The Porsche Formula E team is off to a fantastic start. The brand-new Porsche 99X Electric Gen3 finished first and second at the Mexico City E-Prix. With its driver, Jake Dennis (GBR), the Porsche customer team Avalanche Andretti won the first round of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in Mexico City. The 2022 Mexico winner and works driver for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, Pascal Wehrlein (GER), crossed the finish line in second place after making a determined push through the pack.
Race 1
40,000 devoted fans watched the season-opening round at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, where the magnificent third-generation (GEN3) cars made their debut. It was an extraordinarily fruitful beginning to the new Formula E era for Porsche: Four Porsche 99X Electric Gen3 cars completed the tough circuit's 41 laps in the top seven, with António Félix da Costa (POR) coming in seventh at his maiden race for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team and André Lotterer (GER) finishing fourth for Avalanche Andretti. Pascal Wehrlein lined up on the grid for the first round of season 9 in P6 against the breathtaking backdrop of the renowned Foro Sol baseball stadium. He put in a solid performance, especially in the second half of the race, thanks to a great team strategy and the Porsche 99X Electric Gen3's incredibly economical powertrain. Wehrlein used Attack Mode to make up distance and put himself in a good position for the race's pivotal stage. He squeaked past another competitor on lap 29 to take second place. His new teammate, António Félix da Costa, started his debut race for Porsche from P9 and finished eighth despite coming up just two thousandths of a second short of qualifying for the battles.
Comments on the Mexico City E-Prix, race 1
Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport: “What a tremendous start to the season. A one-two victory and four Porsche 99X Electric Gen3 in the top seven – that’s an outstanding result. We’ve shown that we can deliver. Now it’s about maintaining this level for as long as we can over the rest of the season. We’re delighted with this great performance. It can continue like this.”
Florian Modlinger, Director Factory Motorsport Formula E: “That was a successful first race day of season 9. Both factory cars qualified in the top 10. In the race, Pascal quickly worked his way up the field and ended up scoring our team’s first podium result of the season. Antonio kept getting entangled in duels further back but also managed to progress. We now know where we stand on the racetrack like Mexico compared to the competition. Congratulations to our victorious customer team Avalanche Andretti. In the end, all four Porsche finished in the top seven – we can be very happy about this. It was an outstanding start to the season for Porsche.”
Pascal Wehrlein, Porsche works driver (#94): “That was a super start to the season. I’m very grateful for the car that the team gave me for this race. Everyone has worked so hard over the last few weeks to put us in a great position for the start to the new season. After this tremendous opening round, it’s now a matter of continuing to improve in the upcoming races. Our new car still has a lot of potential. For now, though, let’s enjoy what we’ve just achieved. Everyone in the team can be proud of themselves.”
António Félix da Costa, Porsche works driver (#13): “I’m happy with my first race as a Porsche works driver. This is a banner day for Porsche. It’s fantastic to see that we have a good package. I’m new to the team so I still have a few things to get used to, but we work very well together. I’m pleased to have earned some points for Porsche on the first outing. That’s definitely a good start. The team is highly motivated and I’m certain that we’ll continue to improve.”
