Pascal Wehrlein takes pole position and extends world championship lead

Race 8

On the legendary Grand Prix circuit in the Principality, he crossed the finish line in fifth place at the wheel of his Porsche 99X Electric. António Félix da Costa achieved seventh place for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team. After making it into the qualifying duels, he became entangled in a collision caused by another competitor and had to battle his way back up the order. From P20, António ran as high as sixth place directly behind Wehrlein for a while. With the points earned, Porsche successfully defended its lead in the bid for the manufacturers’ trophy.

Achieving tenth place, Frenchman Norman Nato was the best driver of the Porsche customer team Andretti Formula E. Defending world champion Jake Dennis in the Michael Andretti team’s second Porsche 99X Electric needed a new front wing after a collision. He ultimately took the flag in 20th place.

Post-by-post coverage of the race can be found on the X channel @PorscheFormulaE.

Next vehicle generation unveiled

On the Thursday before the Monaco E-Prix, Formula E and FIA unveiled the so-called Gen3 Evo, the next generation of vehicles in the electric world championship. It will line up on the grid next season. Taking just 1.86 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h, the Gen 3 Evo is said to be the fastest accelerating single-seater of any FIA championship. The biggest innovation: Front-wheel-drive has been added in qualifying, at the start and in “attack mode”.

Comments on the Monaco E-Prix, Race 8

Florian Modlinger, Director Factory Motorsport Formula E: “These points were extremely important for us. We can’t be entirely satisfied because when you start from pole, you expect to fight for the podium. António fell behind early due to an unfortunate situation, which put us on a strategic back foot. He did a sensational job of fighting his way up the order. This left Pascal on his own against two teams with two cars each, who made the most of their strategic advantage. Looking at the overall standings, the points for Pascal’s fifth place were critical. As a result, he extended his world championship lead. We rank second in the teams’ championship and are still the best manufacturer. We’re now heading into the second half of the season feeling confident and are looking forward to the home races in Berlin.”

Pascal Wehrlein, Porsche works driver (#94): “That was a tough race. I lost a lot of time due to the early attack mode. That put two Jaguars and two DS cars in front of me. They both did a very clever job, making space for each other and often driving side by side. There wasn’t much I could do about it. It’s a shame because our pace was better than we were able to demonstrate today.”

António Félix da Costa, Porsche works driver (#13): “I was in the wrong place at the wrong time – that seems to be my problem at the moment. It could’ve been a good day for us. I qualified seventh and had a good car in the race. I remained patient and wasn’t rash. But then the track in front of me was blocked, I got stuck and lost ground. We’ll keep our heads up and continue fighting.”

ABB FIA Formula E World Championship – standings after 8 of 16 races

Drivers’ classification
1. Pascal Wehrlein (GER), 102 points
3. Jake Dennis (GBR), 89 points
10. António Félix da Costa (POR), 26 points
13. Norman Nato (FRA), 24 points
 
Teams’ classification
1. Jaguar TCS Racing, 172 points
2. TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, 128 points
2. Andretti Formula E, 113 points
 
Manufacturers’ trophy
1. Porsche, 209 points
2. Jaguar, 201 points
3. Nissan, 166 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 and Andretti Formula E is rounds 9 and 10 at the Berlin E-Prix on 11 and 12 May.

Porsche in Formula E

Porsche contests its fifth Formula E season in 2023/2024. In addition to the works-run TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, the American customer outfit Andretti Formula E competes with the Porsche 99X Electric. The concept of the innovative electric racing car was developed at the net CO₂-neutral Weissach facility. With its commitment to the world championship, Porsche underlines its commitment to take a leading role among traditional automobile manufacturers in the areas of electrification, sustainability and technology. In Formula E, the brand gains valuable insights for its electric series-production sports cars.

Preview

The Monaco E-Prix is the most prestigious Formula E race of the year. Four Porsche 99X Electric race cars will go in pursuit of championship points on the legendary Grand Prix circuit in the Principality. Driving for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, Pascal Wehrlein, the only two-time winner of the season so far, and Jake Dennis from the Porsche customer team Andretti Formula E are tied on points at the top of the drivers’ world championship standings.

Wehrlein won in Mexico and Misano, while world champion Dennis claimed the top podium step in Saudi Arabia. With three wins from seven races, Porsche ranks first in the bid for the Manufacturers’ Trophy.

António Félix da Costa and Norman Nato join Wehrlein and Dennis in the race through the twisty labyrinth of the world’s most expensive square mile in the two other electric Porsche racing cars. Formula E is contested on the same 3.3-kilometre circuit as Formula 1.

Comments ahead of the Monaco E-Prix

Florian Modlinger, Director Factory Motorsport Formula E: “We’ve just competed on the motorcycle racing track in Misano, now we head to the world’s most famous street circuit in Monaco. This race is always a highlight and venues like Monaco are very important for Formula E. We’ve experienced some gripping races there so far with lots of overtaking manoeuvres. We put in an impressive performance in Misano with a sensational team effort – and we’re determined to bring home more points in Monaco. Given the tight schedule, we need to arrive even better prepared than usual. There is little time for set-up adjustments at the racetrack.”

Pascal Wehrlein, Porsche works driver (#94): “Monaco is perfect for Formula E – it’s a cool track with a stunning backdrop. To be at the front, we have to find a set-up that allows plenty of grip in the fast corners and offers good balance but doesn’t result in too much understeer in tight corners like Rascasse. We don’t have much time to find the best compromise. It’d be ideal if we arrived at the track already well sorted – but even then it’ll still be difficult. In Monaco, it feels like every driver pushes a little more than usual. Everyone wants to win here.”

António Félix da Costa, Porsche works driver (#13): “We’re taking a lot of positives to Monaco from the last races. Even though we were stripped of our Misano victory, our momentum tells the real story. We were fast all weekend in Misano. Monaco is undoubtedly the coolest race of the year. Every lap on this circuit is a pleasure. I won from pole position in 2021, those were unforgettable impressions. In Monaco, everything from free practice to the race happens in one day. It’s challenging for us all.”

Live TV and Internet coverage

The worldwide broadcasting schedule of the Formula E events is available here. Race 8 in Monaco gets underway on 27 April at 3:04 pm CEST. The qualifying kicks off at 10:40 am CEST.

ABB FIA Formula E World Championship – standings after 7 of 16 races

Drivers’ classification
1. Pascal Wehrlein (GER), 89 points
2. Jake Dennis (GBR), 89 points
10. Norman Nato (FRA), 23 points
14. António Félix da Costa (POR), 20 points
 
Teams’ classification
1. Jaguar TCS Racing, 128 points
2. Andretti Formula E, 112 points
3. TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, 109 points
 
Manufacturers’ Trophy
1. Porsche, 190 points
2. Jaguar, 157 points
3. Nissan, 154 points

The official points’ standings can be found on the Formula E website

Porsche in Formula E

Porsche contests its fifth Formula E season in 2023/2024. In addition to the works-run TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, the American customer outfit Andretti Formula E competes with the Porsche 99X Electric. The concept of the innovative electric racing car was developed at the net CO₂-neutral Weissach facility. With its commitment to the world championship, Porsche underlines its commitment to take a leading role among traditional automobile manufacturers in the areas of electrification, sustainability and technology. In Formula E, the brand gains valuable insights for its electric series-production sports cars.