Wehrlein not "surprised" with his speed in the Race at Home Challenge

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Wehrlein not "surprised" with his speed in the Race at Home Challenge

Wehrlein not surprised with his speed in the Race at Home Challenge

All the talk of the ABB Formula E Race at Home Challenge in support of UNICEF has been about Maximilian Guenther's winning streak and "king of Qualifying" Stoffel Vandoorne, but Pascal Wehrlein is quietly and confidently waiting in the wings.

Mahindra Racing's Wehrlein was absent from the test round of the ABB Formula E Race at Home Challenge, having not been ready with a simulator at his home in Switzerland.

The German was an unknown for the first round on the virtual streets of Hong Kong, but Qualifying saw him start alongside pole-sitter Vandoorne (Mercedes-Benz EQ) on the front row and then a third-place finish in his debut sim race meant the Mahindra man was now one to watch. 

"I wasn't that surprised as I spend so much of my time in the simulator, not only at Mahindra Racing but also in my role at Ferrari so expected to be fast in a virtual race," said Wehrlein on his speed ahead of the third round of the Race at Home Challenge.

He added: "I got my simulator quite late – on the Tuesday before the first race - so I didn’t have much time to get used to it and get it set up, so I probably spent about five hours practicing before the race."

The next round was at the fast and flowing Electric Docks circuit. Wehrlein was chasing his compatriot Guenther (BMW i Andretti Motorsport) for the win until a collision at the chicane dropped him down the field. It was still another impressive performance, as he ended the race with the TAG Heuer Fastest Lap.

With the Race at Home Challenge now returning to Monaco for the third round, Wehrlein still remains in contention, sitting in third place in the standings and 10 points behind Race at Home Challenge leader Guenther.

Drivers and their dogs have been the stars of the Race at Home Challenge and Wehrlein has also been getting some support from a four-legged friend in the virtual races.

"She's not actually my dog, she belongs to my neighbour," said Wehrlein, "But she quite often comes to visit and gets so excited when I’m racing on the simulator, always running around and trying to jump on my lap! Her name’s Emma."

 
 
 
 
 
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The German driver has taken to interior design whilst in lockdown, taking this time to recharge and sort out his apartment in the picturesque surroundings of Lake Constance in Switzerland.

"I’ve actually been waiting for some time to do some work on my apartment," says Wehrlein, "So the lockdown has enabled me to do a lot of jobs that I’ve not had the time to do before.

"I’ve done work to pretty much every room now. I’ve built myself a closet for my shoes, a dressing room and have converted my office into a gym. I’ve also got a new wooden dining table which I helped design."

Aside from the renovations to his apartment, Wehrlein is keeping fit in anticipation for a return to racing action, he said: "I’m spending most of my time training. We are lucky in Switzerland that we are still allowed outside to exercise so I’ve been spending a lot of time mountain biking."