At the flag, they narrowly missed out on claiming the third podium result of the season after Rome and Valencia: On the street circuit with Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop, they crossed the finish line in positions four and five, thus earning critical championship points as they head to the final events of the season in London (24/25 July) and Berlin (14/15 August).
Race 11
Both Porsche 99X Electric made it into the Super Pole for the first time. Pascal Wehrlein (GER/No. 99) took up the race on the Red Hook Circuit from the fourth grid spot, with his teammate André Lotterer (GER/No. 36) on sixth. The pair made it through the hectic start with a safety car phase in the very first lap unscathed and settled in behind the leading group. In the final laps, they made up positions and joined the pack fighting for podium spots behind the leader: At the flag, less than three seconds separated them from claiming a podium step.
Comments on the New York City E-Prix, Race 11
Amiel Lindesay, Head of Operations Formula E: “It was a good day for Porsche. For the first time, we had two cars in the Super Pole, that was a strong team effort. The race wasn’t easy for the team because both cars were up at the front, but we’ve shown that we can handle it. Pascal’s first attack mode perhaps didn’t come at the best time, but in the end, it’s the team performance and the points that count. We’re on our way up the championship rankings. Pascal is on ninth, just 21 points behind the leader. Everything is still open.”
André Lotterer, Porsche works driver (#36): “We can be very satisfied with this team effort. But there’s still a bitter feeling that we had the potential to finish on the podium today. Our cars were set up well and very fast, but we had to allow an opponent to pass in attack mode and we weren’t able to counterattack. It’s a shame because a podium would obviously have been nicer. Now we have to try to do even better in London.”
Pascal Wehrlein, Porsche works driver (#99): “We earned important points for the team. Still, we always want the maximum and more would definitely have been possible today. We had the potential for this. But right now we’re pleased with the strong team result. We’ll analyse where we can make improvements and come back even stronger in London. We’re definitely heading in the right direction.”
Provisional 2022 racing calendar
In New York City, Formula E announced the following provisional racing calendar for season 8 of the 2021/2022 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship:
28/29 January - Race 1/2 - Diriyah/Saudi Arabia
12 February - Race 3 - Mexico City/Mexico
26 February - Race 4 - Cape Town/South Africa
19 March - Race 5 - TBD/China
09 April - Race 6 - Rome/Italy
30 April - Race 7 - Monte Carlo/Monaco
14 May - Race 8 - Berlin/Germany
04 June - Race 9 - TBD
02 July - Race 10 - Vancouver/Canada
16/17 July - Race 11/12 - New York City/USA
30/31 July - Race 13/14 - London/Great Britain
13/14 August - Race 15/16 - Seoul/South Korea
Next up
The next event for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team is the London E-Prix on 24/25 July with races 12 and 13 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
Race 10
At its New York City premiere, the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team harvested valuable championship points. In the No. 36 Porsche 99X Electric, André Lotterer crossed the finish line eighth on the Red Hook Circuit – the 2.320-kilometre street course with a view of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. His teammate Pascal Wehrlein was unable to finish race ten of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, which was held in sunshine and temperatures of around 35-degrees Celsius.
Taking up the race from the tenth grid spot, André Lotterer (GER) drove a solid race through the streets of Brooklyn. He managed to make up two positions and thus earned points for the first time since Valencia. Pascal Wehrlein (GER/#99), who had crossed the finish line first in Puebla, once again secured a commendable grid spot for the New York City E-Prix. Putting in a strong drive, he once again qualified for Super Pole and lined up for the race on the third grid row in sixth place. After a promising first third of the race, he ran into the back of a competitor after selecting attack mode for the second time and had to retire.
Comments on the New York City E-Prix, Race 10
Amiel Lindesay, Head of Operations Formula E: “Like in Mexico, we again showed our potential here in New York City. Pascal did a mega job coming from the second quali group and made it through to Super Pole. In the race, he took the second attack mode, which means he could brake a bit later, his front tyres locked and he went into the back of another car. Unfortunately, suspension damage signalled the end of his race. It’s a shame because he could definitely have been among the top contenders. Like Pascal, André had to start on the dirty side of the track. Still, he drove a solid and efficient race and brought home points. We’ll be back in the fight tomorrow. Credit must be given to the team for handling the battery temperatures so well. They did a great job in doing this in such hot conditions with no noticeable performance offset.”
André Lotterer, Porsche works driver (#36): “I finished in the points and I’m satisfied with that result. I had a good race and I made the most of my options. Our car handled well on the challenging track and I think we can do better tomorrow.”
