Edoardo Mortara defeats title rival Pascal Wehrlein for Berlin Formula E pole

Edoardo Mortara defeated title rival Pascal Wehrlein to secure pole position for the opening race of Formula E's Berlin E-Prix. 

The Swiss driver set a high 56-second lap to claim a fourth pole at the Tempelhof Airport Circuit and score three crucial points for the drivers' championship. 

Reigning world champion Oliver Rowland missed out on the final but got third on the grid, ahead of Dan Ticktum in fourth. 

One of the biggest shocks was Lola's Zane Maloney, who managed to get into the duels after several near-misses in recent rounds.

Duels

In the final, Mortara set a blistering opening sector. Remarkably, Wehrlein was quicker in the second and third sectors, yet the Mahindra driver’s first sector did all the hard work to secure pole.

To reach the final, Wehrlein first defeated Nick Cassidy, before getting the better of Rowland in their semi-final battle.

As for Mortara, he produced a superb effort against Maloney in the quarter-finals and then eliminated Ticktum to set up the Wehrlein face-off.

In the two other quarter-final duels, Rowland defeated Felipe Drugovich, while Ticktum beat Nico Müller.

Group stage

Qualifying got underway with blue skies and sizzling temperatures, a very different picture to Berlin last season.

The opening group was a perfect one for Porsche, as Wehrlein topped the first qualifying session ahead of Andretti’s Drugovich, marking a Porsche powertrain one-two.

Wehrlein was fastest in the first group courtesy of a 58.369, with reigning world champion Rowland and Cassidy also progressing to the duels.

In the second group, it was further delight for home manufacturer Porsche, as Cupra Kiro’s Ticktum went quickest on a 58.337, ahead of Mortara, an impressive Maloney, and factory Porsche driver Müller.

Remarkably, it meant not a single Jaguar driver made it into the duels, despite three of the last four races having been won by them.