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Formula E has a new World Champion, and his name is Pascal Wehrlein. The TAG Heuer Porsche driver completed his 80th championship race on Sunday, and left it with the championship trophy in his hands. Wehrlein joined Formula E in Season 5 with Mahindra Racing before moving to the Porsche team from Season 7.
Consistency is key
This is no secret in the world of Formula E. Although wins and podiums will help your championship campaign, it’s all about being towards the front and banking those valuable points with no room for non-finishes. That was one thing Wehrlein excelled at this year. Over the 16 rounds of Season 10, he only had two zero point results but always managed to reach the chequered flag.
He might have had three wins, and an additional two place finishes, but his ability to always stay around the front of the pack helped him massively.
Compare that to someone like Jaguar TCS Racing’s Nick Cassidy, who had eight podiums over the year with two of those being victories, but also experienced three DNFs and another two finishes outside of the top 10. That level of instability was ultimately a contributing factor in Cassidy not being the one to claim the World Championship trophy. Look at Wehrlein’s teammate, Antonio Felix da Costa too. He secured the most wins out of anyone this season with four in five races, but did so at the end of the season after a turbulent first half of the year.
Big improvements in qualifying
Speaking to Wehrlein at pre-season testing in Valencia, it was clear that qualifying performance was a big target for Season 10. Last year Porsche failed to achieve any Julius Baer Pole Positions, and would often find themselves starting further down the pack which limited their options for success. However, the tables have turned this season, and Wehrlein managed three pole positions – tied with Jaguar’s Mitch Evans and DS PENSKE’s Jean-Eric Vergne for most poles in Season 10.
These pole positions also came at circuits where qualifying was more important than most, such as in Mexico City at the start of the season, São Paulo and Monaco, where overtaking was perhaps more tricky than at other circuits.
Before Season 10, Wehrlein had taken three pole positions with one in Season 5, one in Season 7 and another in Season 8. This year, he doubled that number, showing us his skill when it comes to one-lap pace.
Supreme self belief
Although motorsport is very much a team effort, it’s mostly all down to you when the lights go out. You’re the individual driving the car, trying to push it to its absolute limits, and often it’s on your shoulders if you win or lose. Of course, there are many variables that could change your fortune, but there’s a reason motor racing is often referred to as ‘[wo]man and machine’ working in perfect harmony.
That means when you’re flying high you need to savour those moments, build on them and keep the momentum going. But, it is also being able to pick yourself up and keep believing in yourself when times get tough. It’s something Wehrlein has been working on, day and night, and especially going into the finale where he entered third in the standings behind Evans and Cassidy.
"Every day, every morning, every evening and every time training I believed in this – I told myself, ‘you can do this’. We executed it perfectly here from the first time we hit the track and were as strong as we’ve ever been – stronger.
"It was a relief crossing the line because I don’t let the pressure get to me because I always put the most pressure on myself," Wehrlein added.
"I put the pressure on myself to win both races in London and have no excuses even if the last couple of races didn’t go to plan. We didn’t maximise our races and I didn’t feel comfortable in the car and here and there, I was uncertain about some stuff with how the car felt so there were no excuses coming into this weekend.”
Family comes first
Wehrlein is a well-loved addition to the paddock, and is happy to keep himself to himself. However, we had a rare insight into his personal life across a few weekends this year when his family attended most of the European rounds.
They were present in Misano, and able to watch his impressive victory, as well as in London when he sealed the championship. One individual who has also been trackside, and made for some adorable scenes in Parc Ferme is Pascal’s daughter.
When asked how he will be celebrating, he replied: “my favourite thing to do will be to play with my daughter – she’ll be in bed around 8/9pm but I guess that won’t happen as it’s already quite late! After that, I’ll celebrate with my team and we’ll properly celebrate tonight and collect those trophies!"
The family man was one of a handful of drivers that celebrated their successes with their kids, as Envision Racing’s Sebastien Buemi brought his three little ones onto the podium for his podium on the Saturday and Nissan’s Oliver Rowland took his daughter to the top step for his win on Sunday. Very wholesome scenes, it has to be said.