Pascal Wehrlein, Porsche works driver (#99): “I’m disappointed. It was clearly my mistake. I activated attack mode for the second time, braked later than the car in front of me, the brakes suddenly locked up and I couldn’t swerve in time. Luckily we have another chance tomorrow, which we’ll hopefully make better use of.”
Next up
Race 11 in New York City gets underway on Sunday, 11 July. The worldwide broadcasting schedule of the Formula E event in New York City is available on: https://www.fiaformulae.com/watch/ways-to-watch.
Porsche in Formula E
The TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team contests its second Formula E season in 2021 with the Porsche 99X Electric. André Lotterer celebrated a successful racing debut in November 2019, finishing second at the season-opening race in Diriyah after meticulous preparation: a dream start and proof that Porsche had a competitive vehicle right from the outset with the Porsche 99X Electric. This was impressively underlined by the first pole position in Mexico City and another second place on home turf in Berlin. Formula E is the world’s first fully-electric street racing series and, as an accelerator for innovative and sustainable mobility technologies, it has brought thrilling motorsport to people living in major cities since 2014. This season, in which a driver and team world champion will be crowned for the first time, more automobile manufacturers compete than in any other racing series. As such, the races are fascinating and fiercely contested.
The Big Apple shines a spotlight on electromobility and sustainability: Before the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team makes its debut in New York City, two fully electric Porsche cars – a 99X Electric racer and a Taycan 4S – turned heads at a spectacular photoshoot in the world-famous Times Square. This weekend, rounds 10 and 11 of this season’s ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will be contested in the streets of Brooklyn. As the world’s first electric racing series, Formula E has brought gripping motor racing to fascinating metropolises such as New York City. From Porsche’s perspective, it is the most competitive arena in which to advance the development of high-performance vehicles with a focus on environmental friendliness, energy efficiency and sustainability.
The Porsche 99X Electric, which has been fielded in Formula E since 2019, also serves the Porsche engineers as a development platform for the sports car manufacturer’s electric production models. The vehicle’s 800-volt technology can also be found in the Taycan, Porsche’s first fully-electric production sports car, of which a prototype was unveiled to the world public in New York City in 2019.
In New York City, electromobility and sustainability are not the only key factors on this Formula E weekend. With more than 1,750 electric cars, the city boasts the country’s largest fleet of electric vehicles. This figure is planned to grow to 2,000 by the end of 2025. The metropolis is well on its way to achieving the goal of 10,000 publicly accessible charging stations by the end of 2021. The city’s fleet of school buses is to be fully electric by 2035. And the people are completely behind this initiative: New Yorkers already consume less energy per capita than residents of any other state – except Rhode Island.
Formula E races will be contested on Saturday and Sunday on the Red Hook Circuit around the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, with Lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop. Each race is contested over 45 minutes plus one lap – roughly the same time it takes to charge a Porsche Taycan twice from 5 to 80 per cent on the DC charger (350 kW).
The preview: Q&A on the New York City E-Prix
The skyscrapers of Manhattan form the breathtaking backdrop for the guest appearance of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in New York City. Races 10 and 11 of the world’s first electric racing series will be contested in the streets of Brooklyn on 10 and 11 July. At another season highlight in the Big Apple, the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team fields two Porsche 99X Electric for Pascal Wehrlein (GER/No. 99) and André Lotterer (GER/No. 36). In the USA, the squad from Weissach aims to achieve the victory that was so tantalisingly close in Mexico: Pascal Wehrlein was first across the line in Puebla, only to have a disqualification rob him of the deserved rewards for his inspired drive.
Now, the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team is eager to turn this disappointment into positive energy at the New York City E-Prix. “We’ll be particularly motivated when we line up for the race through the streets of New York and even stronger than in Puebla,” says Amiel Lindesay, Head of Operations Formula E. “We’re perfectly prepared for the event and we want to finally score our first victory.”
Amiel Lindesay (Head of Operations Formula E)
The team delivered its best performance so far in Mexico, only to go home empty-handed. How do you all cope with that?
“We left Puebla with the knowledge that we can lead a race from start to finish and win it. This gives us a great deal of positive energy and even more motivation to remain on this steady course together. After setting pole position for race 8, we not only underlined that we can stay at the front, but that we’re efficient as well.”
The New York City E-Prix is again new territory for you. What expectations do you have as you head to New York?
“Yes, the New York City E-Prix is new for the team, but André and Pascal have actually raced there before. Their experiences play a key role in our preparations. Although the track is new for us, we’re very confident that we’ll pick up in the US where we left off in Mexico.”
