Pascal Wehrlein obviously likes the new generation of Formula E vehicles. The Porsche driver wins both races in Saudi Arabia and takes the lead in the world championship. But the season is still long - and the pace of development is high.
Pascal Wehrlein has been in Formula E for a good four years, but he had never experienced anything like it. "I will never forget this weekend," said the Porsche driver after his one-two in Saudi Arabia. It was "an unbelievable success" - and at least in Germany, nothing like this was known.
Because with his two victories on the Diriyah street circuit, Wehrlein has taken the lead in the championship and has become the first major title contender of the still young season. In eight years, no German driver has even come close to overall victory in the electric racing series - Wehrlein and Porsche could change that. At the season opener in Mexico, the ex-Formula 1 driver took second place behind Jake Dennis (Andretti), before the gates of Riyadh he now won both races ahead of the Brit. In the overall standings, Wehrlein (68 points) is six points ahead of Dennis.
The first races with the new, faster generation of vehicles went almost perfectly for the southern Swabian, but the balance of power could still change in the course of the year: the regulations are new territory for all teams, every racing team should have potential for development. According to Wehrlein, the competitors had already caught up from Friday to Saturday: "That means that we must not let up in our efforts either."
Rene Rast can also hope for a strong season, the veteran is getting better and better. The former DTM champion clinched his first podium for McLaren in third place on Saturday and climbed to sixth place overall (26 points). The next street race in the electric series is on February 11 in India. In total, Formula E this year includes 16 races, on April 22nd and 23rd it will be held on the site of the closed Tempelhof Airport in Berlin.
