As Formula E heads back to China for the Shanghai E-Prix, one team is looking strong ahead of the double-header weekend. TAG Heuer Porsche have totalled up three victories so far this season, thanks to Antonio Felix da Costa and two from Championship hopeful Pascal Wehrlein.
With the energy-management style of racing we can expect in Shanghai, similar to that seen in Misano and Berlin, the Porsche powertrain looks like a competitive package for Porsche and customer team Andretti.
FACTS AND STATS: Formula E's first race and record-holders in China
It’s also a huge weekend for the Porsche team, who confirmed that they have committed at least an additional four years to the Formula E championship until at least 2030, continuing its manufacturer’s outfit for GEN4. In doing so, they become the third manufacturer to do so, after Nissan at the Tokyo E-Prix and Jaguar TCS Racing at the Monaco E-Prix.
“I’m looking forward to getting to know the circuit and the city,” Wehrlein said ahead of the race weekend. The German has raced here before for the 2016 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix, but this is a brand new location for the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
“That's the great thing about Formula E – new venues are constantly being added to the calendar,” he added. “We recently gave a strong team performance in Berlin, which António crowned with his victory. That’s what we’re keen to repeat in Shanghai. With only six races left this season, we can’t afford to leave any points behind.”
Wehrlein currently sits second in the World Championship standings on 124 points. Going into Berlin, he did lead the table but an impressive performance from the Jaguar TCS Racing of Nick Cassidy over Rounds 9 and 10, Cassidy now leads on 140 points.
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On the other side of the garage is Formula E’s most recent race winner, Antonio Felix da Costa. The Season 6 champ delivered a masterclass in front of the team’s home fans at the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit to cement his third win at the iconic venue.
“After winning in Berlin, I was keen to jump straight back in the car the next day,” da Costa quipped. “Celebrating my first win of the season at Porsche’s home race was an indescribable feeling. We’ll now take the momentum of this victory with us to Shanghai. We want to offer Chinese fans some action-packed racing and get them inspired about all-electric motorsport.”
China is a special place for Formula E, as was the location of the very first race almost a decade ago in Beijing. Since then, the all-electric championship has visited locations like Hong Kong and most recently Sanya, but this will be the first trip to the Shanghai International Circuit.
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“Our victory in Berlin is exactly the motivation we need as we turn onto the home stretch of the season,” Director Factory Motorsport Formula E, Florian Modlinger, said before the weekend’s activities got underway. “But we’re not able to savour our home race win for long; Formula E’s current two-week rhythm doesn’t allow the teams to take a deep breath.
"In Shanghai, we compete on a very wide, permanent racetrack and we can expect the races to be similar to Berlin. Energy management will also play a key role in the double-header event there. We already underlined in Misano that we have a competitive package for such race tracks."
SCHEDULE: Where, when and how to watch or stream the 2024 Shanghai E-Prix Rounds 11 & 12
The 2024 Shanghai E-Prix Round 11 gets underway on Friday 24 May with Free Practice 1 at 17:00 local time.
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Track action for the first day of the double-header starts on Saturday 25 May with Free Practice 2 at 08:00 local. Qualifying follows at 10:20 local time with lights out for Round 11 scheduled at 15:00 local.
Following this, Sunday’s action starts with Free Practice 3 at 08:00, followed by Round 12 qualifying and the race at 10:20 and 15:00 local time respectively.
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