There are moments in life that are more than just memories. They’re a part of our story and shape the very way we think, our journey through life. Pascal Wehrlein experienced one of these moments at the age of ten, when he saw a Porsche 911 GT3 for the first time. He was playing soccer when a sound drew him out of the game, set his pulse racing, and silenced his thoughts. He had just a moment to register the wide shoulders and the striking rear wing in the distance before the car disappeared into the forest.
“What remained was a never-ending, deep, raw sound,” says 30-year-old Wehrlein, gazing all the while at his own 911 GT3 (992) parked a short distance from a dock on Lake Constance. Wehrlein’s first encounter with the Porsche brand took his deeply rooted passion for motorsport to a whole new level. He’d already been go-karting for two years that fateful day when the GT3 glided past, emboldening him and extinguishing any doubt. “When I heard it, I knew once and for all that I wanted to be a race car driver.” For Wehrlein, this sports car is more than just an invitation to dream. It represents a promise to himself to never stand still, but to go faster and faster, to always strive for more.
With talent and determination
Over the next two decades, Wehrlein developed into one of the most talented drivers of his generation, representing superlatives and breaking records. Well known for his versatility, he can win in a touring car or a Formula car. His relentless determination to succeed is almost tangible. “If there’s something I want, I find a way to get it.” Wehrlein wrote history in 2015 as the youngest German Touring Car Champion (DTM) of all time – at just 21 years of age. He spent the next two years in Formula 1, where he also made a name for himself and demonstrated his talent, before finding his new racing home in Formula E in 2019.
It didn’t take him long to establish himself as one of the fastest and most consistent drivers in the electric racing series. Wehrlein reached a milestone in his career when he clinched the first World Drivers’ Championship title for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E team in July 2024. “We took a giant step ahead with the highly efficient GEN3 version of the vehicle and performed better than ever in the qualifyings,” says Wehrlein. A total of eight wins, and thus half of all the potential wins, were achieved in the Porsche 99X Electric in the 2023/2024 season – three of which were secured by Wehrlein.
“The World Championship title was still up for grabs before the last race. In a situation like this, it’s easy to make mistakes. But we did the exact opposite as a team. The pressure made us better.” The goal for the current 2024/2025 season as a Porsche works driver is obvious – to celebrate as many successes as possible and ideally defend the title. “I’m so grateful for the opportunity to be a small part of something bigger,” he says. “It’s unbelievable what our team as a whole can achieve.” His medium-term goal is to compete in the world’s most-coveted endurance race. “Winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Porsche is just about every race car driver’s dream. Mine, too.”
Between electric power and the sound of the internal combustion
After enjoying a few moments of quiet on Lake Constance with the world champion, we hand him the key to the all-electric Macan Turbo that we brought with us. Raving about the sound of the 911 GT3 just moments ago, he’s now about to drive the electric car through the forest. Elegant in Ice Grey Metallic, sporty with up to 470 kW (639 PS; Macan Turbo Electric: émissions de CO₂ en cycle mixte (WLTP) 0 g/km, consommation électrique en cycle mixte (WLTP) 20,7 – 18,9 kWh/100 km, Autonomie électrique combinée (WLTP) 518 – 590 km, Autonomie électrique en zone urbaine (WLTP) 670 – 762 km). Thanks to Launch Control, it only takes 3.3 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 100 kmh. “I love the Macan. I’m impressed at just how quiet it is, but also by the unbridled power that pushes me back into the seat the moment I accelerate,” says Wehrlein, navigating the windy roads. “As far as I’m concerned, electric mobility and the technology of the internal combustion engine can co-exist in perfect harmony. I feel right at home in both worlds.”
Advice for a lifetime
When Wehrlein was five, his parents took him to his first Formula 1 race at Hockenheimring. He drove a go-kart for the first time at the age of eight. His father, an entrepreneur and mechanic born in Germany’s Swabian region, is always by his side, supporting him and ensuring that everything is working on racing days. Pascal Wehrlein’s father gave him some advice early on that has stuck with him to this day. “You also need to be able to win with the second-fastest go-kart, not just the fastest one.” Wehrlein took these words to heart and immediately quit complaining about the go-kart. Complaining that the balance was off, that the front was sliding, and that it couldn’t go any faster. That shaped his mentality. He has long known that he doesn’t need to have the fastest car to be the fastest.
