– Pascal Wehrlein suffers puncture after P2 in qualifying
– Top 10 finish for da Costa in 9th
– First race with fast-charging pit stops
Reigning Formula E World Champion Pascal Wehrlein began Friday’s inaugural Jeddah E-Prix from the front row of the grid after finishing second in qualifying, narrowly missing out on a third consecutive pole position. Incident-packed opening laps saw both TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team cars sustain damage through rear-end collisions. Former points leader António Félix da Costa claimed 9th place to add two world championship points after having started from 13th. Following an early puncture, Wehrlein finished in 15th position.
First-ever Pit Boost race: rapid charging with 600 kW
The Formula E cars recharged during a race for the first time. In the mandatory 34-second so-called Pit Boost pit stop, the highly efficient Porsche 99X Electric rapid-charged 3.85 kWh of energy with a charging power of 600 kW. For reference, Formula E’s safety car, the high-end, road-going Porsche Taycan Turbo GT, charges with up to 320 kW. Both cars share the CCS charging system (Combined Charging System), symbolising technology transfer from race cars to production cars. CCS charging enables gentler charging at home in addition to powerful rapid charging on the road.
Comments on the Jeddah E-Prix
Florian Modlinger, Director Factory Motorsport Formula E: « It was a disappointing day. Just two points for António who made good progress from P13. He lost some places in the last laps which we need to analyse in detail why. Pascal started on the front row but was taken out of contention by a competitor on the first lap already. He picked up damage and a puncture. Luckily, tomorrow is another race day. With no Pit Boost it will be more energy sensitive so we will try to use our efficiency to come back strong and fight for good positions. »
Pascal Wehrlein, Porsche works driver (#1): « I got hit from behind, got a puncture and the car was super damaged. That meant we were far off the pace. It is a day to forget apart from a good qualifying again. We will try to come back strong tomorrow.
António Félix da Costa, Porsche works driver (#13): « That was one of the most chaotic races I’ve had in the last few years. I got hit from behind on the first lap and the car was heavily damaged. I was lucky that it wasn’t terminal and we could keep going. It compromised the balance but it was important to collect good information from the race because it was the first time with Pit Boost. We have good things to look forward to tomorrow. »
ABB FIA Formula E World Championship – standings after 3 of 16 races
Drivers’ classification : 1. Oliver Rowland (GBR), 43 points ; 2. António Félix da Costa (POR), 39 points ; 3. Maximilian Günther (GER), 37 points… 7. Pascal Wehrlein (GER), 21 points… 11. Jake Dennis (GBR), 13 points… 15. Dan Ticktum (GBR), 4 points ; 16. Nico Müller (SUI), 2 points… 21. David Beckmann (GER), 0 points.
Teams’ classification : 1. TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team (GER), 60 points ; 2. DS PENSKE (USA), 57 points ; 3. NEOM McLaren Formula E Team (GBR), 46 points… 8. Andretti Formula E (USA), 15 points…10. CUPRA KIRO (USA), 4 points…
Manufacturers’ classification : 1. Nissan, 87 points ; 2. Porsche, 62 points ; 3. Stellantis, 60 points…
Yannick Bitzer,