In the drivers’ classification of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, Pascal Wehrlein ranks ninth after 12 of 16 races with 63 points. André Lotterer is tenth with the same points tally. In the team classification, the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team lies in sixth place with 126 points.
Race 11
After making it into qualifying semi-finals on the 2.320-kilometre Brooklyn Street Circuit, Pascal Wehrlein started the race from the fourth spot on the grid. At the wheel of his Porsche 99X Electric, he maintained contact to the leading pack over the entire distance – until torrential rain saw the race red-flagged with 7:35 minutes plus one lap remaining on the clock. While the drivers in front of him crashed into the barriers due to unexpected aquaplaning, he managed to brake in time, only to be rear-ended hard by a competitor. Starting from P17, André Lotterer was at times able to progress to eleventh place. However, when the race was stopped, he was classified out of the points. In accordance with the regulations, the position of the race one lap before the red flag determined the final results.
Comments on the New York City E-Prix, Race 11
Florian Modlinger, Director Factory Motorsport Formula E: “That was a difficult day for us. We were very pleased with Pascal’s qualifying performance, P4 is a decent starting position. André wasn’t able to set a time on his second qualifying run. We were at the limit with the timing, but if everyone had played fairly, he would still have posted his time. In the last sector, some of the competitors slowed down, which meant the last one is dropped off and this time that was us. It wasn’t ideal and we have to see how we can improve on this in the future. When the track suddenly flooded during the race, the rear of Pascal’s car was shunted hard before turn 6, which pushed him into the wall. André managed to make it back to the pits, and could’ve rejoined the race in P8. However, unfortunately he was denied this chance. We now have to ensure that we get both cars into the qualifying duels tomorrow and then take some points home with us.”
Pascal Wehrlein, Porsche works driver (#94): “All in all, it was actually a good day. Qualifying for the semi-finals and P4 was promising. Unfortunately, I had to start on the dirty side of the track, which meant I didn’t get off the line as cleanly and I lost positions. My race pace was good and I managed to catch the leading group. Then chaos hit. I was running in sixth when someone hit me from behind. Since the position from the previous lap counts, I was classified in P7. Looking at it from this point of view, I’m obviously not pleased.” *
André Lotterer, Porsche works driver (#36): “No points today, unfortunately. Things looked good in free practice, my car was fast. But then I encountered a problem in qualifying which prevented me from doing any more laps because of the traffic and so I had to start from P17. I battled my way up the order and was within reach of the points, but then the race was red-flagged. Tomorrow is another day. I hope that everything goes smoothly and we are able to turn the potential of our car into a good result.”
Race 12
The sun shone on the 2.320-kilometre Brooklyn Street Circuit on Sunday, after a chaotic rained-out race on Saturday which resulted in the race finishing earlier than anticipated. Following a strong qualifying performance and a spot in the semi-finals, André Lotterer started the race in his Porsche 99X Electric from P3. However, he got a slow start off the line and lost eight positions. Putting in a strong drive, he still finished in the points with ninth place. Pascal Wehrlein made a spirited charge from P20 on the grid and made up nine places. Ultimately finishing eleventh, he narrowly missed out on collecting points.
Comments on the New York City E-Prix, Race 12
Florian Modlinger, Director Factory Motorsport Formula E: “In free practice we laid a decent foundation for the qualifying. André achieved a very strong grid position after reaching the semi-finals. However we have to apologise to Pascal – after his accident in Saturday’s race, we changed the powertrain and then experienced problems in the qualifying, which meant he had to start from P20. The race went badly at the start, with André not getting away well from P3 and losing a few positions. He had to work his way through the field after dropping down to eleventh and, in doing so, he underlined that he had a competitive car. Pascal also drove a solid race and narrowly missed out on earning points with eleventh place. All in all, we’re not happy with two points, obviously. In the last four races of the season in London and Seoul, we now have to bring home one or two very good individual results.”
André Lotterer, Porsche works driver (#36): “I’m so disappointed with this result. I had a phenomenal spot on the grid with P3, but then I messed up the start procedure a bit. My foot slipped off the start pedal and then hit the brakes to avoid being penalised with a jump start. As a result, I lost a few positions. At least I stayed in the race and earned two more points. That’s such a shame, the car was so good. More would have been possible today.”
Pascal Wehrlein, Porsche works driver (#94): “Best to forget about today. In my first qualifying run, I landed in P2 and that looked promising. We had a problem, so we changed the setup for the second run. I couldn’t improve my time, but that didn’t matter because the lap times were voided anyway. I started the race from P20 and finished eleventh. I did all I could but because of the qualifying, I couldn’t do more today unfortunately. Today was a day we weren’t able to showcase our potential.”
Next up
The next event for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team is the London E-Prix with rounds 13 and 14 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. Clicking here brings you to the full calendar of the 2022 Season of the Formula E Season.
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Edited Porsche factory press release.
Pictures courtesy Porsche AG
