Tag: Pascal Wehrlein

  • R4 – Jeddah E-Prix

    After Nyck de Vries sticken Mahindra was removed from the initial grid line-up the pack fired away to Turn 1 with Edo Mortara bogging down in a huge burnout – losing P1 immediately as the front-runners swamped the Swiss’ car.

    Guenther happily accepted the invite to take the lead into Turn 1 while Nato, Barnard and Wehrlein followed – Mortara finding himself fifth just ahead of the second Porsche of Nico Mueller.

    A full course yellow followed on Lap 2 after Pepe Marti swept across the nose of the unfortunate Zane Maloney – whole Lola Yamaha ABT came off worst, with race-ending damage requiring a safety car.

    Lap 4 and we were green and racing again with Guenther leading the field away.
    Wehrlein managed to make some forward progress with a move on Barnard for third heading down to the final chicane at the end of that lap on the restart.

    Nato swept into the lead on Lap 6 and from there, the race settled into a fast-paced rhythm with energy becoming less critical thanks to the Safety Car.

    Wehrlein pinched second from Guenther into the Bus Stop chicane on Lap 14 as the field compressed to within 7.5 seconds, and the PIT BOOST window approached.

    The Porsche driver then hit the front at Turn 13 with the pace picking up. Guenther was the first to jump for his mandatory 50kW, all wheel drive Attack Mode boost on Lap 15.

    The end of Lap 16 saw another half dozen to take to the pits for their stop. As it stood on Lap 17, Barnard looked to be the provisional leader – though two thirds of the pack were yet to take to the pit lane.

    Out front, Wehrlein and Guenther were scrapping for P1, with Guenther making it by as Wehrlein slipped into the pits for his PIT Boost stop at the end of Lap 18.

    The provisional lead, of those who’d stopped, switched hands to Jake Dennis – with Barnard jumping for Attack Mode. However, when it all shook out, it was Guenther who was able to retain the lead – Porsche’s Wehrlein second and yet to take Attack.

    The German made than advantage count as he activated his 50kW, all-wheel drive boost to pass Guenther on Lap 20.

    That early jump for Attack cost Guenther – with the German sliding further down the order as Dennis and da Costa made it by for second and third, then Ticktum making it through for fourth on Lap 22.

    Ticktum defended hard to fend off Barnard but with the DS on Attack Mode, the Brit was powerless – Barnard making it by for fourth across the start/finish on Lap 23.

    Wehrlein drew out a five-second lead on Dennis with da Costa, Barnard, Ticktum and Guenther the top six as it stood on that lap.

    Barnard made it by Nato for third at the hairpin despite running in that standard 300kW mode – the latter having made his way up the order in Attack on Lap 25.

    Lap 26 saw Mortara making use of his late Attack Mode activation – slicing by Nato for fifth and Barnard for fourth. Come Turn 13 and the Mahindra driver had recovered to second spot – hunting Wehrlein, who was some seven seconds clear out front.

    A late Attack looked to be the way forward. Evans was next to slice through the field – making it as far as third come Lap 28.

    Cassidy was next to move but could only make it as far as sixth spot at the end of his 50kW boost on Lap 31.

    Wehrlein had it all in hand in P1, with Mortara held at arm’s length as the German took the chequered flag.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Wehrlein, P2: Mortara, P3: Evans, P4: Mueller, P5: Da Costa, P6: Cassidy, P7: Buemi, P8: Vergne, P9: Dennis and P10: Barnard.

  • Porsche announces Season 11 drivers

    Porsche will again field our newest Champion Pascal Wehrlein alongside Season 6 title-winner Antonio Felix da Costa in Formula E Season 11.

    Season 10 was beyond memorable for the German giants, as Wehrlein steered the team to a maiden Formula E title in the London finale.
    Crowning a best season to date in electric motorsport’s top tier since the Stuggart marque joined the fold back in 2019/20.

    The team wound up second in the Teams’ running, just four points shy of winner Jaguar TCS Racing, and finished second to the Jaguar squad in the Manufacturers’ Trophy.

    Da Costa fought off mid-season speculation to tear to a storming run of four wins in five between Berlin and Portland to place him in title contention heading into London.

    The pair will get behind of Porsche’s take on the Gen3 Evo – the latest evolution of Formula E car set to hit the track in Season 11 with a maiden outing coming at the Valencia test in November.

  • RND 15 – London E-Prix

    FP1-

    The half hour session at the unique indoor-outdoor ExCeL Circuit in the afternoon heat in London saw all 22 drivers take to the track to prep ahead of the all-important finale double-header.

    Of the title contenders, Evans placed best with the fourth fastest time, just 0.065s shy of Vergne’s session benchmark. The Kiwi’s compatriot, teammate and standings leader Nick Cassidy wound up almost four-tenths back from the ultimate pace and 11th.

    Form man and reigning champion Jake Dennis – the man with by far the best record in London – find himself down in 15th with plenty to work through to get his Andretti up the grid come qualifying.

    FP2-

    Robin Frijns in his Envision Racing machine was at the top of the times for Free Practice 2, as the Jaguar TCS Racing powertrain looks strong.
    Fresh from his back-to-back podiums in Portland, Frijns will be hoping to make it three in a row.

    Brit, Oliver Rowland was second, with Sebastien Buemi in third. The Envision team claimed the Teams’ Championship at this race last year and look strong around this circuit.

    The session saw all the drivers pushing their cars to the limit, with drivers coming so close to the walls and riding over the kerbs.

    The last 10 minutes to the practice session saw Nissan’s Oliver Rowland, have a spin on entry into the ExCel building, but was able to get back on track in style.

    Qualifying-

    Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans achieved the Julius Baer Pole Position and closes the championship gap to his teammate Nick Cassidy to nine points.

    The championship fight has got even closer, as the Jaguar of Mitch Evans managed to achieve pole and the three additional points whilst his teammate Nick Cassidy, struggled and will line up in 17th on the grid.

    As well as a shocking result for Cassidy who leads the Drivers’ World Championship with 167 points and two races to go, there was also big results up and down the grid.

    TAG Heuer Porsche’s Antonio Felix da Costa will be starting ninth, with Pascal Wehrlein in third at a circuit which can prove challenge to overtake on.

    The top 10 for qualifying are- Pole: Evans, P2: Buemi, P3: Wehrlein, P4: Nato, P5: Vergne, P6: Muller, P7: Rowland, P8: Frijns, P9: Da Costa and P10: Dennis.

    Round 15-

    Mitch Evans got off to a strong start with Buemi close behind, but it was Norman Nato who pushed his way into third after a cautious Pascal Wehrlein took things easy.

    However, there was drama further back as Jake Dennis squeezed out Robin Frijns which sent him into the wall and out of the race. The incident also picked up Sam Bird, and resulted in a Safety Car.

    Things got back underway by Lap 5, and saw the pack start to take their Attack Modes. One notable activation belonged to Nick Cassidy who missed one of the sensors and had to try again, losing crucial time.

    Oliver Rowland was getting his elbows out, fighting and trying to pass Jean-Eric Vergne but delivered a move up the inside.
    That wasn’t the only on-track battle for two-time champ JEV, as he also found himself getting tangled with Dennis and the two cars resting on top of each other for a brief moment.

    Fighting for position, ROwland ended up clashing with Antonio Felix da Costa at the final corner and causing the two to come to a stop. For Rowland he was able to get going again but it was game over for da Costa as he limped back to the pits.

    Buemi passed Evans for the lead on lap 10 in a lovely tidy move up the start-finish straight. Meanwhile, Dennis was out causing more trouble as he banged wheels with championship leader Cassidy.

    Cassidy was also smacked into the wall as he fought Stoffel Vandoorne, but was able to continue. He also complained of his beacons not working and missed Attack Mode again when he tried to take the mandatory power boost.

    Evans complained of energy issues, and was eventually passed by Maximilian Guenther for second place, yet disaster struck when his car suffered a problem and saw him drop down the order and eventually stop on track in the final stages of the race.

