Preview
The five races of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship season so far have yielded five different winners – the last time this happened was in the 2019/2020 season. However, when it comes to the winning cars, the Porsche 99X Electric leads the way: With the electric race car developed in the net CO2-neutral facility in Weissach, Pascal Wehrlein won the season opener in Mexico and Jake Dennis crossed the finish line first in Saudi Arabia.
Pascal Wehrlein’s teammate, António Félix da Costa, will helm the second Porsche 99X Electric entered by the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team in Misano. For Andretti Formula E, the racing team owned by American motorsport legend Michael Andretti, Norman Nato will compete alongside Jake Dennis.
The drivers’ standings also reflect just how fierce the competition has been during the first five races. Pascal Wehrlein leads this classification with 63 points followed by Nick Cassidy (NZL, 61 points), Oliver Rowland (GBR, 54 points) and Jake Dennis (53 points). António Félix da Costa (20 points) ranks eleventh, with Norman Nato (17 points) on P14. The TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team lies second in the team standings with 83 points and managed to reduce the advantage of team leader Jaguar to 17 points. Andretti Formula E ranks third with 70 points.
The schedule for the doubleheader event in Misano includes an additional free practice session, the so-called FP0. Teams are only permitted to enter rookie drivers who have not yet contested a Formula E race. Matt Campbell will turn his first laps in the Porsche 99X Electric for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team. For many years, the Australian has been one of the most successful Porsche drivers in the various racing series. At the wheel of the Porsche 911 RSR, he notched up class victories at Le Mans (2018) and Sebring (2021). One of his greatest successes to date was the overall victory in the prestigious 24 Hours of Daytona in January, where he triumphed with Porsche Penske Motorsport in the Porsche 963.
Comments on the Misano E-Prix
Florian Modlinger, Director Factory Motorsport Formula E: “Unlike the street circuit in Tokyo, Misano is a permanent racetrack which is adapted to motorbike racing. We’re looking forward to it, especially since we’ve already shown this season that we’re competitive on all types of circuits. The field is very tight with four manufacturers having won so far. However, Porsche is the only manufacturer with two victories. In Tokyo recently, all four Porsche 99X Electric cars finished in the top six, which was a very strong result. We’re eager to see how Matt Campbell performs in our car during rookie practice and look forward to hearing his impressions.”
Pascal Wehrlein, Porsche works driver (#94): “The pace was good throughout the weekend in Tokyo. We have to build on that in Misano. The track has fewer bumps and faster corners than a street circuit. I’ve raced there before in the DTM but it’ll be a completely different story in a Formula E car. This will be an important weekend because there are two races and thus double the points up for grabs. The fact that I’m leading the drivers’ standings shows that we’re doing a good job as a team. But we’re aware that the season is still long.”
António Félix da Costa, Porsche works driver (#13): “We shifted the momentum in our favour in São Paulo and Tokyo. We made progress in qualifying and also improved in the race. We’ll build on this for the rest of the season. Misano should be a good race for the team. Energy management will play a bigger role on this track, which is good news for us, and so far we’ve always looked good on new circuits. As a doubleheader, Misano offers the opportunity to take home a lot of points.”
The racetrack
Formula E will race on a shorter 3.381-kilometre version of the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, which is designed for motorcycles and named after the Italian MotoGP legend. The classic racetrack on the Adriatic is the longest on the 2024 Formula E calendar by now. It features 14 corners and, by Formula E standards, many high-speed passages. This makes energy management all the more important – which bodes well for an electrifying race.
Live TV and Internet coverage
The worldwide broadcasting schedule of the Formula E events is available at https://fiaformulae.com/watch/ways-to-watch. Race 6 in Misano gets underway on 13 April at 3:03 pm CEST. Race 7 on 14 April starts at the same time. The qualifying kicks off at 10:20 am CEST on both race days.
The Media Service
The race reports will be released 13 April (race 6) and 14 April (race 7). All information about the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team will be posted live on the X-channel (formerly Twitter) @PorscheFormulaE. All relevant information about the team, the drivers and the racing series can be found here. The content will be regularly updated throughout the season and expanded with additional interactive material.
Porsche in Formula E
The TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team tackles its fifth Formula E season with the Porsche 99X Electric, which was developed at the Weissach facility, which operates on a net carbon-neutral basis. Thanks to four victories courtesy of Pascal Wehrlein (3) and António Félix da Costa (1), 2023 was the most successful year since the sports car manufacturer entered the all-electric racing series. For the first time last season, Porsche supported a customer team, Andretti Formula E. The squad promptly won the world championship title with the Porsche 99X Electric and Jake Dennis. With the all-electric Taycan Turbo S, Porsche again supplies the official safety car in 2024, thus underlining the importance of Formula E for Porsche Motorsport.