Pascal Wehrlein is the new Formula E World Champion after a thrilling title fight with Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy.
One of the most iconic title battles of Formula E ended today, with Wehrlein winning the World Championship during the last race of the season, the British round. The Porsche driver didn’t win the race, with the first position held by Oliver Rowland from the Nissan team. Wehrlein climbed on the second step of the podium, followed by Mitch Evans. The New Zealander was Wehrlein’s main rival for the title and his result delivered the trophy into Wehrlein’s hands. Before the race, Nick Cassidy was one of the possible contenders, but contact with Antonio Felix Da Costa took him out after a few laps.
YOUR SEASON 10 CHAMPION 🏆
Congratulations on an unbelievable season, @PWehrlein!@Hankook_Sport #LondonEPrix pic.twitter.com/aXxKv28UQE
— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) July 21, 2024
The final sprint that worthed Wehrlein the Formula E title
Pascal Wehrlein has finished his season on a high, winning the World Championship after a tight battle. The final races are elements that brought the driver to the win, after a thrilling season made of highs and lows.
The 2024 Formula E calendar presented sixteen rounds and Wehrlein has stepped on the podium five times, obtaining the victory on three occasions. The Porsche new champion was the star of the first rounds, winning the Mexico City E-Prix, However, he missed out the podium until the second race of the Misano appointment. Wehrlein found another podium appearance in Shanghai, during the eleventh round. The two London rounds made the difference, both won by the German. The key element that brought the driver to conquer the title has been constancy. He missed out the points only twice this season, during Misano Race-1 and the second appointment in Shanghai.
Jaguar defeat
The 2024 Formula E season presented many different winners and podium sitters, making the title fight harder for everyone. The main contender with Wehrlein has been the Jaguar team, which had to say goodbye to the Drivers’ Championship title during the last race of the season. It has been tough for Mitch Evans, who has been one of the most consistent drivers of Season 10. Both Evans and Cassidy have been involved in the title fight for most of Season 10 and Jaguar was the favourite for winning the Drivers’ Championship, having two drivers on the top of the standings.
However, the team chose a strategy that didn’t pay off, leaving Evans with two attack modes during the last fraction of the race, after Cassidy’s retirement. The driver, who slowed down after the first laps to keep the fields compact, had to take the mandatory attack mode. The clue moment had been the second activation, with Evans who had missed out the dedicated zone, losing precious time. The New Zealander had to pass by the activation zone a third time and Wehrlein – until that moment behind him – conquered the second place and won the Formula E title. Jaguar left London with the Formula E Team Championship win, but also with the feeling of missing out on the opportunity to conquer both titles.
Wehrlein thoughts after the race
The brand-new Formula E champion Pascal Wehrlein spoke about his success after the race.
“I don’t know where to start. The race was hard. I knew I had to attack and I had to get in front of the Jags. I think Mich defended quite hard, but I still tried to overtake and pass… I don’t know what happened in the end, if it was due to the safety car that got quite close to the attack mode or because he missed it”.
“Nevertheless, I think what we did this weekend, especially, we knew that yesterday and today are the days and we need to be super focused, concentrated, and outperform probably what the car can do and what we could do here in London, because this has never been a track which is good for our car. I think we did that. I think we clearly showed some great pace. I’m very happy for myself, but even more for the team.
“It feels good. I don’t know what to say, it’s definitely not expected. You turn up, you have a chance. But I always believed in it. The last couple of weeks, every day before my day was starting and my day finished, I said, I can do this. We can do this. Even if the last couple of races, the performance was not that strong and I was struggling a bit with the car and what I felt in the car. I said, It doesn’t matter. I could see it. I taught myself every day, and I’m just super proud of everyone in the team.”
