The racing premiere of the Porsche 99X Electric on the Grand Prix circuit in Monaco was not the strong performance we had hoped for. After the podium finishes in Rome and Valencia, expectations were high for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E team - but in the postcard setting of the principality on the Côte d'Azur, the positive trend of recent weeks did not continue: at the Monaco E-Prix , the seventh race of the season of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, André Lotterer (GER) crossed the finish line in ninth place in the Porsche 99X Electric with starting number 36 on Saturday. However, due to a collision shortly before the finish line, he received a subsequent time penalty and fell back to 17th place. His team mate Pascal Wehrlein (GER / start number 99) had to head for the pits shortly before the end of the race after an involuntary collision.

Race 7
The race of the 24 electric cars on the streets of Monte Carlo was a season highlight in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. Tough battles for positions, spectacular overtaking maneuvers and excitement from start to finish - the 3.32-kilometer circuit with its incomparable fascination is made for the innovative electric racing series.

Pascal Wehrlein started the race in eighth full of confidence after missing the Super Pole in qualifying with his Porsche 99X Electric by just five hundredths of a second. But when the fastest city traffic in the world stalled on the first lap at the famous hairpin bend in front of the Hotel Fairmont, it was passed back to 15th place. He could not make up this gap in the following 45 minutes. Shortly before the finish, a chaser drove into his rear, so that he had to experience the end of the race because of a puncture in the pits.

His team-mate André Lotterer started from 19th place and thus had almost the entire field in front of him. He made the best of the situation on the narrow track where there are only a few places to overtake. When he drove his Porsche 99X Electric for the second time in attack mode, he improved to twelfth place. In the final phase he was able to overtake other competitors and even made it into the points in ninth place. The joy at the happy end of his remarkable race to catch up did not last long: He received a five-second time penalty for contact with a competitor on the last lap.

Quotes about the Monaco E-Prix, Race 7

Amiel Lindesay, Head of Operations Formula E:“Pascal drove a strong qualifying and narrowly missed the Super Pole. The start wasn't ideal. When he got stuck with the hairpin in the middle of a traffic jam, a top placement was already out of reach in this initial phase. Qualifying didn't go well for André, but he showed a strong catch-up race in the race. Not many manage to move up from 19th to ninth place in Monaco. Unfortunately, the time penalty deprived him of the wages he had earned. There are six weeks until the next races in Mexico. We will use this time to optimally prepare for the challenges of the second half of the season. "

André Lotterer, Porsche works driver (# 36):“In qualifying, not much came together for me, but it went all the better in the race. At first I stayed out of all duels, tried to save energy and get into a good rhythm. I also succeeded. We really wanted to get into the points, which from 19th place on the grid is a pretty ambitious goal, especially in Monaco. But without the time penalty at the very end, we would have made it. Hopefully things will go better for us again in Mexico. ”

Pascal Wehrlein, Porsche works driver (# 99):“Overall, it was a disappointing weekend, at least if you look at the result. But we have shown our potential again. Our speed was pretty good, especially in qualifying. My start to the race wasn't ideal. In the hairpin I was pushed from behind. My car suffered quite a bit in the process. I am now looking forward to the two new opportunities presented to us at the double header in Puebla. ”

This is how it goes on
The next event for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E team is on 19/20. June the Puebla E-Prix in Mexico with the 8th and 9th rounds of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.