JEDDAH: Pascal Wehrlein marked his 100th Formula E race in style on Friday, securing victory in Round 4 of the Formula World Championship at the first Jeddah E-Prix of the weekend.
The Porsche Formula E Team driver combined precise Pit Boost timing with strategic use of Attack Mode to hold off Mahindra Racing’s Edoardo Mortara and Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans.
Starting third on the grid, Wehrlein delayed activating both his 50kW attack mode and Pit Boost executing a strategy that allowed him to pull eight seconds clear of his rivals in the closing stages.
“It was a super, nicely executed race,” Wehrlein said.
“I waited a bit with the Pit Boost but also with the Attack Mode, and I think that was the right strategy.
“Being at the top of the Championship is not too relevant right now. Obviously, I wanted that win really badly — it’s been a while — and it’s great to bounce back like that,” he added.
Mortara, who had slipped from pole to fifth after a wheelspinning start, recovered strongly to finish second.
“The incident at the start must have been nice for the cameras! I lost five places. It got better after,” he said.
“The team has done a tremendous job, especially on the starts, since the beginning of the year. Today’s start wasn’t ideal, but it’s not the end of the world and we still finished P2,” he added.
Evans climbed from the top 10 to secure third, showing the advantage of late Attack Mode activation.
“I’m massively happy,” he said. “It was all about strategy today and the pace was extremely fast from quite early on. Racing against drivers like Jake (Dennis), you can put some faith in him but it was tight. Overall, I’m very happy to get a Third after my win last time out. We’re in good shape for tomorrow and we’ll try to build from here.”
Nico Muller (Porsche) finished fourth, followed by Antonio Felix da Costa (Jaguar TCS Racing) and Nick Cassidy (Citroën Racing), who recovered from 13th on the grid to claim sixth.
Wehrlein’s victory, combined with the fastest lap, delivered 26 points and propelled him to the top of the drivers' standings with 64 points, ahead of Cassidy’s 48.
Porsche now lead the teams’ championship with 109 points, while the Stuttgart marque also tops the manufacturers’ standings on 125 points.
The Formula E World Championship continues on Saturday with Round 5 of the season under the lights at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit for the second race of the weekend.
