Pascal Wehrelin enters this weekend as the Championship leader and with Germany being his home country, this weekend will be even more special for him.
Not only is Wehrlein a German driver, but he is also driving for a German team in TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, something that the Championship leader says is beneficial for him and the team:
“Coming to Berlin as a German, but also as a German driver and with a German team is definitely a special race for us. Not only do we hope that we get the support of the many fans here but we also have a lot of colleagues here from the factory that doesn’t always get the chance to be at the races. ”
While Wehrlein holds a lead of 24 points, the battle for second place is much more hotly contested. Only four points separate the remainder of the top five, with Jake Dennis (Avalanche Andretti), Nick Cassidy (Envision Racing), Jean-Éric Vergne (DS Penske), António Félix da Costa (TAG Heuer Porsche) all with a realistic possibility of closing the gap on Wehrlein this weekend. However, this is something that doesn’t surprise Wehrlein:
“No, I think that is how Formula E always has been. It’s been a close fight and I remember two years ago that on the final weekend, something like 15 drivers still could win the Championship. It’s not unexpected and it’s meant that more races are close, but we have a strong package.
“We were strong in the opening six races and we are leading both Championships, but we know that it’s still a long way to go and we want to be on top at the end of the year but at the moment it’s nice, but at the moment, it doesn’t mean a lot.”
The Templehof Airport circuit is the only track that Formula E has raced on in every season so far, even hosting several races at the end of the 2019-20 season. Wehrlein believes that while it would be nice to be at the front at the end of qualifying, it isn’t a requirement this weekend.
“I think that Berlin is a track where qualifying is not that important as the track gives a lot of good overtaking opportunities but nevertheless you also want to be at the front in qualifying. It reduces the risks of crashes and you need to overtake less and we can have a better race if we are at the front.”