While Antonio Felix da Costa gave Porsche its first home victory in the Electric World Championship at the second Formula E race in Berlin, there was a lot of trouble further back in the overall rankings. This was due to the various contacts between Porsche works driver Pascal Wehrlein and the two vehicles from the Porsche customer team Andretti, especially with the reigning world champion Jake Dennis.
“He and his teammate both pushed me into the wall, leaving no room,” said Wehrlein in Berlin after the end of the race Motorsport-Magazin.com. The first of these contacts with the wall occurred in the first of 41 race laps. In the 6/7 corner combination, Wehrlein sat on the outside of Dennis teammate Norman Nato. But Nato allowed himself to be pushed far out exiting Turn 7, causing Wehrlein to run out of space and hit the wall.
Wehrlein suffers damage after contact
As the race progressed, things got heated between Wehrlein and Dennis. On lap 20, turn 7 was again the site of contact. Wehrlein sat on the sidelines again, running out of space with Dennis next to him, who in turn had Jaguar driver Mitch Evans next to him. As the race progressed, there were numerous further contacts, although ultimately both drivers got off comparatively lightly and were able to finish the race. Wehrlein narrowly missed the podium in his home race in fourth place, while Dennis crossed the finish line in fifth, 0.405 seconds behind his long-term rival.
Nevertheless, Wehrlein was not satisfied with the events, while the race management did not impose a penalty. “Apparently the stewards are okay with it,” said Wehrlein. Although the Sigmaringen native made it to the finish, his race was affected by the contact, as the 29-year-old revealed: “My underbody was broken, my wing was broken, my steering was crooked.”
Dennis reassures: Three Porsches in the top 5
Jake Dennis, however, accepted the incidents at the second Berlin ePrix in a much more relaxed manner – and blamed the racing conditions for the renewed energy-saving battle. “There is contact with everyone. Everyone meets everyone and today my main rival was Pascal. I raced against him a lot today and when you always fight with the same guy you always have the greatest amount of contact with each other,” Dennis explained to MSM .
The Brit also pointed out that the race result was positive for Porsche despite the contacts: “There’s really not too much to talk about. We all raced incredibly hard against each other, but we’re in the top five with three Porsches So overall it was a pretty good day for Porsche.”
Porsche team boss: We have to talk about it clearly
At least Dennis and Wehrlein agreed on the possible need for discussion. The latter did not initially comment on this either, although Wehrlein indirectly criticized Dennis: “From my side, there is no need to speak. Not much else was to be expected.”
Porsche team boss Florian Modlinger, on the other hand, definitely saw reason for a clarifying conversation. “Pascal had contact with the wall three times in situations where two Porsches were driving next to each other and we have to talk about it clearly and sort out the issue,” said Modlinger Motorsport-Magazin.com.”
Wehrlein and Dennis with an eventful history
It’s not the first time that Wehrlein and Dennis got in each other’s way in Formula E. Last season, both drivers often drew attention to themselves with contacts on the track and verbal exchanges off the track. In the meantime there was complete radio silence, but after setting up a WhatsApp group in which the Porsche and Andretti drivers exchange ideas, things are said to have been smoothed over, at least initially.
But this season too, Wehrlein and Dennis cost each other championship points with tough duels. In Sao Paulo, a duel ensured that Oliver Rowland (Nissan) drove past both of them to third place in a crazy photo finish. Wehrlein also lost a few positions at the premiere of Formula E in Tokyo after a duel with Dennis in difficult overtaking conditions. One thing is certain: Modlinger did not consider the type of duels like in Berlin to be suitable for the future. “If a car is in the wall, something is wrong,” said the 43-year-old.
Porsche is not ahead in any World Championship standings, but is within striking distance
With regard to the World Cup standings, Wehrlein and Dennis leave Berlin in second and fourth positions. With 124 points, Wehrlein is 16 points behind championship leader Nick Cassidy (Jaguar), while Dennis is a further 22 points behind. In the team classification, Porsche still occupies second place, 54 points behind the Jaguar factory team.
However, the championship standings are still provisional following Porsche’s appeal against the disqualification of Misano winner Felix da Costa. According to MSM information, the case will be decided on June 7, 2024 from 9:00 a.m. before the International Court of Appeal at the FIA headquarters in Paris at Place de la Concorde.
Aside from the racing action, there was already news from Berlin before the race, where a Formula E race was being held for the 20th time this Sunday. As Motorsport-Magazin.com learned exclusively from Governing Mayor Kai Wegner in Berlin, the city’s contract with Formula E has been extended. You can read all the details in this article: