Latest news with #Wehrlein
The National
4 days ago
- Automotive
- The National
Time running out for Pascal Wehrlein in Formula E title defence
Porsche's Pascal Wehrlein, reigning Formula E world champion, left Indonesian capital Jakarta last weekend with his hopes of back-to-back crowns in a bad shape following his fifth non-score of the season. He now has just four races left to overhaul the 69-point gap to season leader Oliver Rowland of Nissan. It's a tough ask, with just 116 points left to play for before Season 11's chequered flag in London next month - a double header on July 26-27. But the German is approaching the end of the season with pragmatism. 'I think it's a good time to reset, and have a bit of a rest,' he said in Jakarta. 'Definitely the last couple of weeks have been very busy. 'The focus is, already since Shanghai, to be honest, not on the drivers' championship anymore. Obviously, we [will] try to do as good as we can, and fight until the end. But, realistically, the gap has always been quite big. 'The focus is on the manufacturers' and on the teams' championship, which is just as important to the team than the drivers' championships. So, yeah, that's where we are, and that's what we will try to do in the last couple of races. Have a good end to the season, try to secure the two championships there.' Wehrlein came into Jakarta's ePrix on the back foot, with the event just one week after his Le Mans 24 Hours debut, the world's most prestigious endurance race. Wehrlein and teammates Felipe Nasr and Nick Tandy drove the Porsche Penske Motorsport hypercar to eighth place overall. But the German-Mauritian enjoyed racing through the night in France, and then arrived in Indonesia as fresh as could be expected. 'Yeah, was a great experience,' said Wehrlein, who also logged 39 starts between 2016 and 2017 for Manor and Sauber in Formula One. 'It was a great journey because it started already a long time ago, with my first test in Daytona, and then also the race in Daytona for JDC [JDC Miller Motorsports]. The cars are awesome. I really enjoyed it. 'Obviously, since 2018-19, I was only driving in the Formula E series, so I really enjoyed coming back to other cars and you know, having that sound again. Different track. Going to bed in the evening with a small tinnitus in the ears, and just going back to something I really enjoyed in the past like [German series] DTM, for example – so racing a touring car or prototype, so it was great fun.' But, Jakarta was a step back with Wehrlein finishing 11th, immediately behind the man he has got to catch - Nissan's Rowland. It was a missed opportunity for a standout result on a day when his title rival faltered. 'It's quite a poor race after the qualifying we had,' Wehrlein said. 'We knew it was going to be difficult, that overtaking is almost impossible if you're in the same power mode [as your rival]. Yeah, just a poor qualifying, which resulted into yeah, the poor day we had. 'In the morning, we were very competitive. Yeah, the track conditions were insane. It was so dirty, actually, was it's more difficult to see something than in wet conditions just because of all the dust. Going a bit offline, there's a huge penalty, so it makes overtaking even more tricky, and it caught us in qualifying. I just went with my rear tyre a bit on the dust and lost the car. So yeah, that meant we were poor in qualifying and then after the penalty [for slowing down to create a gap] even worse.' Wehrlein and his Porsche Formula E teammate Antonio Felix da Costa head home to Berlin next month for the first of two double headers on July 12 and 13 before moving to the London finale just two weeks later.
