Pascal Wehrlein says his victory in Round 3 of the Formula E championship in Mexico City was "payback" for past races
ByTNT Sports
Updated 13/02/2022 at 08:46 GMT
Season 8 of the all-electric racing series returned to Mexico City for the first time in two years, with the track being used as a Covid-19 vaccination centre during the early stages of the pandemic. The packed grandstands were treated to a pulsating race as Wehrlein produced a sublime lights-to-flag victory, with TAG Heuer Porsche teammate Andre Lotterer finishing second.
Pascal Wehrlein
Image credit: Getty Images
TAG Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein said it was “payback” in Mexico City as he exercised some demons to win an exhilarating race at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit in Round 3 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
The country has been a cursed ground for Wehrlein. In Season 5, the German secured pole position and led for much of the race only for an energy miscalculation to deny him victory literally metres before the finish line, before a post-race time penalty pushed him back to sixth place.
This was followed up by an even more agonising result in Puebla last year, when his first race victory in Formula E was taken away due to a technical infraction, causing Wehrlein to be disqualified from the race altogether.
But the 27-year-old left all that behind him with a stunning performance to deliver a first victory for himself and his team on Saturday.
“That was really satisfying,” he said. “With all the history I have here in Mexico it feels amazing to have the first victory for me and the team.
“I am so grateful for this team, I really love them, the car was amazing, and Andre did an amazing job. Today was our day, so let’s celebrate this evening.
“It was very important for me [to win here], I have raced here a couple of times in the Championship and been close so many times. Here in Mexico last year was heart-breaking to finish in P1 but then get disqualified. It was payback this weekend and it feels amazing!”
Porsche executed the perfect race, with Wehrlein leading from Julius Baer Pole Position and fending off standings leader Edoardo Mortara (ROKiT Venturi Racing) early on. The pair did drop into the pack behind the Swiss-Italian and Jean-Eric Vergne (DS TECHEETAH) for a brief period but gained a mighty energy advantage on the rest while still matching the leaders’ pace.
Into the final 15 minutes, Wehrlein and Lotterer picked their moment and dispatched Vergne and then Mortara for the lead, and from there, the Stuttgart manufacturer dictated in both pace and energy management.
By the chequered flag, Wehrlein and Lotterer had nine seconds in-hand on the rest and were able to soak in the adulations of the tens of thousands of fans packing the famous Foro Sol stadium as they toured to the finish line – more than making amends for the heartbreak in Puebla last season.
Vergne was able to bring the DS home in third, with teammate da Costa battling to fourth after a number of skirmishes. Mortara did enough to retain the Drivers’ World Championship lead with fifth – the Venturi more marginal on energy than the Porsches and DS’ as the race wore on.
Reigning champion Nyck de Vries (Mercedes-EQ) scrapped to sixth, a second ahead of Envision Racing’s Robin Frijns.
Sebastien Buemi (Nissan e.dams) showed a stronger turn this time out to take eighth and points, just ahead of teammate Maximilian Guenther and Jake Dennis (Avalanche Andretti).
Mortara heads the Drivers’ standings by five points over de Vries, with Wehrlein jumping to third with the Round 3 race win.
The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship continues with Rounds 4 and 5 in Rome, Italy, on April 9 and 10.
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