The Tag Heuer Porsche team did not have a good weekend in terms of results in Puebla, but the performance of the drivers left good feelings to rescue in the Mexican E-Prix.
After winning the qualifying stage on Saturday, Pascal Wehrlein was disqualified due to a controversial tire registration error. The German driver tried to recover on Sunday by reaching second place, however, he received a new penalty for not using all the available power in the so-called fanboost. The measure placed him in fourth place in the race.
“We were very strong all weekend. We took a giant step compared to the last race. I really like that. My relationship with the team is improving race by race,” Wehrlein said after the competition.
Related content: Wehrlein disqualification! With a heart attack finale, Lucas di Grassi gets his third E-Prix in Mexico
“I understand how I can be even faster with the Porsche 99X Electric and the team understands how I would like the car to be. We can be proud of the progress we are making together. First and second in the classification, first and second in the race; without the disqualification and the penalty, now we would be in front of the championship,” added the German.
On his part, André Lotterer, the other Porsche driver, also had a solid participation that unfortunately was diluted by a touch with a rival that relegated him. Despite this, the work done and the behavior of the cars makes the team excited for the upcoming challenges.
Image: fiaformulae.com
“I started and was very happy with the car. But then, in a minor collision, a plastic tape from a billboard stuck to my underbody, negatively affecting the car’s handling, especially in fast corners. Unfortunately that was the end of the race for me,” lamented Lotterer.
Good sensations
The mistakes that played against Porsche over the weekend do not discourage the squad and they already position themselves as one of the rivals to beat in the series. This was assured by Amiel Lindesay, director of operations of the team. “Apart from the disqualification and the penalty, it was a very profitable weekend for us. We made great progress, although this was not reflected in the final results,” he said.
“On Saturday we showed that we can win races and on Sunday we confirmed our good performance. Pascal had an incredibly efficient race. At first he lost positions, but he regained them and then put pressure on the leader for many laps,” added the manager.
Read also: What does a reserve and development driver do in Formula E?
Lindesay noted that “the penalty, unfortunately, left him off the podium. André was able to regain positions after the start, but the incident in the race unbalanced the car and made him lose any option to finish higher.”
Although it is true that the Puebla racetrack received several criticisms from some drivers, it is important to note that it was the first of the year to have an audience and great color. In addition, it had a beneficial meaning, since the proceeds obtained from the sale of the 10,000 tickets went to the Mexican health system.
Porsche will have a rematch in a few weeks when the New York E-Prix takes place on the weekend of July 10 and 11, corresponding to the seventh season of Formula E.
Written by I Jhonattan González
