Pascal Wehrlein sets the pace in final Sanya practice

Pascal Wehrlein is looking like the man to beat in China. The Porsche driver topped the final free practice session for the 2026 Lianxin Sanya E-Prix, setting a benchmark of 1m5.095. It was a tight affair, with Mahindra’s Edoardo Mortara finishing just 0.016 seconds behind him in what is becoming a very promising weekend for his team.

Jake Dennis took third for Andretti, followed by Nyck de Vries in the second Mahindra and CUPRA KIRO’s Dan Ticktum. It was a messy start for Ticktum, who found himself in the run-off area twice at the tricky Turn 9. Championship leader Mitch Evans struggled to find that same rhythm, ending the session in ninth, while a scary moment saw Oliver Rowland spin his Nissan, nearly taking out Jaguar TCS Racing’s Antonio Felix da Costa in the process.

With a 40% chance of rain looming over the circuit, the technical challenge is only just beginning. Porsche technical director Florian Modlinger certainly looked confident, but as we head into qualifying, the reality of racing on this island circuit after seven years away suggests that absolutely anything can happen.