Wehrlein’s hunger for knowledge and perfection was also visible off the go-kart track. After school, he’d sit in front of the TV and watch old Formula 1 races. He’d spend the weekend following current races with his father. Not even the time difference could keep him from watching the Grand Prix in Australia. “My parents would set an alarm for me when I was a little kid. I’d wake my dad up just before the race started, so we could watch it together,” Wehrlein recalls.
Water as a source of power
Today it’s not only his relentless determination to win that sets Wehrlein apart as a professional athlete. You don’t have to spend much time with him to notice just how focused he is when he’s speaking and how accurate every movement is. He folds the seams of his sweater carefully together before setting it on his shoulder. Wehrlein watches what he eats and is mindful of his physical and mental fitness. He meditates regularly to maintain focus, which allows him to concentrate on what’s important. “When I’m out on the racecourse, my focus is entirely on driving the best lap possible, pushing the car to the absolute limit at that moment, and performing the best that I can,” he explains. He avoids thinking about the potential consequences of making a mistake. “I free my mind of those thoughts entirely and focus on the here and now. It allows me to perform at my best.”
This inner strength is also reflected in his down-to-earth attitude and attachment to home. His family means the world to him. He wears a cross around his neck that his mother, who comes from Mauritius, gave him for his first communion. Whenever he talks about his parents, his fiancée, Sibel, or his daughter, Soleya, who’s almost two years old, his striking facial features change, his brown eyes light up, and a warm smile spreads across his face. “The first person I spent time with in parc fermé after winning the world championship in London was my daughter,” he says.
From the podium, he could see Soleya lift her arm into the air and cheer with a victorious fist. “These are the images I’ll always remember. Not the performance that made the win possible.”
Wehrlein draws strength from the moments like these that distinguish his career. And he’s able to find peace and quiet at home. “For me there’s no better place in the world than Lake Constance. I feel such a connection to the region and am happy that my daughter gets to grow up in such a beautiful place,” says Wehrlein, who was born in the town of Sigmaringen and now lives with his family on the Swiss side of the lake. Lake Constance is located in the northern Alpine foothills and borders Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Wehrlein enjoys the close proximity to the mountains in the winter and likes to head out in the direction of the Alps on cross-country skis in the morning and return again after two or three hours of skiing. He enjoys spending summer days out on the water, whether motorboating or wakeboarding. After winning the DTM Championship, he “treated himself to a small wakeboard boat,” to use his own charming words. Once he’s recharged his batteries on Lake Constance, he can give it his all again out on the track. “Sometimes I like to go out on the water alone. I draw so much energy from the peace and quiet.”
The extra mile for success
Energy for even more major successes in the years to come. “I know I can perform at an extremely high level and overcome difficult situations,” says Wehrlein with confidence. His words reflect the respect that he has for professional athletes, the team, and the Porsche brand, as well as his experience with the challenges of the elite sport. He often talks about what it’s like to experience failures and then sit alone in his hotel room, frustrated, without the support of his family, who can’t always be there. “The days where things don’t go so well outnumber the special moments. You lose much more often than you win,” he says, describing a truth that not only applies to motorsport. The path to success is full of obstacles, setbacks, and losses.
And then he brings up the Porsche moment again, when he was a little boy on the soccer field – the sound of the GT3 that echoed out of the forest, as if it had gotten stuck in the air. This memory remains a part of his identity to this day. Porsche symbolizes the values that Wehrlein embodies today: precision, a down-to-earth attitude, and an unwavering drive for perfection. For race car drivers, success means being willing to go the extra mile if it’s necessary. But success is also about drawing the energy you need to keep dreaming from moments of calm and a special connection to family and home.
No Time to Dawdle
A few months after Pascal Wehrlein won the World Drivers’ Championship for the factory team for the first time, the sixth Porsche season in Formula E kicked off with the debut of the GEN3 Evo generation of the 99X Electric. Technical innovations are being introduced for all teams: temporary all-wheel drive, tires with stronger grip, and a modified front wing.
The 99X Electric can accelerate from 0 to 100 kmh in about two seconds. And is a real eye-catcher in the new colors Purple Sky Metallic and Shade Green Metallic. They’re inspired by the Taycan Turbo GT, which was launched at the beginning of 2024 and is the most powerful production Porsche ever built. An impressive symbol for the use of motorsport technology in series production.
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Text first published in the Porsche magazine Christophorus 413 – out now!
Author: Christina Rahmes
Photos: Andi Mayr
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