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Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, January – Pascal Wehrlein (TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team) stormed from ninth to win the first of two races in 2023 CORE Direct E-Giftswith the standings leader Jaka Dennis (Avalanche Andretti Formula E) followed the hosts in second after starting in 11thth.
Pascal Wehrlein
Wehrlein looked quickest on the track as he moved past the point-paying positions to the front of the pack. The move to lead came on the Lap 30 at Turn 16, with Sam Bird (Jaguar TCS Racing) couldn’t stop Wehrlein 99X Electric Gen3. Both driver and car looked dominant for the second race in a row. It was an emotional victory for the 28-year-old, who once again credited his team with an incredible amount of work to get it right.
Jake Dennis in a Porsche powered car Andretti landslide battled all the way to the front of the line with his factory Porsche counterpart from 11th on the grid, but he was unable to find a way past Wehrlein – sealing his second Formula E win on his 50th start.
The result is a reversal of the one-two we saw two weeks ago at Hankook Mexico City E-Prix 2023 – and both TAG Heuer Porsche and Avalanche Andretti appear to have provided a challenge across the field as the GEN3 development race continues at a furious pace.
Sam Bird is ecstatic to be on the podium for the first time since winning in New York City in Season 7 – calling it a “mini win” for himself and Jaguar after a tough Season 8 for the Briton – the only season he has failed to claim a Formula E trophy.
pit lane
Sebastian Buemi (Imagine Race) starts Julius Baer Pole Position and finished fourth, his best finish since the Season 6 final in Berlin.
Sebastien Buemi, Imagine Racing, Jaguar I-Type 6 Takes the lead at the start
Formula NEOM McLaren E Team‘s Rene Rast started fifth and ended fifth after a long battle in the middle of the points paying position. He also sealed the TAG Heuer Fastest Lap.
Rene Rast, NEOM McLaren Formula E Team, e-4ORCE 04; Mitch Evans, Jaguar TCS Racing, Jaguar I-TYPE 6; Lucas di Grassi, Mahindra Racing, Mahindra M9Electro collided early in Race 1
Nick Cassidy making it two Envision Racing cars in the top six. Jean-Éric Vergne battled from 12th to the point for DS PENSKE, ending right in front Jake Hughes at McLaren’s sister. André Lotterer (Andretti Avalanche) and Mitch Evans (Jaguar TCS Racing) rounded out the top 10 – the latter slipping from sixth on the grid.
Pascal Wehrlein, Porsche 99X Electric Gen3
That leaves Dennis as championship leader just one point above Werhlein – 44 to 43 points – while Avalanche Andretti maintain their Team’s lead over TAG Heuer Porsche, 58 to 49 points, with Envision Racing in third.
The return of Formula E to Diriyah, a historical and cultural destination in Saudi Arabia, marks a breakthrough step as it continues to prioritize sustainability and shifts the paradigm in the sports industry.
The second race in the double-header CORE Diriyah E-Prix 2023 is tomorrow evening, Saturday 28 January, from 20:00 AST / 17:00 GMT.
Find out where to watch here: www.fiaformulae.com/en/ways-to-watch
Pascal Wehrlein, no. 94, said the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, “It feels great. I’m so proud of these guys, it’s amazing – the car I own today. I mean from P9 to P1, it’s amazing, I’m so grateful to have this team. There’s been a lot of work. We always want to achieve results like this, we’ve had some highlights in the past but definitely this year we want to take a big step forward. I know how hard these guys work, I was also with them quite a lot and pushed everyone, especially after the test in Valencia we didn’t look as strong, so I know how many hours everyone spent. the season in the first and second races was amazing, like I said I’m just grateful for everyone and their hard work – we keep pushing.
Jake Dennis, No. 27, Avalanche Andretti Formula E, followed by, “I’m not at all [expecting to be on the podium]. I thought it would be very difficult to overtake here with such fast mountain sections, but my God the race car we had was just amazing. For me and Pascal to get another 1-2 from ninth and eleventh is a testament to how much effort has been put into it. Full credit to Avalanche Andretti for giving me the best race car today. We got close to Pascal in the end, I was pushing to finish the move but when you’re racing the guy in the same car it’s hard to pass. But I’m very happy and we deserved this after such a difficult qualifying. I had to stop him for an eight second lead, but yeah very happy for everyone and another 1-2. I need to try and beat him tomorrow and beat everyone, but still I can sleep well tonight.”
Sam Bird, No. 10, Jaguar TCS Racing, happily stated, “It’s great to be back on the podium, I can’t tell you. It’s been a tough twelve months, but the Jaguars have been amazing – they’ve got my back, put their arm around me and also recently we faced a very difficult Mexico to open the season. The amount of hard work, the amount of sleepless nights that everyone on the team has had to get us to this point, it’s a small victory for us. I understand that Porsche is going to take the spoils – but for us and where we come from, great. Congrats to everyone on the team – we keep pushing. I tried to put my car to make it difficult for Pascal, I know the grip there is tough but he did an amazing job. Porsche looked very good on minimum changes of direction and speed, so we had a little bit of homework to do tonight.”
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