It was the perfect start to Season 11 for TAG Heuer Porsche's Pascal Wehrlein, as the current World Champion snapped up the first pole position of the 2024/25 campaign and collected three championship points in the process.
Describing his qualifying strategy as “all or nothing”, Wehrlein confessed that his final lap wasn’t quite perfect. “I almost messed it up in Turn 1. I went a bit wide and lost time there, but the other corners were all pretty good, so I was happy with the lap apart from that!”
WATCH: How to watch or stream Formula E's Sao Paulo E-Prix where you are
The World Champion went up against Nissan’s Oliver Rowland in the Final Duel, with just 0.099s separating the two at the chequered flag. In the end, Wehrlein’s pole time was 1m09.851s which was almost three seconds quicker than the pole time from last season, thanks to the rapid new GEN3 Evo and the introduction of all-wheel drive in the Duels.
Next up is the race, at 14:00 local/17:00 UTC, with the São Paulo sun still beating down on the Anhembi Sambadrome.
“I think the race is going to be quite difficult on energy,” the pole sitter continued. “Also the temperature is super hot, so it will be challenging for the car and for us. I am looking forward to the race. It will be a peloton style initially, and then let's see how it turns out with the ATTACK MODE and having four-wheel drive.”
GEN3 EVO: Everything you need to know about Formula E's latest electric car
This is Pascal Wehrlein’s seventh career pole position in Formula E, and his second at this Brazilian street circuit. However, despite the circuit remaining the same as last season, the car underneath him is a whole new generation of machine.
“The whole team has done an incredible job,” he added.
“The car is quite different compared to last year, as are the Hankook iON tyres. A lot of things have changed, but it feels like we got on top of everything and we’re looking forward to the race as in the past we used to be very strong."
SCHEDULE: Where, when and how to watch or stream the 2024/25, Season 11, São Paulo E-Prix Round 1
Next up it's lights out, as we get ready to witness our first race of the new Formula E season at 14:00 local time. We can't wait for you to join us!
Race: Saturday 7 December, 14:00 local/17:00 UTC
View the full schedule in your time zone and check the broadcaster listings or tap the Ways to Watch button above to find out where to watch all the racing action where you live.
Find out more
CALENDAR: Sync all the dates and don't miss a lap of Season 11
FOLLOW: Download the Formula E App on iOS or Android
WATCH: Find out where to watch every Formula E race via stream or on TV in your country
SCHEDULE: Here's every race of the 2024/25 Formula E season
HIGHLIGHTS: Catch up with every race from all 10 seasons of Formula E IN FULL