Time of India
12-06-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Formula E: Porsche and Nissan locked in intense battle for Team Championship
Image credit: Formula E Oliver Rowland of Nissan may be well ahead of Pascal Wehrlein of Porsche in terms of points, but their teams are currently locked in a neck-and-neck battle. Rowland has 171 points, while Wehrlein has 103 points in the Drivers' Standings. The Porsche driver will need a major turnaround — and hope the results start going in his favour — to catch up with the top-placed Rowland. Porsche vs Nissan: Neck-and-neck in Formula E Team Standings However, the situation is quite different in the Team Standings. Porsche are on top with 191 points, while Nissan are just one point behind with 190. This close competition has added an extra layer of excitement to the championship. Formula E's official social media handle shared a special post highlighting the tight battle between the two teams: 'The top is getting busy. @PorscheFormulaE and @NISMO battling it out for the Team Championship @Hankook_Sport #ShanghaiEPrix,' Formula E's handle posted. How points system works for Formula E teams Every team has two drivers. It depends on the positions the two drivers of the same team capture. The points of the two drivers combined in a race are considered as team points, and that's how team standings come into the picture. The race winner or the first-position driver gets 25 points, the second-placed gets 18 points, third-placed gets 15 points, fourth-placed gets 12 points, fifth-placed gets 10 points, sixth-placed gets 8 points, seventh-placed gets 6 points, eighth-placed gets 4 points, ninth-placed gets 2 points, and 10th-placed gets 1 point. Example: If a team's two drivers finish 3rd and 7th, they will earn 15 + 6 = 21 points for that race. The Formula E points system 1st: 25 Pts 2nd: 18 Pts 3rd: 15 Pts 4th: 12 Pts 5th: 10 Pts 6th: 8 Pts 7th: 6 Pts 8th: 4 Pts 9th: 2 Pts 10th: 1 Pt For Porsche, Wehrlein has clinched 103 points, while his teammate Antonio Felix da Costa has 88 points. For Nissan, Rowland has 171 points, but his teammate Norman Nato's poor show this season has cost the team dearly. Nato has just 19 points to his name. It's Rowland's sheer dominance this season that has kept his team in the Team Championship race. Also Read: Formula E Season 12 calendar unveiled, has 18 races in 12 cities on the list With five races to go in the season — one in Jakarta, two in Berlin, and two in London— the race for the Team Championship heats up, and it will be interesting to see who clinches the title at the end of the season.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Adapting to Hypercar from Formula E is 'so easy' for Pascal Wehrlein – here's why
One of the most high-profile rookies at this year's Le Mans 24 Hours, Porsche Penske Motorsport's Pascal Wehrlein feels adequately prepared for the demanding French classic. The former Formula 1 driver, DTM champion and reigning Formula E world champion took sixth on his endurance racing debut at the Daytona 24 Hours alongside Bryce Aron, Gianmaria Bruni and Tijmen van der Helm, then ninth at the Spa-Francorchamps 6 Hours with Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor. Advertisement Wehrlein is now coming into Le Mans with a third set of team-mates, sharing the #4 Porsche 963 with Felipe Nasr and Nick Tandy. Following the test day, he feels confident in his ability to be quick, regardless of the Porsche LMDh prototype being extremely different to the Formula E machinery he drives most of the time – because it's too different for the comparison to be relevant in any way. 'Obviously I've driven many categories in my career so far, so in general I have a very good understanding of what a car needs to be quick,' the German explained. 'I've driven DTM, which is a prototype touring car; I've driven Formula 1, which has a lot of downforce; Formula E, and now LMDh. I would say I have quite a big toolbox of driving styles – and adapting quickly to it, I know what it takes. 'I feel like, also, the transition from Formula E to this car is so easy, because actually you don't have a wrong reference. The cars behave so differently that I don't compare it to Formula E, I don't take anything from that car, jump into this car and think, 'yeah but here it felt like that'. It's completely different cars. 'I would assume, for example, if I put myself 10 years back, and sat in a DTM car and then drove this car, there would be a lot more going on in my head: 'Yeah, but my DTM car is a bit like that, and now I'm in this'. It's so different. There's nothing to compare. It makes the transition quite smooth.' Pascal Wehrlein, TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team Pascal Wehrlein, TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team Team-mates Nasr and Tandy are competing at Le Mans for the sixth and 13th time respectively, with the Briton having won the race overall in 2015, which represents a wealth of experience for Wehrlein to lean on. Advertisement Asked by what advice his partners have given him, Wehrlein said: 'So much. I think it would exceed your report! 'They've been so supportive. Felipe and Nick, the whole team – even Laurens, Kevin in Spa, my other team-mates. 'I've been asking a lot of questions, just because I know there are a lot of rookie mistakes and errors you can do, and I just want to jump that step. I want to be as well prepared as I can. 'A lot of it is actually procedures – rules, regulations, slow zones, all this stuff. A penalty here can be so costly. 'Timo [Bernhard] has been very supportive, giving a lot of advice on traffic management – how to place your car, where to place it. Advertisement 'Jumping into the car, being on pace, on speed, that is not the thing. It's more about procedures, about how to be fast through the traffic and avoid losing a lot of time there. 'If you approach a corner and you see it's going to be tight to pass this LMP2 car or GT3 car, is it worth to push flat out and pass him, or will I not make it anyway, so it's better to save energy and save fuel? Just that – a bit of a different mentality.' Read Also: Ferrari 'clearly faster' than Toyota at Le Mans - Sebastien Buemi To read more articles visit our website.
