2024 Formula E DRIVERS’ World Champion with TAG Heuer Porsche

May 01, 2023

WEHRLEIN TAKES PRECIOUS POINTS TO RETAIN FORMULA E LEAD

The second race of the Berlin e-prix on Sunday, April 23, was an event of mixed fortunes for Monaco Increase Management driver Pascal Wehrlein. After qualifying P6 and leading several laps in the first half of the 40-lap race, and despite an accurate energy management strategy from both the drivers and the Team, both Porsche 99X cars suffered from an apparent lack of performance in the final stages and Wehrlein crossed the finish line in 7th position, a result which allows him to retain the lead in the Championship after eight rounds. Overall, the MIM driver collected a total of 14 points in his ‘home’ weekend, continuing his consistent streak of races in the points, but clearly, he had hoped for more.

Qualifying on Sunday started on a wet track which did not make things any easier for the 22 contenders. This was the first time the all-weather Hankook tires were tested in rainy conditions in a race event and Wehrlein easily passed the preliminary stage by taking second best in Group A’s time sheets, but then succumbed in the quarter finals to Nico Müller’s surprisingly competitive Abt Cupra car. The start of the race was pretty straightforward and Wehrlein kept P6 for the fist eight laps before passing Robert Frjins. When the racers in the lead started to use their Attack Modes, Pascal chose not do to so, thus gaining position until a good passing move on Müller gave him the lead of the race. From there on it was a case of carefully managing pace and energy, but as said before, the Porsche 99Xs did not seem as efficient today as they had been in almost all previous rounds of the championship and in the end he managed a seventh place which earned him six more points. Wehrlein hasn’t relinquished the lead of the points standings since the Diriyah weekend last January and now has 100 point against Cassidy’s 96 as the Formula E championship heads to Monaco Increase Management home turf for the race in Montecarlo in two weeks’ time.