The World eX Community spoke, and Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi became the spectacular stage for Round 3 of the 2025 World eX Championship. Under the floodlights of this iconic venue, the action was as hot as the Emirati night, with championship leader Devin Braune once again proving untouchable.
Devin Braune continued his dominant form, storming to his third consecutive pole position of the season with a blistering lap. He was more than six tenths clear of young German kart driver Jarno Wiese, who has emerged as Braune’s closest rival in 2025. Nicolas Hillebrand was just 0.030 seconds behind Wiese in third, while wild card Robin Hay impressed everyone by qualifying fourth on his World eX debut-a name familiar to many from the #RaceHome series during the COVID-19 crisis.
The reversed-grid Sprint saw Steffen Walter take the early lead, but all eyes were on Braune as he surged from the midfield. Gaining two spots immediately, Braune was up to fourth by the end of the opening lap. A fierce battle between Bodo Kräling and Nicolas Hillebrand on lap two created the perfect opening for Braune to pass both before the chicane.
With only Walter ahead, Braune wasted no time, seizing the lead on lap three and never looking back-another statement victory for the championship leader. Walter, debuting new pedals on his sim rig, could not keep up with the frontrunners and soon dropped behind Hillebrand. However, a missed braking point on a track he openly dislikes allowed Julius Martin to snatch second.
As the race unfolded, Walter was also overtaken by Wiese and later Chris Overend, while Martin and Hillebrand delivered a thrilling battle for second place right to the flag. This duel allowed Wiese to close in, but he ultimately finished fourth. Robin Hay’s promising debut hit trouble after a spin into the wall while following Overend.
Starting the main Race from pole, Braune delivered a lights-to-flag victory, making it six wins from six races this season. Wiese drove a lonely but solid race to secure another second place, unable to match Braune’s relentless pace. Hillebrand’s race ended early after a heavy crash, forcing him to retire his eX ZERO.
The most entertaining battle came from Julius Martin and Chris Overend, who swapped positions multiple times throughout the race. In the end, Overend claimed the final podium spot, just ahead of three-time World eX Champion Martin-both clearly relishing the close fight. Robin Hay recovered from his Sprint woes, overtaking Steffen Walter to finish an impressive fifth in his debut.
With six wins from six races, Devin Braune holds a commanding lead in the championship standings. The next round at the legendary Indianapolis oval could present the best opportunity yet for rivals to end Braune’s remarkable winning streak.
Before the night race at Yas Marina, former ABT Formula E team manager Roger Köhler joined the latest World eX Bizz talk, sharing fascinating insights into his energy start-up, cell-mind.
Stay tuned as the World eX Championship heads to Indianapolis-can anyone catch Braune, or will his dominance continue?
2025 Yas Marina eX Prix
Qualifying
1 #42 Devin BRAUNE (Rocket Simsport) 1:33.419
2 #18 Jarno WIESE (WIWI Racing Team) 1:34.089
3 #71 Nicolas HILLEBRAND (Hans-Günther Springob Rennsport) 1:34.119
4 #101 Robin HAY (Wild Card) 1:34.443
5 #46 Chris OVEREND (T17 E-Speed) 1:34.630
6 #94 Julius MARTIN (Martin Racing Team) 1:34.632
7 #3 Bodo KRÄLING (bspowersports) 1:35.051
8 #17 Steffen WALTER (T17 E-Speed) 1:35.121
9 #43 Markus MARTIN (Martin Racing Team) 1:35.263
10 #7 Thomas VOIGT (tv racing) 1:35.380
11 #4 Björn SKOTTKE (bspowersports) 1:36.020
12 #25 Patrick WINZENICK (bspowersports) 1:36.346
13 #33 Jennifer SCHAMEY (Schamey Racing) 1:36.767
Sprint
1 #42 Devin BRAUNE (Rocket Simsport) 8 laps in 12:40.785
2 #94 Julius MARTIN (Martin Racing Team) + 6.094
3 #71 Nicolas HILLEBRAND (Hans-Günther Springob Rennsport) + 6.380
4 #18 Jarno WIESE (WIWI Racing Team) + 6.426
5 #46 Chris OVEREND (T17 E-Speed) + 9.820
6 #17 Steffen WALTER (T17 E-Speed) + 10.924
7 #43 Markus MARTIN (Martin Racing Team) + 14.544
8 #3 Bodo KRÄLING (bspowersports) + 16.187
9 #7 Thomas VOIGT (tv racing) + 16.689
10 #25 Patrick WINZENICK (bspowersports) + 18.723
11 #4 Björn SKOTTKE (bspowersports) + 25.774
12 #101 Robin HAY (Wild Card) + 29.742
13 #33 Jennifer SCHAMEY (Schamey Racing) + 36.269
Fastest lap: #42 Devin BRAUNE (Rocket Simsport) 1:34.108
Race
1 #42 Devin BRAUNE (Rocket Simsport) 16 laps in 25:12.375
2 #18 Jarno WIESE (WIWI Racing Team) + 16.677
3 #46 Chris OVEREND (T17 E-Speed) + 23.172
4 #94 Julius MARTIN (Martin Racing Team) + 24.370
5 #101 Robin HAY (Wild Card) + 33.146
6 #17 Steffen WALTER (T17 E-Speed) + 35.647
7 #43 Markus MARTIN (Martin Racing Team) + 39.304
8 #7 Thomas VOIGT (tv racing) + 41.057
9 #3 Bodo KRÄLING (bspowersports) + 47.198
10 #4 Björn SKOTTKE (bspowersports) + 48.291
11 #33 Jennifer SCHAMEY (Schamey Racing) + 1:06.881
12 #25 Patrick WINZENICK (bspowersports) + 1:31.476
13 #71 Nicolas HILLEBRAND (Hans-Günther Springob Rennsport) 6 laps, DNF
Fastest lap: #42 Devin BRAUNE (Rocket Simsport) 1:33.569
Standings after 3 of 9 Rounds
1 #42 Devin BRAUNE (Rocket Simsport) 114
2 #18 Jarno WIESE (WIWI Racing Team) 68
3 #71 Nicolas HILLEBRAND (Hans-Günther Springob Rennsport) 49
4 #94 Julius MARTIN (Martin Racing Team) 49
5 #90 Callum CRIPPS (Rocket Simsport) 37
6 #17 Steffen WALTER (T17 E-Speed) 28
7 #46 Chris OVEREND (T17 E-Speed) 26
8 #3 Bodo KRÄLING (bspowersports) 26
9 #101 Robin HAY 10
10 #43 Markus MARTIN (Martin Racing Team) 9
11 #85 Bert KNOPS (Brabham Motorsport) 6
12 #2 Rune BOBBAERS (Brabham Motorsport) 4
13 #65 Frank ENGER (bspowersports) 4
14 #7 Thomas VOIGT (tv racing) 4
15 #4 Björn SKOTTKE (bspowersports) 3
16 #25 Patrick WINZENICK (bspowersports) 1
