The morning did not start well for Pepe Martí in Madrid, and we are not referring to his 15th-place finish in the second free practice session that kicked off Saturday’s action at the Jarama circuit (2.6 seconds behind Drugovich’s Andretti). Before heading to the track, the Cupra Kiro driver experienced an unpleasant moment when he witnessed the theft of equipment from one of his companions—a team photographer whose camera, valued at around €35,000, was stolen. After getting past the frustration, it was time to focus on the main day of the E-Prix, with the Spaniard securing 12th on the grid, his best qualifying result so far, while Cassidy claimed pole.
Qualifying began under even more challenging conditions than earlier in the morning, as rain had further soaked the track. If the lack of grip had already made things tricky during practice, the risks multiplied in the fight against the clock. Several drivers went off track, and the priority was to avoid a crash that could complicate the day further. Pepe managed this well, finishing sixth in Group A, 0.9 seconds behind De Vries, but ahead of other strong championship contenders like Buemi, Evans, and Vergne.
Pepe’s time of 1:42.917 was slower than all times in the second group, but to compensate for the track disadvantage faced by the first group, grid positions are alternated, leaving him in 12th place to start. Close to the top 10 and nothing he hasn’t already faced successfully, as his good results have been built on progressing from the back—and he starts closer to the points than ever before. The duels culminated in a final battle for pole between De Vries and Cassidy, which the New Zealander won by two-tenths of a second, putting Citroën at the front of the grid for the first time.
Madrid E-Prix qualifying results.
