Race 15
Pascal Wehrlein (GER) rounded off this good team result with sixth place. For Porsche, this was the second-best team result of the season. As the best German, Pascal Wehrlein wrapped up the first Formula E world championship season in eleventh place, with André Lotterer on 17th. Porsche achieved eighth place in the team classification.
Thanks to a strong qualifying performance, the Porsche drivers secured favourable grid spots for their home race. André Lotterer took up the race from seventh on the 2.355-kilometre racetrack in the German capital, which was driven in the opposite direction on Sunday, with Pascal Wehrlein on tenth. An accident shortly after the start resulted in the cars having to return to the pit lane. When the race restarted after about 20 minutes behind the safety car, the Porsche 99X Electric racers steadily made up one position after the other and settled in among the leading pack.
Over many laps, the two drove in convoy, one directly behind the other. Although, as on Saturday, André Lotterer was unable to utilise a good two minutes of his attack mode to continue overtaking due to a safety car phase, he ultimately secured fourth place thanks to a strong final push shortly before the flag. Pascal Wehrlein gained four positions and crossed the finish line in sixth place.
Comments on the Berlin E-Prix, Race 15
Amiel Lindesay, Head of Operations Formula E: “We narrowly missed out on the Super Pole by five-thousandths of a second. André put in a strong drive. Still, we simply have to do better in qualifying so that we can convert our good racing performance into top results. We’ll keep working on that. The race itself went well. It’s a shame that the safety car came out during Andrè’s second attack mode. This meant he wasn’t able to use all of the additional energy, otherwise he could’ve gained another two positions. All in all, that was a good conclusion to the season today. We were able to create some positive momentum but at the end of the day we fell a little short of our expectations.”
André Lotterer, Porsche-Werksfahrer (#36): “It’s always annoying to miss the podium by such a slim margin. Still, most of the time I was able to drive among the main group and I had to be careful that no one hit my car. My overtaking move at the end was pretty tight but it worked – it’s simply a shame that it was too late to go for the podium. The positive experiences of this season make us optimistic about the future.”
Pascal Wehrlein, Porsche-Werksfahrer (#99): “That was a good race. Our car had a decent pace and I could make up several positions. It was a strong result for the team, even though we could’ve probably done better today. It’s a shame that the season is over. We’ve made great progress recently and we’ve regularly finished in the points, especially during the second half of the season. I’m already looking forward to next year.”
Race 14
Season 7 of the world’s first electric racing series concludes on Sunday with another race on the circuit in Germany’s capital, albeit this time driven in the opposite direction. Last year in Berlin, André Lotterer (GER) climbed the podium. This time, he took up the penultimate event of the season from P14. In the race, drivers could only activate a single attack mode and call on additional energy for eight minutes.
In sunshine and high summer temperatures, the seasoned specialist was consistently fast and managed to finish in the points. Things did not go so smoothly for his teammate Pascal Wehrlein (GER), who travelled to Berlin with a theoretical chance at claiming the title: Starting from the ninth grid spot, a rival made contact with his Porsche 99X Electric in lap nine which caused a puncture. As a result, he was relegated far down the field and ultimately took the flag in 21st place.
Comments on the Berlin E-Prix
Amiel Lindesay, Head of Operations Formula E: “Today wasn’t our day. We’d definitely expected more at our home race. But through no fault of their own, things didn’t go so well for our drivers. A competitor hit the rear of Pascal’s car and he had to pit for a tyre change. Although the crew did a good job and got him back on the track within the same lap, the gap to the top was still too big. André drove a solid race and made up several positions. Unluckily, the safety car was deployed during his attack mode, so he wasn’t able to use a large portion of his extra energy. All in all, that was a difficult day for us. We’ll analyse everything during the night to see what we can improve on for tomorrow.”
André Lotterer, Porsche works driver (#36): “That wasn’t an easy race. I got away well at the start but was held up in the traffic a bit. I managed to quickly regain my position and was really pleased with my car. But when the safety car came out on the track, I still had two minutes left in attack mode, and that obviously prevented me from catching the leaders and achieving an even better result. Tomorrow we’ll try to start the race further up the grid. Then a successful end of the season is possible, which the team definitely deserves.”
Pascal Wehrlein, Porsche works driver (#99): “The race actually started pretty well. My start was good. I was in attack mode when Oliver (Rowland) hit my car and damaged my left rear tyre. As a result, I had to pit and lost almost a lap. I couldn’t do a thing from this position. It’s a shame, but I have to now let that go. I’ll attack again at tomorrow’s final round of the season.”
Next up
Race 15 in Berlin gets underway on Sunday, 15 August. The worldwide broadcasting schedule of the Formula E event in London is available on: https://www.fiaformulae.com/watch/ways-to-watch.
The preview: Q&A on the Berlin E-Prix
The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is on the home stretch: at the Berlin E-Prix on 14th and 15th August, season seven of the world’s electric racing series will draw to a close with two races. It promises to be the most gripping season finale in Formula E history – because on the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit, no less than 18 drivers will have a chance to claim the title. Pascal Wehrlein (GER) from the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team still has a shot in the title chase with the Porsche 99X Electric at his home race: ranking 11th in the drivers’ classification, he sits just 24 points behind the championship leader – and in Berlin, up to 60 points (30 per race day) are up for grabs.
The city on the Spree River is the perfect venue for the final showdown of the first official Formula E World Championship. It is the only location where the innovative racing series has been contested every year since its first 2014/2015 season. Drivers and teams can also look forward to a premiere: for the first time, two races on different track configurations will be held over one Formula E weekend. Berlin is also worth a visit for fans this year – up to 5,500 spectators per race can witness the title decision live from the grandstands.
The TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team aims to finish its second Formula E season on a high in the German capital with Pascal Wehrlein and André Lotterer (GER) driving their Porsche 99X Electric racers. “Anything is possible at this finale,” says Amiel Lindesay, Head of Operations Formula E. “We want to produce the best result of the season in Berlin and redeem positions as high up the ladder as possible in the world championship.”
Amiel Lindesay (Head of Operations Formula E)
What experiences and insights will you take with you from this season to the final races in Berlin?
“As a team, we’re a lot stronger than we were 12 months ago. We’ve worked hard to continue improving. We scored points recently, and we’ve shown that we can deal with tricky situations well. Quali let us down slightly but we stayed positive knowing we have the car and the team to consistently run at the front. The competition in the world championship is tough and a fraction of a second in qualifying or a small mistake in the race can cost a podium. In Berlin, we want to make full use of our potential.”
How do you assess the current situation in the world championship? Does Pascal still have a chance to win the title as the best-placed Porsche driver?
In theory, 18 drivers still have the chance to become world champion, and Pascal is one of them. He’s within striking distance of the top and can secure a good grid position for the first race in the quali’ group two. If he can do this, anything’s possible. It’ll definitely be an exciting final!”
Instead of the usual doubleheader, two races will be held in Berlin on two different track layouts. How does this affect the preparation and the race?
“Racing on two different layouts basically means twice the usual pre-race preparation. However, the track layouts are the same as in season 6, which suits us obviously. We did some intensive preparation work in the simulator and we were able to access real data. Actually, this is only the second time we’ve returned to a course that we’ve already driven. The different layouts make the races a really exciting package for the fans. Berlin will be a real showdown to conclude a great season.”
What are your expectations for the season finale?
“We want to move up the championship standings to merit where we should be at the end of the first Formula E World Championship season. We had a lot of good opportunities to score points. We should be much higher up than we currently are. Now we want to gain a few positions. That’s our goal in Berlin.”
André Lotterer (Porsche works driver, #36)
You climbed the podium in Berlin last year. How excited are you about returning?
“As a German team, obviously the races in Berlin are the most important of the year. I was on the podium last season and if we get everything right, we’ll definitely have a good chance of repeating that success. It would be even better, of course, to celebrate our first victory in Berlin.”
How have things improved compared to last year?
“We’ve gained a wealth of experience this season and have grown as a team. As a result, we’re competing under completely different and better conditions this time. We have the potential to win races and that’s our goal for Berlin.”
Pascal Wehrlein (Porsche works driver, #99)
The thrilling title chase will go down to the wire at the season finale. How do you rate your chances and what makes a home race so special?
“The fact that we’re still within striking distance of the front on the last race weekend is a success in itself. But we want more. We’re certainly not the favourites in the fight for the title, but with two strong races, a lot is possible. In any case, we’ll do our absolute best to ensure that we make a decent leap up the points table. To compete in Germany and particularly in front of home crowds is exactly the right motivation.”
In Berlin, the first race goes in one direction, and the second race in the other direction. Will this take some getting used to?
“That’s quite a challenge. I drove one of the track layouts two years ago, the other one is new to me. Still, I think I can quickly familiarise myself with the track and be strong on both days. We’ve driven both layouts in the simulator. We worked on a baseline setup and we prepared for effective energy management.”
The circuit
Formula E is always good for a surprise, and the season finale in Berlin is no exception: on the 2.355-kilometre Tempelhof Airport Street Course, race 14 on Saturday will be contested on the original layout, with race 15 on Sunday running in the opposite direction. “The course is not particularly exciting. It’s very flat, most of the 10 corners are long and sweeping, and the asphalt feels almost like it’s cobblestone. That means there’s not a lot of grip,” says Pascal Wehrlein. André Lotterer adds: “I know both track layouts from last season. They’re very special and the asphalt temperatures are likely to be very high. So, we’re allowed to use two sets of tyres for each race.”
Live TV and Internet coverage
The worldwide broadcasting schedule of the Formula E event in Berlin is available via https://www.fiaformulae.com/watch/ways-to-watch.
The media service
The first photos from Berlin are available on the Porsche Press Database on 13 August. Comments from the Head of Operations Formula E and drivers will be included in the race reports on 14 August (race 14) and 15 August (race 15). Further information about the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team will be posted live on the Twitter channel @PorscheFormulaE. All relevant information about the team, the drivers and the racing series can be found in the Porsche Formula E Media Guide Porsche Formel E Media Guide. The content will be regularly updated over the course of the season and expanded with additional interactive material.
The Porsche 99X Electric
The TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team contests its second Formula E season in 2021 with the Porsche 99X Electric. André Lotterer celebrated a successful racing debut in November 2019, finishing second at the season-opening race in Diriyah after meticulous preparation: a dream start and proof that Porsche had a competitive vehicle right from the outset with the Porsche 99X Electric. This was impressively underlined by the first pole position in Mexico City and another second place on home turf in Berlin. Formula E is the world’s first fully-electric street racing series and, as an accelerator for innovative and sustainable mobility technologies, it has brought thrilling motorsport to people living in major cities since 2014. This season, in which a driver and team world champion will be crowned for the first time, more automobile manufacturers compete than in any other racing series. As such, the races are fascinating and fiercely contested.
Formula E
Formula E is the world’s first fully-electric street racing series and has been treating people living in major cities to thrilling motorsport since 2014. As an accelerator for innovative and sustainable technologies of mobility, it promotes the worldwide acceptance of electric vehicles with the aim to counteract climate change. The format is compact: practice, qualifying and race all take place on one day. Each race is contested over 45 minutes plus one lap. Formula E, which features a team and driver world championship for the first time this year, has attracted more automobile manufacturers than any other racing series. This makes for interesting and hotly contested races. In 2021, the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team tackles its second season running the Porsche 99X Electric.