At its New York City premiere, the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team harvested valuable championship points. In the No. 36 Porsche 99X Electric, André Lotterer (GER) crossed the finish line eighth on the Red Hook Circuit – the 2.320-kilometre street course with a view of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. His teammate Pascal Wehrlein (GER/#99) was unable to finish race ten of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, which was held in sunshine and temperatures of around 35-degrees Celsius on Saturday.
At race 11 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship through the streets of Brooklyn, the Porsche 99X Electric von Pascal Wehrlein (GER/No. 99) and André Lotterer (GER/No. 36) remained within striking distance of the top most of the time. At the flag, they narrowly missed out on claiming the third podium result of the season after Rome and Valencia
Race 10
Taking up the race from the tenth grid spot, André Lotterer drove a solid race through the streets of Brooklyn. He managed to make up two positions and thus earned points for the first time since Valencia. Pascal Wehrlein, who had crossed the finish line first in Puebla, once again secured a commendable grid spot for the New York City E-Prix. Putting in a strong drive, he once again qualified for Super Pole and lined up for the race on the third grid row in sixth place. After a promising first third of the race, he ran into the back of a competitor after selecting attack mode for the second time and had to retire.
Comments on the New York City E-Prix, Race 10
Amiel Lindesay, Head of Operations Formula E: “Like in Mexico, we again showed our potential here in New York City. Pascal did a mega job coming from the second quali group and made it through to Super Pole. In the race, he took the second attack mode, which means he could brake a bit later, his front tires locked and he went into the back of another car. Unfortunately, suspension damage signaled the end of his race. It’s a shame because he could definitely have been among the top contenders. Like Pascal, André had to start on the dirty side of the track. Still, he drove a solid and efficient race and brought home points. We’ll be back in the fight on Sunday. Credit must be given to the team for handling the battery temperatures so well. They did a great job in doing this in such hot conditions with no noticeable performance offset.”
André Lotterer, Porsche works driver (#36): “I finished in the points and I’m satisfied with that result. I had a good race and I made the most of my options. Our car handled well on the challenging track and I think we can do better on Sunday.”
Pascal Wehrlein, Porsche works driver (#99): “I’m disappointed. It was clearly my mistake. I activated attack mode for the second time, braked later than the car in front of me, the brakes suddenly locked up and I couldn’t swerve in time. Luckily we have another chance on Sunday, which we’ll hopefully make better use of.”
Race 11
Both Porsche 99X Electric made it into the Super Pole for the first time. Pascal Wehrlein took up the race on the Red Hook Circuit from the fourth grid spot, with his teammate André Lotterer on sixth. The pair made it through the hectic start with a safety car phase in the very first lap unscathed and settled in behind the leading group. In the final laps, they made up positions and joined the pack fighting for podium spots behind the leader: At the flag, less than three seconds separated them from claiming a podium step.
Comments on the New York City E-Prix, Race 11
Amiel Lindesay, Head of Operations Formula E: “It was a good day for Porsche. For the first time, we had two cars in the Super Pole, that was a strong team effort. The race wasn’t easy for the team because both cars were up at the front, but we’ve shown that we can handle it. Pascal’s first attack mode perhaps didn’t come at the best time, but in the end, it’s the team performance and the points that count. We’re on our way up the championship rankings. Pascal is on ninth, just 21 points behind the leader. Everything is still open.”
André Lotterer, Porsche works driver (#36): “We can be very satisfied with this team effort. But there’s still a bitter feeling that we had the potential to finish on the podium today. Our cars were set up well and very fast, but we had to allow an opponent to pass in attack mode and we weren’t able to counterattack. It’s a shame because a podium would obviously have been nicer. Now we have to try to do even better in London.”
Pascal Wehrlein, Porsche works driver (#99): “We earned important points for the team. Still, we always want the maximum, and more would definitely have been possible today. We had the potential for this. But right now we’re pleased with the strong team result. We’ll analyze where we can make improvements and come back even stronger in London. We’re definitely heading in the right direction.”
Next race
The next event for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team is the London E-Prix on 24/25 July with races 12 and 13 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. Click here to see the provisional calendar of the FIA Formula E World Championship.
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Edited Porsche factory presss release.
Pictures courtesy Porsche AG.
