The title standings shifted repeatedly throughout the race as Wehrlein defended against pressure from Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans and Andretti’s Jake Dennis.
Strategic moves on Lap 27 reshuffled the order after Wehrlein’s engineer instructed him to let a faster Sébastien Buemi (Envision Racing) pass. A squeeze from da Costa allowed Dennis to overtake for eighth during his first ATTACK MODE, briefly moving Dennis to the top of the virtual standings as Wehrlein dropped to 12th.
On Lap 31, contact at Turn 16 between Wehrlein and Envision Racing’s Joel Eriksson forced Wehrlein further down the field. The resulting incident caused race-ending damage to Dennis’s car, ending his title bid.
Mitch Evans (Jaguar TCS Racing) ran fourth but needed a win to claim the Drivers' title. With Barnard and the two Mahindras opening up a gap at the front, Evans was unable to make up the necessary ground.
Barnard managed his late ATTACK MODE activation to pass Mortara for second before making a nailbiting pass up the inside of de Vries into the final corner with just two laps remaining. At 22 years and 76 days old, Barnard became the youngest race winner in Formula E history, taking victory in DS Automobiles' final appearance in the series.
While Evans finished fourth, his points secured the ABB FIA Formula E Teams’ World Championship for Jaguar TCS Racing, after Porsche won the ABB FIA Formula E Manufacturers’ World Championship earlier in the season in Tokyo.
Pascal Wehrlein, No. 94, Porsche Formula E Team said:
“First of all, a big thank you to my whole team. What we did this weekend was outstanding again, delivered when we had to deliver, under pressure. You don't crack under the pressure - we love the pressure, we embrace it, and we get even better with pressure, so that is fantastic. Tonight, we will celebrate and enjoy this moment, and also the next couple of days. I'll be very happy then to go back to my family as they couldn't be here this weekend, unfortunately, but my dad and my sister are here. I'm really looking forward to spending time with them, and then reset; work on the the GEN4 car and make it even harder for them next year.”
Taylor Banard, No. 77, DS PENSKE, said:
“That's the first time I've cried for a long time! To be the youngest race winner feels amazing and to do it in front of the home crowd, it feels unbelievable. I've got my whole family here as well. I'm speechless right now, I can't believe it.
"It was definitely all or nothing moves. I did it in the last corner, both times, actually, in ATTACK MODE so, I think it was just opportunistic, and a tactical, FE move. Honestly, I'm lost for words.
"That was the shakiest last lap I think I'm ever gonna have in my career. And after such a tough season, the team have done so much hard work, we've been working in the simulator tirelessly all year. It's never really gone our way, but today, I think the whole team deserves a break, and honestly, thanks to all of them, the guys did absolutely amazing today.”
