Dan Ticktum has taken the second Formula E win of his career, picking off Jake Dennis at the penultimate turn of the final lap to claim Round 14 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in Tokyo.

Nick Cassidy made it an all-British-and-Kiwi rostrum in third for Citroën Racing, and the winning margin was the closest of the season so far.

The bigger story sits in the standings. Championship leader Pascal Wehrlein tangled with António Félix da Costa and failed to finish, handing Mitch Evans the lead of the Drivers’ World Championship on 144 points to the Porsche man’s 141. Jaguar TCS Racing stretched its advantage in the Teams’ table, though Porsche hit back in the Manufacturers’ standings.

Ticktum started sixth and did not hang about. CUPRA Kiro went early with both PIT BOOST and ATTACK MODE, and the strategy spat him out of the stops as net race leader while others were still queueing up their energy.

Dennis had other ideas. The Andretti driver deployed a late 50kW all-wheel-drive boost on Lap 29 to clear both Cassidy and Ticktum, and looked to have the thing sewn up.

Then came the sting. Running down to Turn 16 on the last lap with his energy on the floor, Dennis had to lift early. Ticktum, sitting in his mirrors and rather better off for usable energy after six laps in the tow, simply drove around the outside and made it stick. Nine rounds, nine different winners.

“I don’t know what more I can do”

For Ticktum, whose maiden Formula E victory came in Jakarta last summer, the timing could hardly be better.

“This has been one of the hardest seasons I think I can remember in my whole career,” he said. “We really haven’t had any fortune. We’ve made mistakes as a team, I’ve made mistakes, but today was the opposite. We nailed it.”

He was candid about the endgame, too. “Dennis got past with his last few seconds of ATTACK MODE, and I didn’t want to fight that one too much. I was actually quite happy with second position because I think we executed very well up to that point. He was ahead of me for about six laps, which allowed me to save a bit of energy, probably more than him.”

And he used the moment to make a point about his future. “A lot of people know that I’m currently a free agent, and I don’t really know what more I can do to prove that I should remain in Formula E. I hope I can be here for GEN4 because that’s going to be right up my street.”

Dennis was gracious in defeat, and quick to note the championship maths. “We take the 18 points, which closes the championship lead, and we are only 14 points back now, so it is on.” He added that rain had hurt him badly: “When you lead 70 to 80 percent of the race in clean air, I had no energy at the end and was pretty cooked.”

Cassidy’s podium carried a weight of its own. The paddock spent the weekend honouring Citroën Racing team principal Cyril Blais, who died earlier this month.

“Everyone’s hurting right now, but I’m glad we could do our best in conditions like today,” the New Zealander said.

Evans took fourth and the points lead, with Edoardo Mortara fifth. Tokyo hosted Round 15 on Sunday before the championship heads to London on 15 and 16 August for the 2025/26 finale.