always going to be eventful. A street circuit on a tropical island, a packed championship fight, and a seven-year absence from the venue since Season 5 in 2019 — the conditions were ripe for drama. The race delivered chaos beyond most expectations.

From the front of the grid, Jake Dennis and Felipe Drugovich — both driving Porsche-powered Andretti Formula E machines — formed an all-Andretti front row for the first time in the team’s history. Dennis converted his pole position cleanly, while the race itself unfolded in a series of frantic lead changes throughout the pack as drivers managed energy, Attack Mode activations, and pit boost windows.

The race was red-flagged on lap 19 after a pile-up involving championship leader Mitch Evans, Ticktum, both Jaguars and Zane Maloney. Evans sustained rear-wing damage that ultimately ended his afternoon. When racing resumed, the incident-hit field had to be carefully sorted by officials. Furthermore, Oliver Rowland — Evans’ closest championship rival — crashed out in the final stages while battling for a potential podium finish, leaving Rowland also without a point from Sanya.

Dennis held on through the chaos to cross the line first, with Drugovich second — but the Andretti 1-2 didn’t survive the post-race scrutiny. Drugovich received a five-second penalty for causing a collision with Wehrlein, dropping him from second to fifth. Therefore, the final podium was Dennis first, Pepe Martí second (after his own five-second penalty was rescinded), and Nyck de Vries third. António Félix da Costa rose to fourth, Maximilian Günther fifth.

Sanya produced a race report that reads more like a stewards’ bulletin than a normal results table. Consequently, understanding what actually happened across 39 laps requires working through several distinct incidents, each of which changed the outcome in a different way.

Lap 19 — The Red Flag Incident

Dan Ticktum rear-ended championship leader Mitch Evans in a high-speed section of the Sanya circuit, causing severe rear-wing damage to the Jaguar. The collision triggered a chain reaction that ultimately brought in both Jaguars, Ticktum’s Cupra Kiro and Zane Maloney, forcing race officials to red-flag proceedings while the debris was cleared. Evans spent multiple laps attempting to nurse the car but was eventually classified 17th.

Lap 25 — Mortara’s Retirement

Edoardo Mortara had been running in a strong position before a mechanical issue forced his Mahindra Racing car to stop in the run-off area on lap 25. However, Mortara was already carrying front-wing damage from an earlier collision with Oliver Rowland. The retirement dropped Mortara to third in the championship — though the gap to Evans tightened to just 25 points.

Late Race — Rowland Crashes Out

Oliver Rowland, who had been battling his way through the field after starting from further back, crashed in the closing stages while fighting for a podium position. The Nissan Formula E Team driver lost control and made contact with the Tecpro barriers, ending his race immediately. Moreover, Nato — Rowland’s Nissan teammate — was also tagged into the wall by Wehrlein earlier in the race, making it a disastrous afternoon for the Japanese manufacturer.

Post-Race — The Penalty Shuffle

What initially looked like an Andretti 1-2 became significantly more complicated in the stewards’ room. Drugovich received a five-second penalty for his collision with Wehrlein, dropping from second to fifth. Meanwhile, Martí’s own five-second penalty was rescinded on appeal, confirming him in second. Nyck de Vries, who had won in Monaco earlier this season, was elevated to third — a result that gave Mahindra Racing their first Sanya podium. For context on how racing championships handle penalties and standings, our scoring guide covers the process in detail.

Jake Dennis — The Measured Champion

Dennis was faultless from pole to flag. He managed energy carefully across a lap that demands extraordinary precision, survived the red-flag restart, and responded every time a rival moved to challenge him. His Sanya victory — his first E-Prix win of the Season 12 campaign — is the statement result his championship push needed. Furthermore, he now sits 34 points behind Evans with six races remaining. If Evans hits further reliability problems, Dennis is perfectly positioned to capitalise. For those unfamiliar with how Formula E qualifying works, our guide on how racing drivers qualify explains the group format that Dennis navigated so effectively.

Pepe Martí — The Rising Rookie

Starting 18th on the grid and finishing second after penalties were sorted is a performance that announces a driver’s arrival at the top level. Martí’s Cupra Kiro charge through the field in Sanya was the individual drive of the weekend. Moreover, the Porsche-powered car’s pace throughout gives Cupra Kiro genuine optimism heading into the remaining rounds. His ascent from P18 mirrors some of the most dramatic drives in Formula E’s history — a series where Attack Mode timing and energy management can transform results more radically than any other racing series.

Mitch Evans — Luck Runs Out (Briefly)

Evans had looked increasingly comfortable in the championship seat heading into Sanya. His Jaguar TCS Racing machinery had been consistently fast, and the 19-point buffer over Rowland felt manageable if not comfortable. However, Sanya showed the fragility of any lead when the car in front of you on the grid suddenly stops. Evans had no say in the incident that ended his afternoon — but the championship now has a very different texture heading into Shanghai. Meanwhile, his team’s lead in the Teams’ Championship actually extended, thanks to Da Costa’s fourth place.

António Félix da Costa — The Quiet Threat

Da Costa’s fourth place was the kind of result that doesn’t grab headlines but shifts championships. He now sits 36 points behind Evans — close enough that a double-header victory in Shanghai could genuinely change the title picture. The Portuguese driver won back-to-back races earlier in Season 12, showing he has the pace and the racecraft to compete at the very front of the field when the car allows it. As the final season of the Gen3 Evo era, every point carries extra weight before the Gen4 regulations arrive.

The championship picture after Sanya is simultaneously unchanged and more dramatic than before. Evans still leads. The gap to Rowland is still 19 points. However, what changed is the sense of inevitability. Three of the top four drivers failed to score at Sanya, and three rounds remain in the Asian leg — including a double-header at Shanghai — before the series heads back to Europe for the final sprint to London.

With six rounds remaining — including the crucial Shanghai double-header at Rounds 12 and 13 — the maximum available points is 186 (assuming six wins plus six fastest-lap bonus points). Therefore, every driver from Rowland down to Da Costa mathematically retains a championship chance. However, the reality is that the top four are separated by just 27 points, and a single dominant double-header could rewrite the table entirely.

For the full Formula E 2026 schedule and remaining race dates, see our comprehensive Formula E schedule guide. For background on what makes Formula E different from traditional motorsport, our explainers on is Formula E faster than Formula 1 and is Formula E a respected race category give useful context.

Sanya sits on the southern tip of Hainan Island in China, often called China’s Hawaii for its tropical climate and resort beaches. The Formula E street circuit weaves through the city’s bay-front area, with the South China Sea serving as a backdrop to sections of the track. The circuit returned to the 2025–26 calendar for the first time since Season 5, replacing the dropped Jakarta E-Prix following a contract dispute.

The circuit’s return after seven years created genuine interest across the paddock. Several drivers had never raced at Sanya before — including much of the current grid, given how the Formula E driver pool has turned over since 2019. Consequently, data from previous seasons carried limited relevance, putting a premium on adaptability and real-time setup decisions during practice and qualifying. The only active driver with previous Sanya experience was Jean-Éric Vergne, the Season 5 winner, who brought that institutional knowledge back to the circuit as a Citroën Racing driver in 2026.

The street circuit’s characteristics — tight barriers, limited run-off, an emphasis on braking and traction zones — suit the Gen3 Evo’s regenerative braking capabilities. The Attack Mode zones in Sanya were positioned to reward aggressive overtaking rather than defensive driving, which contributed to the high number of lead changes across the 39-lap race. For more on how Formula E’s unique energy management system shapes racing on circuits like Sanya, see our guide on what is Formula E racing.