It wasn’t just another race, and nobody knew that better than Pepe Martí. Determined to please the Spanish fans who nearly filled the Jarama circuit for its return to the world championship, in the presence of King Felipe VI and with so many eyes on him, he delivered. How? By leading the race for four laps. He partially sacrificed his strategy to do so, but still achieved his goal of scoring points with a 9th-place finish. The victory went to another Iberian driver, Portugal’s Da Costa, his second consecutive win, though it didn’t dislodge Werhlein from the championship lead.
Starting from 12th on the grid—closer than ever to the points—Martí couldn’t capitalize on one of his strengths, the start. He lost a position in the opening moments and was 15th after five laps. Vergne, Müller, and Barnard, starting behind him, all passed. With such tight racing, avoiding contact was crucial. Once again, strategy would be key on the longest circuit in Formula E history, also vital for tire management on Hankook rubber. Up front, Cassidy held the lead from pole, but behind him, Nato went off into the gravel and De Vries climbed onto Wehrlein’s rear wing, losing his rear wing and earning a 5-place penalty. Drugovich was briefly seen leading the pack after starting last, using the first Attack Mode to demonstrate his pace. Pepe decided to match that aggression, setting aside patience to attack. On lap 10, he surged to first place, allowing him the luxury of leading in front of his home crowd, who celebrated as if it were a goal.
A lap later, the pit window opened with the first stops as the two Cupra drivers controlled the race, though Di Grassi temporarily pushed Pepe out of the lead by coming from behind with Attack Mode before his Pit Boost. One lap later, the Spaniard did the same to tackle the second half of the race, with no more attacks remaining. He rejoined in 11th, with ten laps to go and many attacks still available to drivers around him. It wasn’t going to be easy…
The bulk of the grid saved their attack for the final five laps, with Da Costa, Ticktum, Wehrlein, and Evans best placed for a podium push. The fight was frantic—the kind that creates fans. It was Da Costa who took gold at Jarama, ahead of Evans and Wehrlein, who survived damage on his Porsche to remain strong as championship leader (11 points ahead of Mortara). Pepe crossed the line in ninth, adding two more points and moving to 12th in the standings. He not only held his position but gained ground. He had no attacks left, but the crowd propelled him forward.