Wehrlein volta a vencer em Jacarta Rodada 10 -2023 Gulavit Jakarta E-Prix Report
- Wehrlein wins in Jakarta as ABB FIA Formula E World Championship returns to Indonesia following last season’s debut
- Jake Dennis finishes second but vents frustration at Wehrlein for early race move
- Maximilian Günther finishes third in searing heat of Jakarta with second race of the double-header tomorrow, Sunday
A cool and collected drive by Pascal Wehrlein delivered a win in the soaring heat of race one in the Gulavit Jakarta E-Prix double-header, propelling his TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team back to the top of the Teams’ championship.
Wehrlein led home Jake Dennis (Avalanche Andretti Formula E Team), who reacted strongly after the race claiming the Porsche driver made a “ridiculous” maneuver forcing Dennis to take evasive action.
Maserati MSG Racing driver Maximilian Günther stayed in the leading pack throughout the race, finishing third. He started in Julius Bär Pole Position, the first Maserati pole in single-seater motorsport since 1958.
In the first race of the double-header in Jakarta, Wehrlein started third and traded places for the lead with polesitter Maximilian Günther over the opening third of the E-Prix, having first made his way by his compatriot on Lap 4.
From Lap 12 and the second ATTACK MODE activation, Wehrlein was able to manage things comfortably in the most trying conditions on a hot and humid afternoon where temperatures reached the mid-30s Celsius.
Dennis started second and finished second, with not enough in his Avalanche Andretti to overpower Wehrlein’s factory Porsche 99X Electric. His push for the front was compromised by a late-race push from Günther, who pressured the Brit for second, allowing Wehrlein some breathing room.
No final das contas, Günther não conseguiu encontrar um caminho. Os companheiros de equipe da DS PENSKE, Stoffel Vandoorne e Jean-Éric Vergne, chegaram em quarto e quinto lugar, respectivamente, com o companheiro de equipe de Günther na Maserati MSG Racing, Edoardo Mortara, em sexto.
Standings leader Nick Cassidy (Envision Racing) tried his best to outdo defensive maestro Vergne mid-way through the race. He had a lucky escape as he made a move from a long way back on an unsighted Vergne on Lap 20, narrowly avoiding damage to both front corners of his car, finishing seventh.
O campeão da sexta temporada, António Félix da Costa (TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team), terminou em oitavo, cerca de 15 segundos atrás de Cassidy. Robin Frijns dobrou o desempenho impressionante na classificação, garantindo os primeiros pontos da ABT CUPRA Formula E Team na temporada com um nono lugar.
Jake Hughes rounded out the top 10 for NEOM McLaren Formula E Team, earning him the ABB Driver of Progress Award for making up the most places in the race after starting back in 20th on the grid.
However, it was another frustrating outing for Jaguar TCS Racing as their cars came to blows again, as they did in Hyderabad, with Sam Bird sending Mitch Evans spinning out of eighth position and crucial points late on in the race.
Two victories and a second place on the first three races of Season 9 put Wehrlein to the top of the Drivers’ championship. However, since his last win in Round 3, Wehrlein failed to make the podium until today while Cassidy hit form and took the lead in the standings with his win in Monaco, the race before Jakarta.
A vitória de hoje significa que Wehrlein está apenas dois pontos atrás de Cassidy, que está com 128 pontos na classificação, enquanto a TAG Heuer Porsche ultrapassou a Envision Racing no topo da corrida das equipes, com uma vantagem de nove pontos, com 198 pontos.
Pascal Wehrlein, No. 94, TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, said:
“It feels awesome obviously. An exceptionally good race, qualifying was much better than in previous races. Thanks a lot, to the team, the car was awesome today, I was leading almost the whole race. It was not so easy on energy for me, I knew that the guys behind had a little bit more, and driving in the slipstream helps. But I think we defended well and are happy to be back on top. The team definitely deserves it and now we are looking forward to tomorrow.
“The last couple of races we were not where we wanted to be, had not scored the points we wanted, and qualifying was an issue for us. Today with P3 we qualified in the best position so far this season. A big turnaround for us in the last couple of weeks, and like I said thanks a lot to the team for all their hard work. Still a long way to go.”
Jake Dennis, No. 27, Avalanche Andretti Formula E, said:
"Estou bastante irritado, para ser sincero. Obviamente, você está tendo uma boa temporada se está irritado com o segundo lugar, mas a largada acabou me fazendo perder a corrida, pois rodamos demais na poeira e caímos para quarto. A manobra com o Pascal foi ridícula, tive que fazer muita pressão para não bater na traseira dele. Para ser sincero, não sei como ele conseguiu fazer aquilo - é ridículo. Os outros dois caras fizeram tudo perfeitamente, deixaram apenas o nosso espaço em um carro, que é a regra, e então Pascal desviou completamente para o muro e eu tive que pisar fundo nos freios na metade da reta. Ele já tinha se comprometido a levantar e, nesse momento, é preciso deixar espaço, e ele não deixou. Não podemos protestar contra eles porque eles também têm um trem de força da Porsche. Um pouco ridículo.
"Amanhã, precisamos começar do lado limpo do grid. A classificação é muito importante; eu não esperava que a corrida fosse ser assim, foi muito disputada desde o início. Temos um carro de classificação rápido - não tão rápido quanto o do Max - mas, se conseguirmos largar nas duas primeiras filas, obviamente poderemos vencer a corrida amanhã. 18 pontos é muito importante, vencemos alguns de nossos principais rivais e vamos tentar de novo amanhã."
Maximilian Günther, No. 7, Maserati MSG Racing, said:
“I am happy. For sure we always want to win, as a racing driver when you start on pole you want to win. We were leading for a few laps, but we just did not have enough to beat the two Porsche guys. From the beginning they did a fantastic job, congratulations to Jake and Pascal. I had a few small issues, the car was not as perfect as it was the rest of the weekend, but still a good race car underneath me and happy with what we achieved today and this weekend, fantastic to be on the podium again. It was the maximum today, and we try to keep improving.”
Tomorrow, Sunday 4 June, it is Round 11 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship and the second race in the 2023 GulaVit Jakarta E-Prix double-header at 3pm Indonesia time (9am UK).
Find out where to watch here: www.fiaformulae.com/en/ways-to-watch
…notes from SP
