The Briton found himself one tenth behind Vandoorne after the first sector on the Shanghai circuit, where Formula E uses a smaller layout than that used by Formula 1.
However, Hughes overturned the deficit by making up almost half a tenth in the central sector, before making up further on the Belgian, enough to ensure the pair were separated by the smallest margin ever in a challenge for pole position.
Hughes thus achieved his second pole position after the one achieved in Misano towards mid-April.
After scoring his first points of the season in the opening race in Shanghai on Saturday, Nyck de Vries made it to Sunday’s duels for the first time, demonstrating his competitiveness throughout this weekend, but was beaten in the semi-finals. The Mahindra driver finished about two seconds behind Vandoorne, while Hughes got the better of Porsche’s Antonio Felix da Costa to progress to the final.
Current championship leader Nick Cassidy failed to get beyond the quarter-final stage, with Vandoorne overturning a small early deficit in the final sector, beating the Jaguar driver by just six thousandths.
Stoffel Vandoorne, DS Penske, DS E-Tense FE23
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images
Winner of the first Shanghai E-Prix held on Saturday, the second Jaguar of Mitch Evans finished just over a tenth behind da Costa, while Oliver Rowland will have to settle for fourth place, with the positive aspect of still managing to access the duel phase.
Just over three tenths covered all 11 drivers in group A in qualifying, while the first four, i.e. Rowland, Vandoorne, Cassidy and de Vries, were separated by just twenty-five thousandths, almost a trifle.
Maximillian Guenther was the first to miss the pass by just 18 thousandths, demonstrating the competitiveness of the drivers and the minimal margins in Shanghai, with the Maserati MSG driver ahead of Sacha Fenestraz and Dan Ticktum.
Defending champion Jake Dennis took eighth place in the group, so he will start from the eighth row on the starting grid, followed by Jehan Daruvala (Maserati MSG) and the Envisions of Robin Frijns and Sebastien Buemi. For the British Andretti driver it will be another uphill race, but yesterday’s race demonstrated how a comeback is possible.
Saturday’s polesitter, Jean-Eric Vergne, missed out on the duels by just 13 thousandths in group B, where Hughes, da Costa, Evans and Nato avoided elimination.
Yesterday’s runner-up, Pascal Wehrlein, in full fight for the world championship, did not have an exciting qualifying, finishing seventh in group B, which will lead him to start from thirteenth place. For the German it is a negative qualification after many events in which he has often fallen into duels, but the Shanghai race offers the possibility of moving up the rankings. Also eliminated in group B were Sam Bird (McLaren), Sergio Sette Camara (ERT), both Abt Cupra drivers Nico Muller and Lucas di Grassi, as well as Edoardo Mortara (Mahindra).
Shanghai E-Prix qualifying results
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