Problematic Marrakesh race sees Porsche leave point-less

Problems for TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E driver Pascal Wehrlein saw the German driver slip down the running mid-race while his teammate Andre Lotterer was knocked to the back of the grid for a technical infringement in Marrakesh. With neither making it into the top ten, the team leaves the Red City empty handed hoping for a better time out in New York on 16 and 17 July. 

For Porsche's Pascal Wehrlien, Marrakesh was looking good until the race started in the sultry Saharan afternoon heat. Making it through to the semi-finals with a strong performance in the Qualifying duels, Wehrlein started the race on a solid fourth place footing. Only once the lights went out on the startline of the Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan did Wehrlein's problems become painfully apparent. "The day started well with my fourth place in qualifying," he said, reflecting after the chequered flag had fallen. "In the race, I lost power and many places right after the start. After the good qualifying, we had, of course, hoped for more." 

From the outset, Wehrlien's car was slow to leave the line. From there, it was a matter of time before the true extent of the German driver's demise became apparent. Slipping all the way back to 18th at one point, Wehrlein eventually regained some of his car's performance to make it back up to 12th place by the end of the race.

"At the race start he got away badly because he lacked significant power at the start and on the first lap," explained Florian Modlinger, Porsche's Director of Factory Motorsport Formula E. "The reason for this was that his car was switched off for longer than usual on the grid. This caused the battery temperature model to reinitialise. This meant that he did not have full power available on the first lap." 

Despite recovering some of his lost ground, Wehrlein's efforts to climb back up the running were ultimately in vein, finishing 12th, three places ahead of his teammate Andre Lotterer who started dead last. With 55 points going into New York, the man who only a few months back stood on top of the podium in Mexico City is now a full 84 points off championship leader and ROKiT Venturi driver Edoardo Mortara.  

As for his teammate, Andre Lotterer, the seasoned Formula E driver was relegated to the back of the grid after his Qualifying times were disallowed earlier in the day owing to a faulty sensor preventing him from getting out on time. "In qualifying, we had a problem with Andre's car that we couldn't fix quickly enough," explained Modlinger after the race. "In the end, he was four hundredths of a second too late, so all his qualifying laps were cancelled. He had to start from the back as a result and had a difficult race. Although he improved seven positions, which was a good performance, he did not come close to the points. We cannot be satisfied with that." 

For Lotterer, the setback in Marrakesh sees the seasoned driver shift down the standings to ninth with 61 points to his name - still 78 points off Mortara at the top. Heading into New York, the eight-time podium sitter will have his work cut out to make up for the lost ground in Marrakesh. 

"It was not a good weekend for me. From the first free practice, I had many minor problems, and qualifying didn't go well for me. The race was difficult," admitted Lotterer after the race. "I could make up many positions, but at the same time, I had to keep an eye on the temperatures. We were on the conservative side and had a lot of energy left in the last two laps. But by then, it was too late for further attacks, and we couldn't score any points." 

With the team departing Marrakesh dispirited, the doubleheader in New York City on 16 and 17 July will be a welcome fresh start for the Porsche outfit. Holding on to its fifth place in the Teams' standings, the German squad could claw back some points on Brooklyn's quayside providing it can rediscover the fine form it showed in Mexico City back in February.  

"Our goal now has to be to bring the full potential of our cars back on track at the upcoming hot races in New York City," ended Modlinger, eager to avoid the chaos caused by the high race temperatures in Marrakesh again when the racing returns outside of Manhattan.