Credit: Simon Galloway courtesy of FIA Formula E
Pascal Wehrlein endured a disappointing Rome E-Prix last weekend, leaving him needing a miracle to claim the 2023 Formula E World Championship.
Whilst the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team driver is mathematically still in the title race, realistically he’s well out of the picture.
A miserable double-header in the Italian capital has left Wehrlein 49 points behind standings leader Jake Dennis, with just two races in London remaining.
Wehrlein can score a maximum of 58 points at next weekend’s London E-Prix, meaning he needs Dennis to endure a horrific couple of days in his home city.
It’s not just Dennis who Wehrlein needs to falter, with Nick Cassidy and Mitch Evans also being ahead of the Porsche driver.
Many saw last weekend as Wehrlein’s final chance to stay within touching distance of the championship leaders, something which was proven to be correct.
A problematic opening race in the Eternal City summarised what was a difficult weekend for the 28-year-old, after he struggled in qualifying once again.
Qualifying was crucial in Rome due to how hard overtaking was expected to be; however, he could only salvage 10th on the grid.
An incident in the early stages of Saturday’s race forced Wehrlein to pit for a new front wing, demoting him to last. A red flag following a six-car crash did allow him to get onto the back of the pack at least, where he made some progress.
Wehrlein salvaged ninth in the opening race, putting the pressure on him to be amongst the frontrunners in the second race. Qualifying was again his downfall last Sunday though, as he started race two in 15th.
He managed to work his way through the field to seventh, but the result simply wasn’t good enough to keep his title chances alive.
Wehrlein’s weekend in Rome ultimately summarised his season, given that he’s often been left with too much work to do during the races because of qualifying poorly.
He recognises that his chances in the title fight are practically over; however, the same can’t be said for the Constructors’ Standings with Porsche being just 14 points behind Envision Racing.
“What a disappointing weekend. Again our qualifying pace wasn’t as good as in free practice,” Wehrlein said after Sunday’s race.
“In the race, we managed to advance to seventh place, despite a few incidents. In the last laps, we lacked a bit of power and I couldn’t do any more. The team championship is still open, but we have to be realistic about our chances in the drivers’ championship.
“Nevertheless, we’re keen to wrap up the season well in London. To do that, however, we have to improve our qualifying performance.”
After such a positive start to the Gen3 era, Wehrlein’s season has fallen off dramatically. It’s easy to forget that the German won two of the opening three races, whilst he actually led the standings for just over four months.
Wehrlein led the championship from after the second race in Diriyah back in January, until the Monaco E-Prix at the start of May, before he reclaimed the lead in Jakarta.
He lost the lead again though in Portland, where he could only salvage eighth. Whilst he has claimed a top 10 finish in 12 out of the 14 races this season, too many of his top 10 finishes have been towards the foot of the points, usually due to having significant ground to make up following a poor qualifying.
If qualifying wasn’t an issue for Porsche this season, then Wehrlein would arguably be in the lead of the championship comfortably heading into the London finale; instead, he’s left needing a miracle at the ExCeL Centre.
Keyword: Lacklustre Rome performance leaves Wehrlein needing London miracle