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
The official points’ standings can be found on the Formula E website.
Next up
The next outing for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, Andretti Formula E and Cupra Kiro is race 4 at the Jeddah E-Prix on 15 February 2025.
Porsche in Formula E
2024/2025 sees Porsche contest its sixth Formula E season. In addition to the works TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, American customer team Andretti Formula E is entering the Porsche 99X Electric of the latest GEN3 Evo generation. With the addition of Cupra Kiro, this season will be the first time that a second Porsche customer team has entered the series; they will be using 99X technology of the previous GEN3 generation. Formula E gives the brand valuable insights for its production sports cars.
