Heavy rain did little to dampen Formula E's recent return to Shanghai for a double header that broke multiple records and effectively reset the 2025-26 World Driver's Championship.

The Shanghai International Circuit played host to two rounds of the all-electric racing series last weekend, just weeks after Formula E made a memorable pitstop in south China's resort city Sanya.

Ten teams, made up of some of the world's biggest car manufacturers, and 20 drivers descended on the city for arguably the toughest weekend of the entire Formula E season.

"Shanghai is one of the more demanding events on the Formula E calendar because it combines sustained lateral loading, summer heat, humidity, and the demands of a double-header," Manfred Sandbichler, senior motorsport director for championship tyre manufacturer Hankook, explained.

"Running two races on the same circuit in summer conditions placed additional emphasis on tyre consistency and durability, particularly as teams faced rain, drying conditions and evolving grip levels across the weekend."

Rain or shine, Andretti team principal Roger Griffiths said he was excited to be back in Shanghai and praised the circuit's world-class facilities.

"Coming back to a world-class circuit like this is great and we love the facilities here," he said.

"Shanghai is such a vibrant city and when you have the opportunity to go into the city and the Bund and see all buildings lit up and things like that – it really deserves its place on the calendar as one of the mega cities around the world."

Griffiths has been part of the American Formula E team since the championship's inception in 2014 and fondly recalls the first race of season one, which happened to be held in Beijing's iconic Olympic Park.

"I think back to when we sat on those blocks at the back of the garages in Beijing in the Olympic Park with the Bird's Nest stadium and the Water Cube around us," he remembered.

"Formula E has come an awful long way and it's not just the cars and the technology, it's the professionalism in the sport. It's the manufacturers that are now involved, it's the sponsors, it's the way we talk about our championship and the way we present ourselves."

Saturday’s rain-soaked race saw German Porsche driver Pascal Wehrlein take the victory, with Jaguar's Antonio Felix Da Costa of Portugal in second place and Englishman Jake Dennis rounding out the podium for Andretti.

Dennis, who won the 2022-23 championship and took the win during the Sanya E-Prix last month, auspiciously opted for a Chinese-inspired helmet that featured a red and gold dragon design, which he partially designed using an AI program.

Sunday's race began gloomily under safety car conditions as rain continued to pour, before miraculously clearing up and quickly drying out the circuit. 

The dramatic weather change meant that cars at the back of the grid which had optimised their tyre pressure for dry weather were rapidly able to overtake much of the field.

Jake's Andretti teammate Felipe Drugovich scored a thrilling maiden pole position in Sunday's race, but the unpredictable weather meant he ultimately finished off the podium.

The Brazilian rookie said the key to overcoming any setback is simply carrying on.

"In those difficult moments, I've always had a mentality, which is just like, can you see what you can do next? Like, what is the next step? And if you know what the next step is, just take it," he said.

In a twist, underdog team Lola-Yamaha Abt recorded its first E-Prix victory in history thanks to a pitch-perfect drive by Brazilian driver Lucas di Grassi, followed by French Citroën driver Jean-Eric Vergne.

Di Grassi's victory makes him the oldest driver to ever win an E-Prix, and comes months after the 41-year-old Brazilian announced his retirement at the end of the current season.

Meanwhile, Swedish racer Joel Eriksson, who competes for Chinese-owned team Envision Racing, scored third place – his first podium since joining Formula E.

When the dust settled, Wehrlein had closed the gap with Jaguar's Mitch Evans to re-claim the lead in the drivers' championship, with four races to go until the final chequered flag in London next month.

Though the stakes this season are still electrifyingly real, talk is already turning to the start of the 2026-27 championship in December, which will see the launch of the new "Gen 4" car.

Formula E races have traditionally been held on temporary street circuits, but the series is adding more permanent race tracks like Shanghai to the calendar to account for the larger, faster Gen 4 cars.

"We can't keep racing on these really tight, twisty circuits," Dennis explained.

"The cars are just too quick now. I do really enjoy the street circuits but ultimately when you've just got a car that big, that fast, you have to have a realistic approach and that is to step away from street circuits and move to these bigger circuits, which create a bit of that Peloton racing."

"I think it's a good thing – I think this championship needs to go to more proper race circuits," Drugovich agreed.

Next season, iconic racetracks like Brands Hatch in the United Kingdom, Zandvoort in the Netherlands and the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, will join Formula E for the first time.

British driver Oliver Rowland, who competes for the Nissan team, the opportunity to race at the fabled Brands Hatch is "really exciting."

"It's probably one of my favourite tracks I've ever driven," the reigning world champion said.

"I think it's going to be a really good challenge and complement the Gen 4 car really well."

Dutchman Nyck de Vries, who won the 2020-21 world championship, is equally excited to finally race for a home crowd at Zandvoort.

De Vries famously raced in Formula One for AlphaTauri in 2023 but left the team before that year's race in the Netherlands.

"I missed out on the opportunity in Formula One, so I'm looking forward to it," the Mahindra driver said.

Meanwhile, Griffiths thinks racing in Austin could be a game changer in boosting Formula E's popularity in the United States.

"As an American team, having a second race in North America, I think that's huge for us," he said.

"It’s a really good opportunity for us to showcase Formula E in North America."

Shanghai and Sanya will also return, giving China the unique distinction of being the only country to host three races per season.

Formula E, after all, is an all-electric championship, and many drivers marveled at the scale of China's successful EV rollout.

"It’s clear here that (China) has done a great job on the EV stuff," Rowland said.

"Some of the technology they're producing out here is really impressive and hopefully the rest of the world is following suit."