The 'incredible stories' that could be told in Formula E's London title decider

“Whoever stands on top of that podium come Sunday night, there’s an incredible story to be told,” is Formula E boss Jeff Dodd’s prediction for the 2026 title decider in London this weekend.

Simply as there are nine drivers vying for the title at the ExCeL Arena, giving a sense of unpredictability the all-electric series has become accustomed to over the years: 18 drivers in contention at the 2021 finale being the prime example.

But of the nine who could clinch the crown this weekend - leader Jake Dennis, Mitch Evans, Pascal Wehrlein, Oliver Rowland, Edoardo Mortara, Antonio Felix da Costa, Nick Cassidy, Nico Muller and Nyck de Vries - it is only really the top four that are in realistic contention as Mortara is 16 points behind Rowland and 30 off Dennis with 58 left available.

So, it is within that top four - all separated by 14 points - where the “incredible story” can be found. “In Jake Dennis, Pascal Wehrlein and Oli Rowland you [could] have a two-time world champion and in Oli Rowland a back-to-back world champion,” adds Dodds, with Jean-Eric Verge so far Formula E’s only multiple title holder.

“You’ve got two British drivers [Dennis and Rowland] fighting for a world championship on home soil but if it’s Mitch Evans, Mitch has been on the championship podium four times, runner-up three-times. His last season with Jaguar [ahead of his move to Opel] going from bridesmaid to bride in terms of being so close, so many times.”

It is simply quite remarkable that Formula E’s all-time race wins record holder (16) is yet to claim a title, but doing so at the end of his 10-season run with Jaguar - the only team Evans has raced for - would certainly make it worth the wait. The 32-year-old Kiwi has endured an up-and-down campaign, which started incredibly well, holding a 21-point advantage after round 10 in Monaco thanks to wins in Miami and Berlin, but just two points finishes in the following five races swiped that completely.

Three-time runner-up Evans has done everything in Formula E but win the title

Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

Yet, he has still arrived in London with his best chance of becoming champion, sitting second and just two points behind Dennis. “I've come close in the past, I know I can do it,” says Evans. “The main thing is to try and change it this weekend.”

Maybe this is finally his time, especially because those two points are “absolutely nothing” according to Andretti’s championship leader, considering the unpredictability of the unique indoor-outdoor race at an exhibition centre in the East London docklands.

Think 2024 when Wehrlein overturned his 12-point deficit to Cassidy to become champion.

“What Buemi did in Tokyo is something which I feel goes far beyond the line. It’s very different to being second and third with your team-mates and then swapping positions" Pascal Wehrlein

“Right now, Oliver’s got as much of a shot as I do,” adds Dennis, who is looking to become Gen3’s final champion after becoming its first in 2023. “It’s going to get messy and we just need to make sure we don’t make any mistakes. Be clinical when it matters.”

The 32-year-old knows that more than most, because he was pretty much out of it after his double non-score in Monaco, leaving him 62 points off leader Evans - before four podiums in five brought him right back in it. One cannot underestimate just how impressive that is given Dennis is the only one of the four without factory backing, punching above his weight in that customer Porsche.

But in that factory Porsche is Wehrlein, who is right where he was expected to be having started the campaign as the title favourite. At one stage, it even looked like the 31-year-old was well on course to do it, holding the championship lead after round eight in Berlin, but Shanghai is his only points-scoring weekend since in what has been a real topsy-turvy campaign for him.

Wehrlein is concerned that team orders could decide the title

Photo by: Takashi Aoyama / LAT Images via Getty Images

Five podiums from 15 races, but six non-scores. Impressively inconsistent.

Although, to be fair to Wehrlein, he has lost points out of his control, like Monaco when team-mate Muller clattered into him. Or Japan last time out, as Sebastien Buemi - who had a penalty - took his first Attack Mode early to charge through but then slowed down during the pit window to assist Envision team-mate Joel Eriksson, thus holding up drivers like Wehrlein.

“What Buemi did in Tokyo is something which I feel goes far beyond the line,” Wehrlein tells Autosport. “It’s very different to being second and third with your team-mates and then swapping positions,” something Porsche may do with its factory drivers, “it can go very far and that’s the only thing which for me is a bit uncertain this weekend. How it will be played and what the reaction will be.”

So, team orders is definitely something to look out for, Felipe Drugovich already confirming that “helping Jake” is one his roles in London, as is qualifying. Qualifying is so important at the ExCeL with a race being won from pole in three of the last four years and that might be what holds back Rowland, who is yet to go quickest in qualifying this season.

But the reigning champion has still been impressive, single-handedly carrying that Nissan squad with team-mate Norman Nato next-to-bottom in the standings, completing maximising his package. At times though he has been inconsistent, either standing on the podium or outside of the points, but he put an end to that in recent times collecting a solid haul in each of the last three contests.

It has resulted in him being the outside bet for London, leaving a “pretty relaxed” Rowland who’d already wrapped up the title ahead of last season’s UK finale. “My focus is just on trying to be the best me I can be, trying to do the best weekend I’ve ever done in terms of execution, performance, pace, the rest will take care of itself,” the 34-year-old adds.

“I don’t think anybody can predict what’s going to happen.”

No they cannot. So it is for that reason London is the perfect place for Formula E to tell one more “incredible story” and cap off Gen3 ahead of its much-promised Gen4.