    Norman Nato and Sacha Fenestraz added to the accident damage as they came together in the last moments of the race.
    But Pascal Wehrlein kept his cool up in front to take his third victory of the season, with Evans behind in second and Sebastien Buemi in third.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Wehrlein, P2: Evans, P3: Buemi, P4: de Vries, P5: Mortara, P6: Muller, P7: Cassidy, P8: Bird, P9: Vandoorne and P10: Nato.

  • RND 7 – Misano E-Prix

    FP3-

    Despite having Round 6 already and collecting lots of data, practice makes perfect as the grid headed back out for another session.

    All drivers got lap times in, but Mahindra Racing’s Nyck de Vries slowed whilst he was on the track, he managed to make his way back to the garage and got out later on in the session to finish ninth.

    ABT CUPRA’s Nico Mueller, topped the timesheets for a while in the middle of the 30 minute session, with the team looking to get more points on the board this weekend.

    However, it was Robin Frijns who managed to go quickest. The Envision driver crossed the finish line in last and 18th Saturday, but moved up to 17th after post-race sanctions were applied.

    Qualifying-

    NEOM McLaren’s Jake Hughes achieved the third Julius Baer Pole Position of his Formula E career, as he took on two-time champion Jean-Eric Vergne in the final of the qualifying Duels.

    It’s a great result for Hughes, especially given he was demoted to the back of the grid for not having his car’s fire extinguisher armed during the session.

    During the final Hughes had the advantage in sector one, but Vergne claimed it back in the second sector. However the Brit, ended up two-tenths ahead at the chequered flag.

    Things went from bad to worse for Antonio Felix da Costa, as he had his lap time deleted in the final stages of the group in 11th. Misano not quite going his way after the disqualification.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Hughes, P2: Vergne, P3: Wehrlein, P4: Mueller, P5: Bird, P6: Vandoorne, P7: Frijns, P8: Cassidy, P9: Dennis and P10: Rowland.

    Round 7-

    Pole sitter Hughes led cleanly away with Vergne and Wehrlein plus the rest of the pack following close behind, with the top three as they’d left the gird at the end of Lap 1.

    Drivers jostled to find space and clean air over the early laps – desperately trying to avoid the pinch points at Turn 8 & 9 and fall foul of contact.
    On Lap 4, Hughes and Vergne were the first to jump for Attack Mode. From there, Hughes ceded the race lead to the DS Driver, having led until that point while Wehrlein and Cassidy then jumped for Attack Mode and occupied P1 and P2 respectively at the end of Lap 5.

    ABT CUPRA’s Nico Mueller was next to lead, with the top 10 pretty much level on usable energy remaining on Lap 7, while Robin Frijns caught his wing in contact, sending him straight on and into gravel, requiring the Safety Car to be deployed for his recovery.
    On lap 9, the race went green once again with Mueller leading Wehrlein and Cassidy away, while most of the pack leapt for Attack Mode activations.

    On Lap 11, thing went from bad to worse again for Antonio Felix da Costa after as he got contact at Turn 1 which required his front wing to be replaced which then pushed him down the order.

    Mueller hit the front again on lap 13, with Wherlein behind, while Rowland picked his moment to push – taking third from Wehrlein before moving into the race lead, as Mueller was shuffled first ot third by the Nissan then reigning champion Jake Dennis.

    Wehrlein looked to be in the box seat with 10 laps to go – the Porsche driver with a massive 2% usable energy in hand on those around him.
    On lap 18, the German driver leapt to the front of the field with enough in-hand to punch his way through the air out front to the finish.

    Rowland took the lead through Sector 1 on Lap 20, looking to gain track position with five tours to go. The German’s engineer was over the radio to his driver to make a move for P1 with four laps to run with the lead pair pulling two seconds on third-placed Dennis.

    Wehrlein seemed powerless, though with his battery derating – overheating – heading into the final lap. Drama though saw Wehrlein swoop by the Nissan as Rowland slowed to a crawl, running out of usable energy long before the flag.
    Dennis followed him home with Cassidy pipping Mueller on the line for third position – heartbreakingly close to silverware for the ABT CUPRA squad.