Time of India
03-06-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Pascal Wehrlein on second place in Shanghai: 'First time I felt like we were very competitive in the wet'
Image credit: Pascal Wehrlein/Instagram TAG Heuer Porsche driver Pascal Wehrlein gained no points on Day 1 of the Shanghai E-Prix last weekend. However, the Formula E driver was able to turn the tables in a rainy race the next day and claim second place on the podium. After the race, he confirmed that the result made him realise they were actually competitive on a wet track. Pascal Wehrlein on winning in Shanghai Pascal Wehrlein secured second place in the Round 11 race in Shanghai, with his teammate Antonio Felix Da Costa joining him on the podium in third. The two had started in the same positions on the grid but in reverse order. It was, nevertheless, a double gain for Porsche on Sunday. Talking about the Round 11 race, Wehrlein said, 'Very tricky conditions especially in the beginning, I think it got a little bit better towards the end, but our pace was good. Not good enough for P1, but quite far ahead of the guys behind. Personally I'm very happy about the result today because today was the first time that I felt like we were very competitive in the wet, which wasn't the case in Tokyo and Monaco. I think we've found a good way there and in the end a happy ending for us. ' The two also scored double podiums at the Mexico E-Prix and then again in Miami, where Wehrlein won. He earned another podium at the Tokyo E-Prix. With such a strong performance this year, Wehrlein currently holds second place in the Formula E Driver Standings with 103 points. TAG Heuer Porsche gained big in Shanghai 'It was a very strong result today in very tricky and challenging wet conditions,' Porsche Formula E boss Florian Modlinger stated after the double podium in Round 11. The 34 points earned from the results, plus the fastest lap by Wehrlein, also promoted Porsche to the top of the Teams' World Championship—by a single point ahead of Nissan. 'We are really happy with these points and regaining the lead in the Teams' Championship by a single point. It will be a very hard fight to the end of the year. Overall – with three Porsche in the top six with Nico Mueller – we can be very happy,' Modlinger added. Also Read: Nick Cassidy on winning Round 11 race at Shanghai E-Prix: 'It feels like we've been waiting a long time' Wehrlein and Da Costa will now be eyeing more such wins, with five more races remaining before the Formula E season wraps up for the year. The next race is in Jakarta on June 21.
Time of India
01-06-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Shanghai E-Prix 2025 Round 11 results: Nick Cassidy wins, Porsche duo Pascal Wehrlein and Antonio Da Costa take 2nd and 3rd spot
Image credit: Nick Cassidy/Instagram Jaguar TCS Racing's Nick Cassidy had won the pole in the Round 11 Qualifying race in Shanghai on Sunday and managed to maintain the lead in every lap of the final race to lay his claim to the winner's trophy. This is Cassidy's first win of the season as it rained on the second day of the Shanghai E-Prix. Tag Heuer Porsche had a double win on Sunday with Pascal Wehrlein and Antonio Felix Da Costa taking second and third spots on the podium, respectively. Wehrlein also recorded the fastest lap of Round 11. Shanghai E-Prix Round 11 results Nick Cassidy's win was a first lights-to-flag victory of the GEN3 Evo era and a return to the top step for the New Zealander. As soon as he crossed the finish line, he took a sigh of relief on the radio and said, 'I've been waiting for this day.' Tag Heuer Porsche's double podium spots on Sunday came a day after DS Penske dominated the podium on Saturday with the drivers taking first and second spot in Round 10. Meanwhile, Maserati MSG Racing driver Jake Hughes ended fourth. DS Penske's Jean-Eric Vergne who got the second spot on the podium in the Round 10 race, ended fifth. Andretti driver Nico Mueller finished sixth. Maserati MSG Racing driver Stoffel Vandoorne finished seventh despite pirouetting two laps from the chequered flag. The difficult conditions at the rain soaked Shanghai International Circuit caught out a number of other drivers including Jake Dennis, Nyck de Vries, Dan Ticktum and Sam Bird with standing water significant in spots around the circuit throughout the race. Despite that, 21 of the 22 cars managed to make it to the end of the race. The Round 11 race brought about a significant change in the Formula E Driver Standings. Wehrlein's podium reduced the gap between him and Oliver Rowland who tops the Standings with 171 points. Wehrlein is now at 103 points in the second positions. Da Costa is in third with 88 points. Also Read: Shanghai E-Prix 2025: DS celebrates double victory as Maximilian Gunther takes first, Jean-Eric Vergne second in Round 10, Taylor Barnard claims third Porsche retakes the top spot in the FIA Teams' World Championship running from Nissan, while Nissan leads Porsche in the FIA Manufacturers' World Championship standings.
