Back-to-back winner Wehrlein: 'Diriyah a weekend I'll never forget'

Join Formula E

Sign in or create your Formula E account

It's quick, easy and free to sign up

You'll get access to:

  • Helmet

    News. Analysis. Exclusive Features

  • Schedule

    Priority Booking. Early Bird Pricing

  • Trophy

    Competitions. Discounts. Experiences

  • Podium

    Predict. Vote. Win.

TO CONTINUE READING...

You will need to sign in or create a Formula E account.

Back-to-back winner Wehrlein: 'Diriyah a weekend I'll never forget'

In historic Ad-Diriyah, TAG Heuer Porsche and Pascal Wehrlein managed an achievement that's only ever been seen four times before in the history of ABB FIA Formula E: winning both races in a double-header weekend.

Wehrlein Porsche Diriyah

The Porsche driver claimed the lead in the Drivers' World Championship after following up on a perfect Round 2 performance which saw him fly through the top 10 to the race win on Friday.

The 28-year-old has a habit of making it look almost easy once he hits the front, but Wehrlein had to fight his way through from from fifth on the grid this time - an improved qualifying slot from ninth ahead of race one. In a carbon copy of the race a day priort, from there, he managed to keep the feisty Avalanche Andretti of Jake Dennis behind him with peerless pace and energy management - leaving enough usable energy in-hand for a sprint to the chequered flag.

Hailing the overall weekend as "incredible", he holds the standings lead as we head to Hyderabad, India, 11 February - while Porsche narrows the gap two two points in the Teams' running, to customer outfit Andretti.

"Our race pace was incredible again," Wehrlein stated after the back-to-back victories. "We had the perfect strategy using the ATTACK MODE at the right time, and not having to use it again after the Safety Car was crucial. What can I say? Just amazing. All the hard work finally pays off, and I'm so proud of my team.

"This weekend will be one I will never forget. Two wins are an unbelievable success and the whole team gave a fantastic performance over the weekend. Everybody worked hard for this and I'm incredibly proud of the team. We had the pace and the perfect strategy - we used ATTACK MODE at exactly the right time."

One for the record books

Winning both his races in Diriyah from starting outside the top four, something that's not happened in consecutive Formula E races since Season 4, the German driver said that today's race was the most challenging of his two GEN3 victories.

"I would say race one was a bit more exciting because I had more cars to pass but Round 3 was not easy - it was even a bit more difficult.

"Obviously, the others learned from yesterday. Sam Bird (Jaguar TCS Racing) had quite a lot of energy in the end but still had to take his ATTACK MODE. So that probably saved us a little bit. But you could clearly see that they made steps forward today, and it was a bit more difficult today. It means we can't rest on our laurels."

This new-found consistent success has been a long-time coming for Wehrlein, who celebrated his 50th Formula E race start on Friday.

Making his debut in the all-electric championship at the 2019 Marrakesh E-Prix, he'd only ever earnt two top-two finishes before this season; a win in Mexico last year and a podium in Rome back in Season 7. He's already made it on the podium in all three events this season - very impressive!

Da Costa's struggles

The Season 6 champion said post-weekend that "we aren't quite where I'd like us to be", with some poor luck seeing him punted out of race one at the second corner as the field squeezed through, forcing him to pit for a new nose.

Da Costa Diriyah

Race two was better despite qualifying only 17th, the Portuguese recovering to 11th and the cusp of points. So, a non-score, but he's sure with the car beneath him it's just a matter of time.

"It's another terrific day for Porsche," he said. "Congratulations to Pascal and the whole team. Things went a little better for me in Round 3 but we're not there yet - it's just a question of time as we have a fantastic car. 

"I'm highly motivated and I know I have a superb team behind me - the successes will come."