    The full top 10 are – P1: Wehrlein, P2: Dennis, P3: Cassidy, P4: Mueller, P5: Fenestraz, P6: Sette Camara, P7: Vergne, P8: Hughes, P9: Daruvala and P10: Bird.

  • RND 1 – Mexico City E-Prix

    FP1-

    The FIA Formula E World Championship got underway with Free Practice 1 in Mexico City. 22 drivers took to the 2.63km Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit, but it was NEOM McLaren’s Jake Hughes who set the early pace with a 1m 14.364s.

    However, no sooner had the British driver gone top of the timesheet’s, he had made a mistake and ended in the barrier. TAG Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein finished in second, with ABT CUPRA’s Nico Mueller making a surprise appearance in third.

    Getting the laps in under the hot Mexican sun, Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans started quickest. However, green flag conditions didn’t last long as Maserati MSG Racing’s Maximilian Guenther brought a stop to the session.

    Guenther managed to slide his way around the final corner in dramatic fashion, kicking up a tonne of dust in the process. But although the move might have looked stylish, the four-time race winner damaged his suspension in the process.

    The dirty track made for lots of close calls coming out of the final corner, with Nissan’s Sacha Fenestraz almost replicating the same slide as Guenther but with better consequences as he just ran wide over the kerb.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Hughes, P2: Wehrlein, P3: Muller, P4: Frijns, P5: Dennis, P6: Da Costa, P7: Evans, P8: Fenestraz, P9: Rowland and P10: Nato.

    FP2-

    Mitch Evans topped the timesheets on the first session of race day in Mexico City. The Kiwi driver, who will start the E-Prix with a one place grid penalty for not following red flag procedure in FP1, finished with a time of 1m 13.606s.

    Maserati’s Maximilian Guenther finished in second which would be a welcomed result after hitting the wall the day before, and third was Envision’s newest recruit Robin Frijns.

    It was a cold start to the second Free Practice session as it got underway at 7:30 local time. The low temperatures meant drivers would take a few more laps than usual to warm up their tyres.

    With ever-changing conditions, the times were always improving. Several drivers were pushing their Gen3 cars to their limits, with reigning champion Jake Dennis exploring all of the track and NEOM McLaren’s Sam Bird going straight on at Turn 1.

    ERT Formula E’s Sergio Sette Camara brought out some double-waved yellows with seven minutes left of the session. The Brazilian made a similar mistake making contact with the barriers in shakedown.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Evans, P2: Gunther, P3: Frijns, P4: Cassidy, P5: Vandoorne, P6: Buemi, P7: Rowland, P8: Vergne, P9: Dennis and P10: Hughes.

    Qualifying-

    Formula E’s first qualifying of the year got underway, with drivers wasting no time heading out onto the track.
    During Group A, Norman Nato kissed the barriers on the entry to the iconic Foro Sol stadium and narrowly managed to avoid any serious damage and contact with the wall.
    Not only this, Lucas di Grassi had a whack with the barriers, on what is the team’s 100th E-Prix in Formula E. Dan Ticktum was on a strong lap, before he was impacted by debris from di Grassi’s incident.

    In Group B, it was much less eventful on track, with Maximilian Guenther going top. Joining him in the duels were Hughes, BUemi and Evans.
    There was plenty of eyes on Nyck de Vries in the Mahindra car as the Season 7 Champ makes his return to Formula E.

    TAG Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein started Round 1 in the best possible fashion, sealing Julius Baer Pole Position in Mexico City. He has tied the Formula E record for the most pole positions at a single circuit.

    Wehrlein took on Envision’s Racing’s Sebastien Buemi in the final of the duel, with both Jaguar TCS Racing drivers being knocked out of the semis.
    Reigning champion, Jake Dennis was knocked out during the Group stages and will start 14th in a shocking twist as he fights to retain his title in Season 10.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Wehrlein, P2: Buemi, P3: Cassidy, P4: Evans, P5: Gunther, P6: Hughes, P7: Vandoorne, P8: Frijns, P9: Fenestraz and P10: Vergne.

    Round 1-

    TAG Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein repeated the feat of two seasons prior, where he secured his and Porsche’s first Formula E victory, as the German driver sealed another well-managed drive to the top step.
    He lead home, Envision Racing’s Sebastien Buemi and Jaguar TCS Racing debutant Nick Cassidy.

