After scoring just an average of three points since the Berlin EPrix in early May, Pascal Wehrlein needed a big performance and big points if he were to have any notion of fighting for a second Formula E title.
In Shanghai today he brought the performance, and the performance brought the points. Within that cocktail too was quite a bit of relief. After a combination of self-harm by Porsche in Monaco and then a rare rash Wehrlein move on Norman Nato in Sanya, it would have been natural for some doubts to start creeping in. But at Shanghai, doubt was never an issue because Wehrlein and the Porsche Formula E team completed a close to perfect day.
Only missing out on a fastest lap point and Nico Mueller getting just one for an inherited 10th place were slight blemishes on the day. From Wehrlein’s viewpoint it was a crushing win earned via a variety of conditions, and with title rivals Mitch Evans, Edoardo Mortara and Oliver Rowland all having relatively poor runs, it was the German who was the big winner.
Precision is a key attribute of Wehrlein’s, it always has been. And it’s why Porsche love him so much and why they have given him two long-term contracts since 2020. They also fed him with brief sportscar run-outs at Daytona and Le Mans last year too.
It was his precision that formed the basis of the Shanghai win on Saturday, which has a very serious claim to being billed as Wehrlein’s and perhaps even Porsche’s most crucial so far. That’s because it ended a mini run of poor form that had seen it slip from the top of the teams title standings and allow its chief rivals Jaguar in through a crack in the title chase door.
“It was a very crucial race today, and a very good result,” Porsche’s director of factory motorsport for Formula E, Florian Modlinger told FEN.
“It was an amazing drive from Pascal in qualifying and I think you saw how well he executed every duel, and how precise he drove the car.”
Then came the race, when it was known that rain was coming and that at least a caution period, or perhaps even a race suspension could ensure a shorter race than usual. Therefore, track position was key, as was getting to the SoC window for the PitBoost stops.
“We had all scenarios on the table, from full wet to dry start, getting wet and the full dry, because it was crucial to keep also the pace a bit up and not be afraid to be in the lead,” added Modlinger.
“Because as soon as the rain comes and the track gets slower, you use less energy, and the energy becomes less relevant. So, from the whole team, all calls were very well done, and also the support from the factory at home, and Pascal executed on a top level, it’s exactly what we needed to turn this around, because after the three tough races, Monaco and Sanya, we did not collect the points we targeted.”
The infamous Porsche curse at Monaco could have festered beyond the Principalities jewel studded walls but it didn’t beyond a madhouse Sanya race, one of which comes every season. A robustness was needed and Wehrlein delivered it, much to Porsche’s delight as they increased their manufacturers lead and Wehrlein is now just three points behind Mitch Evans, who struggled with a gripless Jaguar today.
The plot twists this season are numerous and fascinating. Whether it be Wehrlein versus a Jaguar leaving Evans; Wehrlein versus old nemesis da Costa; or a combination of all three, the script is dripping with thrill and headlines, even with five races still to run.
So, was this Wehrlein and Porsche’s most crucial win? Its certainly up there with the first win at Mexico City in 2022 and Wehrlein’s title defining London EPrix victory in 2024. You just get the feeling there might be one other in the works coming before the end of this season as well.
