At the wheel of his Porsche 99X Electric, André Lotterer (GER/No. 36) earned important championship points again this weekend for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, in race 8 at the Berlin E-Prix. On the apron of the historic Tempelhof Airport, he took the flag in eighth place after narrowly missing out on a podium finish the day before. His teammate Pascal Wehrlein (GER/No. 94) finished 12th.
In the drivers’ classification of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, André Lotterer ranks seventh after 8 of 16 races with 59 points. Pascal Wehrlein is eighth with 51 points. In the team classification, the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team lies in fifth place with 110 points.
Race 8
Starting the race from the fourth spot on the grid, André Lotterer got away well in the world’s first electric racing series. On the 2.355-kilometre Tempelhof Airport street course, he drove with the leading pack over a long stretch and at times was on course for a podium result. In the second half of the race, however, he lost contact with the frontrunners. Starting from 19th, Pascal Wehrlein drove a decent race. Launching a breathtaking charge through the field, he advanced to seventh place but ultimately crossed the line in 12th, missing out on earning points.
Comments on the Berlin E-Prix, Race 8
Florian Modlinger, Director Factory Motorsport Formula E: « Once again, André did very well in the qualifying. He’s the only driver to have made it into the duels at all races so far this season. That’s a great achievement. Pascal, however, didn’t feel comfortable in the car and was unable to build sufficient grip. This prevented him from achieving a better lap time. But considering he started from P19, he drove a solid race. André started the race from fourth and initially matched the pace of the leading group, even in attack mode. But as the race progressed, he lost contact with his rivals. We’ll analyse this in detail when we return to Weissach. We have some homework ahead of us and we’ll work hard to do better in the next races. »
André Lotterer, Porsche works driver (#36): « After the semi-final in qualifying, I’d hoped for a little more, but the race was tough. The car’s balance wasn’t ideal and that affected the efficiency. Consequently, I dropped from fourth to eighth. Race 7 yesterday went well so we now have to look at the reason behind this. On the positive side, I earned points in both races. We have a good basis for the second half of the season. »
Pascal Wehrlein, Porsche works driver (#94): « The qualifying didn’t go well for me, unfortunately. I lacked grip and the balance was off. Still, our race speed was okay and I managed to make up seven places but I couldn’t do more from this position. It’s a shame because we could’ve definitely taken a few points home. »