    Wehrlein, who was a title contender in Gen3’s inaugural campaign, threw down the gauntlet with a controlled drive from lights out and pole to the chequered flag, only briefly losing the lead through Attack Mode and a spell under Full Course Yellow.

    Robin Frijns, fell all the way back through the pack from seventh on the grid to 15th, thanks to a technical issue, causing a knock-one melee in mid-pack which forced him into making up a lot of places.

    At the start of lap 3, it was as you were in the top six with Wehrlein still leading. Meanwhile, contact between the sister TAG Heuer Porsche of Antonio Felix da Costa and Nico Mueller saw the end of the race with broken suspension for the former and the latter in the wall and to 19th and last.

    On lap 9, Robin Frijns – perhaps to make up for his slow start – found the wall, over cooking it on the exit of the Foro Sol and finding the wall in a big way, having just rounded Edo Mortara’s Mahindra.
    A full course yellow would be required for his car’s removal from the circuit.

    With the race reaching its climax, Wherlein looked comfortable and capable to managing things from P1 – with Buemi being held back by some two second with eight laps to go plus two added laps for time lost from the full course yellow.

    The top 10 is- P1: Wehrlein, P2: Buemi, P3: Cassidy, P4: Gunther, P5: Evans, P6: Vergne, P7: Hughes, P8: Vandoorne, P9: Dennis and P10: Nato.

  • Porsche confirm driver line-up

    The test in Valencia marks the start of the new season. We’ve been busy with preparations for weeks, and we’ve already done stints in the simulator. I’m certain we’ve made further progress. Last season we learned a lot, which we can build on now. For Valencia, it’s important to be well prepared to be able to roll out our test programme without any issues and gain further insights. There are some minor changes for the new season. Valencia will certainly help us to fully understand them. Then, we can get stuck in.

    Wehrlein on the news.

    I’m looking forward to Valencia. The test is always cool because all of the teams and drivers are there. This gives us a chance to show where we stand against the competition, to see where we’re already strong and where we might need to make some improvements. The preparation for Season 10 is going much better for me than last season’s preparation. I was new to the team last year and getting used to the car. This time everything is easier. I used the Formula E break to contest endurance races in the Porsche 963, spend time with my family and friends and prepare myself mentally and physically for the new season.

    Da Costa on the news.
  • Round 10 – Jakarta E-Prix

    FP1-

    Maximilian Guenther (Maserati MSG Racing) heads the way in Jakarta from teammate Edoardo Mortara, with the German well inside the fastest race lap set here last year.

    Guenther’s late lap was 0.8 seconds up on the fastest time from the race last year of a 1m 09.786s. His teammate was almost 0.2 seconds back in second spot. Reigning champion, Stoffel Vandoorne also did well on the dusty track as he slotted in third.

    Current Drivers World Championship leader and form man, Nick Cassidy (Envision Racing) finds himself down in 17th with work to do.

    FP2-

    Maserati MSG Racing’s Maximilian Guenther made it two in a row, as he topped second practice ahead of qualifying for the Gulavit 2023 Jakarta E Prix, Round 10.

    Championship contender, Jake Dennis finished in second with the Jaguar TCS Racing of Sam Bird who ended up in third.

    Maserati have been on form so far, until this free practice as Edoardo Mortara made one of the first mistakes of the weekend when he whacked his Gen3 car into a wall whilst on a lap. Due to the damage on the wheel rim he was forced to abandon his only lap and sit out the rest of the session.

    Championship leader, Nick Cassidy also brought out the yellow flags as he suffered a lack of grip towards the end of the session and had a little spin.

    Qualifying-

    Maserati MSG Racing’s Maximilian Guenther achieved his maiden Formula E pole position, dominating every session he’s taken part in so far.

    Having looked quick in FP2, Avalanche Andretti’s Jake Dennis finished his group quickest. The DS PENSKEs of Vergne and reigning champion Vandoorne also go through into the Quarter of the Duels.

