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We’ve reached the final three in our exclusive editorial countdown. It’s been a rollercoaster of a season, but only one can leave London as the champion. This is the season review of all our seven hopefuls.
The Season 10 Championship Contenders: #4 Antonio Felix da Costa
The Season 10 Championship Contenders: #5 Oliver Rowland
The Season 10 Championship Contenders: #6 Jean-Eric Vergne
The Season 10 Championship Contenders: #7 Jake Dennis
Third in the standings is TAG Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein. The German has been in championship contention before, but with his two wins and consistent points scoring over Season 10, he is in a really strong position going into this weekend.
Mexico masterclass
The season started in the best possible way for Wehrlein, as he left Mexico City with a huge haul of 28 points. Not only did he manage the victory – his second at the circuit – but also achieved the Julius Baer Pole Position. It was his fifth Formula E win and meant he started the season in the best way he and the team could have hoped for.
He was able to lead the pack away, and opted for the strategy of taking both ATTACK MODES early and in quick succession. His nearest challenger, Envision Racing’s Sebastien Buemi, also made an error when chasing him down, which allowed Wehrlein to extend the distance up front even more.
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After Mexico, the championship headed to Diriyah for a double-header. The venue, which is the championship’s only night race, provided Wehrlein with many happy memories the year before when he was able to do the double and win both races. This season, however, the story was different and he was forced to settle for an eighth and seventh place finish over the two days. They were still vital points for him and the team, especially considering teammate Antonio Felix da Costa hadn’t finished a race in the top 10 at that point.
Big qualifying improvements on Season 9
Wehrlein was back in São Paulo, locking in his second pole position of the year. The German beat DS PENSKE’s Stoffel Vandoorne by just 0.002s to the honour, which at the time was the second closest pole margin in Formula E history.
Although starting from the number one grid slot, Wehrlein fell back a few positions in the race as NEOM McLaren’s Sam Bird and Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans fought for the win ahead in the dying stages. Meanwhile, Wehrlein and championship rival Jake Dennis (Andretti) were getting a little too close for comfort as they fought for the final podium position. However, keeping his cool behind them both was Nissan’s Oliver Rowland, who swooped past them both in a final corner overtake and meant Wehrlein settled for fourth.
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Formula E’s first visit to Japan saw Porsche finish in fourth and fifth, with Wehrlein picking up another 10 points. The consistency he’d shown across the championship until now had certainly kept him in great contention as we approached Misano for Rounds 6 and 7.
The first race in Misano was certainly tough for the Porsche outfit. Wehrlein had a challenging race with his front wing causing problems and would eventually finish down in 16th; his first non-scoring points result of the year. However, on the other side of the garage da Costa had his victory disqualified as the throttle damper spring on his Porsche was not found in conformity with one of three optional declared items.
Back at the top
However, the following day Wehrlein and the team were keen to bounce back and they did. Unfortunately da Costa would finish 17th, but 29-year-old Wehrlein was able to become the first repeat winner in Season 10, after six different victors in the first six rounds. With the team’s energy efficient powertrain and understanding of the racing style, Pascal was able to go into the final lap in second behind Oliver Rowland. That was until Rowland ran out of energy in the final stages of the lap after a technical blip delivered misinformation on how much of the race was left.
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Wehrlein was able to benefit and finished the race in first and with the fastest lap of the race. The 26 points pushed him to the top of the Drivers’ World Championship standings, albeit tied with Dennis.
That points tally was added to in Monaco, when Wehrlein secured his third pole position of the season around the streets of the principality. The three additional points raised him to the top of the standings overall. It was certainly an impressive achievement, especially considering last season he and the team didn’t manage any poles.
He would finish fifth in the race, and go on to collect solid results over both his home races at the Tempelhof Airport circuit. A fifth place and fourth kept Wehrlein in the championship hunt as the season started to wrap up.
Silverware in Shanghai
A further podium in China helped, as Pascal fought both the Jaguars of Evans and Nick Cassidy in the final lap of the race in some final lap fireworks. Evans got the better of Pascal, going around the outside of the German at the never-ending loop that made up the first couple of corners. He pushed Wehrlein back to second and into the hands of Cassidy, who was then all over the rear wheels of the second-placed Porsche. Wehrlein was able to hold onto second, with just seven-tenths separating him and championship leader Cassidy.
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The following day, Wehrlein’s race was ruined after needing to pit for a puncture and resulted in another non-scoring finish – his second of the season.
Both races in Portland were also clouded by problems with his front wing, with almost identical incidents across Rounds 13 and 14. Nevertheless, he managed to scoop an additional 13 points across the two days on a weekend where championship leader Cassidy scored nothing.
"We reduced the gap, and we made everything very open for London," said Wehrlein, speaking after the final round in Portland. "We're in the fight for all the championships. That was the big goal of the weekend and we achieved it."
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After losing his front wing on Lap 6 of the second race, it looked as if it could all be over and he would need to visit the garage for a front-wing change.
"I definitely thought it was game over,” he continued. “It was quite similar to what happened already to many drivers this year. It was just a concertina effect and I hit the car in front. Luckily, with another contact, it removed the front wing.”
London’s calling…
Although the ExCel circuit in London isn’t Wehrlein’s strongest race – having never finished higher than fifth here – it is a place where he’s always scored points since its debut in Season 7. Perhaps this consistency will help at a circuit where his biggest competition have struggled in the past. Also, with his teammate Antonio Felix da Costa fourth in the Drivers’ table on 134 points compared to his 155 points, it could be that we see some team games from the Porsche gang to help get Wehrlein up ahead. Something we’re unlikely to see from the two Jaguars up ahead.
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Be sure to tune back each day to read more about each of the seven drivers who are fighting for the Drivers’ World Championship in London next week.