André Lotterer (Porsche works driver, #36)
What are you taking from Puebla to New York, how are you feeling and what are your expectations?
“It’s a great location and a great track – so I’m very excited for New York. Puebla wasn’t an easy weekend for me. I struggled in race 8 without really knowing what was going on. I was going well in race 9 until I picked up the advertising banner. We certainly collected a lot of data, we looked at what we did right and what wasn’t good. We then implemented what we learned to prepare for New York. I’m confident that things will be better again for me there. The team supports me and is incredibly focussed. At some point, it simply has to work.”
Pascal Wehrlein (Porsche works driver, #99)
After your strong performance in Puebla, where would you be in the rankings without the disqualification in the first race and the time penalty in the second race?
“At the top. We all did a super job in Puebla and we deserved that first victory. But no matter how big the disappointment was at first, we have to keep working hard and try to make the most of the next opportunities. We’ve taken a good look at what happened in Puebla but now we’re focussing on New York. We’ll do everything to again get the best out of ourselves and our package. If we manage this, we’ll definitely be as strong as we were in Puebla. The racetrack is new turf for the team but I’ve already competed there. It’s a typical city circuit, very narrow with walls on either side of you. I love such Formula E racetracks.”
The racetrack
Twenty-four drivers will again battle for prestigious victories on a typical Formula E circuit at the New York City E-Prix. The 2.320-kilometre Red Hook Circuit around the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal with a view to Lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty is lined with walls that are unforgiving of the slightest mistake. The course’s 14 corners range from a hairpin (turn 10) over a chicane (turn 6) to the high-speed kink (turn 14) leading onto the start-finish straight which competitors tackle at around 140 km/h. The weather can play a key role: from 35 degrees Celsius to torrential rain, anything is possible at this time of year. “In New York, we’re finally returning to the real city circuit feeling,” says André Lotterer with a smile. “The racetrack is bit bumpy so you need a good chassis. It should suit our car.” Pascal Wehrlein adds: “It’ll be important to start from the front of the grid and make it through the first lap safely because the course is very narrow in places.”
Live TV and internet coverage
The worldwide broadcasting schedule of the Formula E event in New York City is available on: https://www.fiaformulae.com/watch/ways-to-watch.
The media service
The first photos from New York City are available on the Porsche Press Database on 9 July. Comments from the Head of Formula E Operations and drivers will be included in the race reports on 10 July (race 10) and 11 July (race 11). All times EST. Further information about the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team will be posted live on the Twitter channel @PorscheFormulaE. All relevant information about the team, the drivers and the racing series can be found in the Porsche Formula E Media Guide. The content will be regularly updated over the course of the season and expanded with additional interactive material.
Can you hear the clock ticking? ⏲ The countdown to the next highlight is on. ⚡ Just one more week until we electrify the streets of New York City. 🗽 We can hardly wait. 😍 How about you? #TAGHeuerPorsche #PorscheFormulaE @FIAFormulaE pic.twitter.com/pONW09tlLe
— TAG Heuer Porsche FE Team (@PorscheFormulaE) July 3, 2021
The Porsche 99X Electric
Campaigning the Porsche 99X Electric, Porsche returned to open-wheel single-seater racing in 2019 after more than 30 years and celebrated a successful debut scoring second place at the season-opener in Saudi Arabia’s Diriyah. The fully-electric racing car sporting the Weissach-developed Porsche E Performance Powertrain also serves as a development platform for the sports car manufacturer’s fully-electric production models. Energy management and efficiency are important factors of success in Formula E and in the development of production cars. The Porsche 99X Electric produces a maximum output of 250 kW (340 hp) in qualification mode and 200 kW (270 hp) in normal race mode. Attack Mode boosts the output to 235 kW (320 hp), with Fanboost increasing the performance to 250 kW (340 hp). Maximum recuperation is 250 kW; the usable battery capacity is 52 Kilowatt hours.
Formula E
Formula E is the world’s first fully-electric street racing series and has been treating people living in major cities to thrilling motorsport since 2014. As an accelerator for innovative and sustainable technologies of mobility, it promotes the worldwide acceptance of electric vehicles with the aim to counteract climate change. The format is compact: practice, qualifying and race all take place on one day. Each race is contested over 45 minutes plus one lap. Formula E, which features a team and driver world championship for the first time this year, has attracted more automobile manufacturers than any other racing series. This makes for interesting and hotly contested races. In 2021, the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team tackles its second season running the Porsche 99X Electric.
