Formula E: Wehrlein leads historic Porsche one-two in Mexico City
Porsche’s Pascal Werhlein and Andre Lotterer secured a front-row lockout in Mexico City, claiming a maiden Formula E victory for the manufacturer.
It was a first win for Werhlein, too, who had qualified in pole position earlier in the day. Porsche executed their gameplay perfectly to engineer a one-two finish for Werhlein’s teammate, Lotterer, who pipped DS Techeetah’s Jean-Éric Vergne to second place.
Despite the pair falling down the grid for a brief moment, the two German drivers perfectly executed their ascent to the top, finishing with a healthy nine second lead at the end.
It was another decent weekend for DS Techeetah, with former ABB FIA Formula E World Champion Antonio Felix da Costa finishing just behind his teammate Vergen in fourth, whilst Championship leader Edoardo Mortara collected more valiable points with a fifth placed finish.
Mercedes’ Nyck De Vries claimed an extra point for the fastest lap of the day but could only muster a sixth placed finish, just in front of Envision’s Robin Frijns.
The Nissan e.dams pairing of Sébastien Buemi and Max Guenther also managed to score some points, finishing in eight and ninth respectively, just ahead of Avalanche Andretti’s Jake Dennis, who rounded off the point scoring positions in tenth.
Speaking after his very first Formula E win, Porsche’s Pascal Werhlein said: “It’s really satisfying. With all the history I have here in Mexico, it feels amazing to have the first victory for me here in Mexico but also for the team. The car was amazing and also Andre did a great job – today was our day, so let’s celebrate.”
The victory was the perfect remedy for Werhlein’s heartbreak in Puebla last year, and the German said that was on his mind throughout this weekend: “I’ve been here for a couple of races in this championship, and I’ve been so close so many times and even in Mexico last year it was heartbreaking to finish P1 and then get disqualified, so it was payback this weekend and it feels amazing.”
The result leaves ROKiT Venturi Racing’s Edoardo Mortara at the top of the Drivers’ Standings with 43 points but only five points ahead of reigning world champion Nyck de Vries of Mercedes EQ. After their amazing performances in Mexico City, Porsche’s Wehrlein and Lotterer are lifted up to third and fourth in the standings.