    Maserati continued their streak as Guenther and Mortara made it through to the quarters alongside Wehrlein and Rene Rast.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Guenther, P2: Dennis, P3: Wehrlein, P4: Vergne, P5: Vandoorne, P6: Mortara, P7: Frijns, P8: Rast, P9: Muller and P10: Cassidy.

    Round 10-

    Long time standings leader, Pascal Wehrlein, lost top spot in the table last time out in Monaco but stamped his authority on the Gulavit Jakarta E-Prix, Round 10 with a controlled victory.

    With the TAG Heuer Porsche driver, leading Jake Dennis (Avalanche Andretti) and Maximilian Guenther (Maserati MSG Racing).

    Porsche’s Wehrlein started third and traded places for the lead with polesitter, Maximilian Guenther over the opening third of the E-Prix having first made his way by his compatriot on Lap 4.

    Dennis started second and finished second, with not quite enough in his Avalanche Andretti car to overpower the factory Porsche 99X Electric of Wehrlein out-front. His charge wasn’t helped by a late push by Guenther, who was trying to hassle the Brit for second.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Wehrlein, P2: Dennis, P3: Guenther, P4: Vandoorne, P5: Vergne, P6: Mortara, P7: Cassidy, P8: Da Costa, P9: Frijns and P10: Hughes.

  • Round 2 – Diriyah E-Prix

    Round 2 is complete, lets take a look at all the action from our first race of the double header.

    FP1-

    A little bit of rain didn’t dampen an action-packed Free Practice 1, with Jaguar TCS Racing’s Sam Bird topping the timesheets.

    Less than a second split the top 10 runners, with DS PENSKE’s Jean-Eric Vergne slotting himself into second and his teammate Stoffel Vandoorne placing himself in fourth. Mitch Evans crossed the line third to make it a one-three result for team.

    There was early drama as Rast was attempting to pass the reigning champion, but ended up making contact with Vandoorne’s car.

    FP2-

    Dan Ticktum led the pack with a time of 1m 10.099s – the first time he’s topped a Formula E session. The Briton also made an impressive 0.202s gap to Envision Racing’s Sebastien Buemi in second place behind.

    The Jaguar TCS Racing powertains looked strong, Mitch Evans crossed the chequered flag third, and teammate Sam Bird followed in fifth.

    Unfortunately for the ABT CUPRA of Nico Mueller, his session was brought to a half after whacking his Gen3 machine into a barrier. The heavy damage, which was sustained to the rear left of the car, saw him immediately forced to pull over and come to a stop.

    Qualifying-

    Envision Racing’s Sebastien Buemi fired to Julius Baer Pole Position for his 100th Formula E race at the CORE Diriyah E-Prix – Round 2, as he beat rookie, Jake Hughes at the last minute.

    Hughes was told to push harder on his outlap to get the temperature up to a more optimal temp, he earlier pipped third-placed Dan Ticktum in the NIO 333 and Lucas Di Grassi (in the quarters).

    Hughes hung it all out on his hot lap and over the half way point of the lap there was nothing between either driver… The McLaren racer pulled it out of the bag over the final sector to fend of a determined Buemi but the Swiss bit back, as he went ahead with a perfect Sector 3.

    Round 2-

    Pascal Wehrlein stormed from ninth to the race win in the 2023 Diriyah E-Prix Round 2, with standings leader Jake Dennis following home in second after working his way through the pack aswell.

    The move for the lead came on Lap 30 at Turn 16, with Bird unable to hold back Wehrlein – both driver and car looking monstrous for a second race on the spin.

    Dennis in the Porsche-powered Avalanche Andretti took the fight all the way to the line all the way back in 11th on the grid but he couldn’t find a way past the race leader.

    Sam Bird was overjoyed to make the podium for the first time since winning in New York City back in Season 7 – calling it a ‘mini victory’ for himself and Jaguar after a tough Season 8 for the Brit.

    The full top 10 are: P1: Wehrlein, P2: Dennis, P3: Bird, P4: Buemi, P5: Rast, P6: Cassidy, P7: Vergne, P8: Hughes, P9: Lotterer and P10: Evans.