During the Rome E-Prix, on Friday, LWOS got the opportunity to speak with Pascal Wehrlein, Porsche’s driver among the championship contenders.
Pascal Wehrlein is, at the moment, fourth in the championship with 140 points, behind Nick Cassidy, Jake Dennis, and Mitch Evans and he is still involved in the battle for the 2023 World Champion title. During this season, he collected three victories and four podiums. Race 1 saw the Porsche driver in a difficult position, ending P7 after a chaotic race. However, this chat took place on Friday, just after Free Practice 1.
.@PWehrlein is nothing but positive ahead of the 2023 #RomeEPrix (15/16 July).
Find out what Pascal has to say below and more in our media guide: https://t.co/ceZHjh4ZGk#MakeItMatter #PorscheFormulaE pic.twitter.com/hvTzIathCo
— TAG Heuer Porsche FE Team (@PorscheFormulaE) July 11, 2023
Everyone is talking about the championship like this is the last race of the year, but there are still four races to go. Do you think the standings will remain static or there is still space for big surprises?
I don’t think the championship will be defined here in Rome, but for sure we’ll get an indication for London. Right now four drivers are fighting for the title, maybe after this weekend, they will be only two or three. It’s important to be in a strong position for London. I think the championship will be decided there.
How important is it to do a great qualifying on this track?
Qualifying here it’s very important because overtaking will not be easy. Rome isn’t like Portland or Berlin, where there is a lot of energy saving and the racing is quite different. I think you have to start in the top five if you want to win the race.
Do you think the high temperatures will impact in a heavy way the weekend?
Not really. It will affect the tires and a little bit the brakes too, but hot temperatures affected the car a lot more in the past.
This was a season made of a lot of highs and some lows too. Do you have a favorite moment so far?
The wins, of course, are always my favorite moments. I can’t choose one between them, it’s like when you have more than one kid, you love all of them in the same way! For sure there were some lows when you think ‘Maybe we could have done something different and better’, but that’s normal in racing. We are just focusing on these last races.
We saw the rookie test earlier, do you think Formula E is doing enough for bringing new drivers near this category?
For me, there had been a big improvement, compared to the past and other categories. When I was coming into Formula E this opportunity didn’t exist. I think we are giving the rookies more chances to show their potential. We already did this thing in Berlin, with a full day of testing, but also here they can show their talent. I think it’s quite good, I hope they’ll keep it.
