Porsche 99X Electric heads to Portland as the record-winner to date

– Two wins in three races make António Félix da Costa the ‘driver of the hour’
– Pascal Wehrlein travels to America ranking second in the World Championship
– Five wins this season already for the Porsche 99X Electric

The battle for the Formula E title reaches the home straight with only four races left on the season 10 calendar, two of which will be contested in Portland in America’s northwest on 29 and 30 June. The Portland International Raceway is a permanent racetrack, like Shanghai, where António Félix da Costa notched up the fifth win of the season with the Porsche 99X Electric. No other vehicle has achieved more victories. Driving for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, the Portuguese works driver and winner of Porsche’s home race in Berlin has fond memories of Portland: at the Formula E debut there last year, he claimed the third step on the podium.

Da Costa’s team-mate Pascal Wehrlein, the winner in Mexico and Misano, travels to Portland as second in the World Championship. Porsche currently leads the manufacturers’ classification and is determined to extend its top ranking with strong team performances. Andretti Formula E has made a significant contribution to Porsche’s success streak: so far this season, the customer team has won in Diriyah thanks to defending World Champion Jake Dennis and netted a total of four podium finishes, the most recent with Norman Nato in Shanghai. Portland represents the home race for the American racing team based in Indianapolis.

At races 13 and 14 in Portland, drivers and teams get the chance to score double points and secure a strong position for the season finale in London (races 15 and 16 on 20 and 21 July).

Comments ahead of the Portland E-Prix
Florian Modlinger, Director Factory Motorsport Formula E: « We got the chance to take a breather before Portland – the team needed this break because the weeks before were very exhausting. Our victories in Berlin and Shanghai lent us a tailwind heading into our preparations. Our successes and strong team performance, especially in the most recent races, give the team even more motivation as we enter the final stretch of the championship. Before we travel to the season finale on the London street circuit, we’ll once again compete on the permanent racetrack in Portland. We’re expecting two gripping and fiercely competitive races – like at Misano and Shanghai, where we underlined that we could win such races. »

Pascal Wehrlein, Porsche works driver (#94): « Even though Portland isn’t a typical Formula E racetrack, it’s great to go racing in North America. Drawing on last year’s experience in Portland, we should be able to find an ideal set-up for this track. We’re now heading into the sharp end of the season. We need to focus on scoring as many points as possible. »

António Félix da Costa, Porsche works driver (#13): « I really enjoy racing in the USA. I like that sport is held in such high regard there. Last year I had one of my best weekends in Portland with a podium finish in front of brilliant fans. This season we’re much further ahead than we were then. I hope we can take the momentum from Berlin and Shanghai with us to Portland and continue our winning streak. »

ABB FIA Formula E World Championship – standings after 12 of 16 races
Drivers’ classification : 1. Nick Cassidy (NZL), 167 points ; 2. Pascal Wehrlein (GER), 142 points… 4. Jake Dennis (GBR), 113 points… 7. António Félix da Costa (POR), 84 points… 11. Norman Nato (FRA), 40 points…

Teams’ classification : 1. Jaguar TCS Racing, 299 points ; 2. TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, 226 points… 5. Andretti Formula E, 153 points…

Manufacturers’ Trophy : 1. Porsche, 337 points ; 2. Jaguar, 328 points ; 3. Nissan, 236 points…

Yannick Bitzer,

PUBLICITÉ