SANYA, China (Xinhua) -- Jake Dennis claimed victory in Formula E's return to Sanya on Saturday, leading teammate Felipe Drugovich home in a historic Andretti one-two as a chaotic race dramatically reshaped the championship battle.
Formula E's first race in the southern Chinese resort city since 2019 was contested in punishing conditions, with track temperatures around the Haitang Bay Circuit reaching 59 degrees Celsius.
Starting from pole position, Dennis controlled the opening stages before briefly surrendering the lead to Pascal Wehrlein on lap nine. The Briton reclaimed first place two laps later and remained firmly in contention throughout a typically tightly packed Formula E contest.
By lap 18, the top 19 drivers were separated by just seven seconds before the race descended into chaos.
Championship leader Mitch Evans endured an incident-filled afternoon that ultimately ended his hopes of scoring points. The New Zealander had been launched into by Dan Ticktum at Turn 6 before further contact at the Turn 9 hairpin one lap later.
After being nudged from behind by Sebastien Buemi, Evans locked wheels with Zane Maloney, blocking the circuit and forcing race officials to red-flag the event.
Evans' car could not be repaired in time for the restart, leaving him to resume from the pit lane well behind the field.
When racing resumed, Dennis again took control. Although Antonio Felix da Costa briefly challenged for victory and looked well-positioned with two Attack Mode activations still available, his hopes were dented by a five-second penalty for causing a collision.
Dennis capitalized, retaking the lead and using his remaining energy advantage to steadily pull away from the chasing pack, securing his second victory of the season after winning the opening race in Sao Paulo in December.
Drugovich held off intense pressure behind to secure Andretti's first-ever one-two finish, while fellow rookie Pepe Marti surged from 18th at the restart to claim third place and complete the podium.
Da Costa finished fourth, ahead of Maximilian Gunther.
The race proved disastrous for the leading championship contenders. Evans, Edoardo Mortara, Oliver Rowland and Wehrlein, the top four drivers in the standings entering the weekend, all failed to score.
Despite his retirement, Evans retained the championship lead on 128 points. Dennis' 28-point haul lifted him to fifth in the standings with 94 points.
In the teams' championship, Jaguar remained on top with 218 points, ahead of Porsche on 190 and Mahindra on 159.
Formula E remains in China for rounds 12 and 13 of the 2025-26 season at the Shanghai International Circuit on July 4-5. ■
