Porsche starts racing year at venue of historic success
Porsche starts off the new racing year with a highlight, the Mexico City E-Prix, the Formula E race with possibly the best atmosphere, held at a venue at which the brand has enjoyed historic success. The TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team claimed its first pole position and first win at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. After the accident at the season opener in São Paulo, world champion Pascal Wehrlein returns to the cockpit of the Porsche 99X Electric – he will be competing using a replacement chassis. Teammate António Félix da Costa heads to the Mexican capital in second place in the table. The Portuguese secured P2 and the fastest lap in São Paulo.
Porsche’s record of success in Mexico
In Mexico, Porsche takes stock of its Formula E milestones. It was in 2022 that the 99X Electric came out on top at an E-Prix for the first time, with Wehrlein and his former teammate André Lotterer celebrating a one-two result. The latter also secured Porsche’s first pole in Formula E in 2020. In 2023, Jake Dennis of the customer team Andretti Formula E brought home another victory for the 99X in Mexico. Last season, Wehrlein triumphed at the season opener – securing both pole position and the race victory. Da Costa retired from that race, but went on to improve his form afterwards. His best result in Mexico is second place (in 2019 and 2020).
Formula E uses a 2.630-kilometre version of the Formula 1 racetrack, which runs through the Foro Sol baseball stadium as a highlight. The Autódromo has capacity for up to 40,000 fans to cheer on the electric racing cars. In contrast to racing cars with combustion engines, the engine performance of the highly efficient Porsche 99X Electric is not directly affected by the track’s altitude (2,285 metres above sea level).
The Porsche works team won races in Mexico City even before embarking on their Formula E programme, when Timo Bernhard, Mark Webber and Brendon Hartley in the Porsche 919 Hybrid dominated the FIA World Endurance Championship’s guest appearance in 2016, and the following year, Bernhard and Hartley repeated their victory alongside Earl Bamber.
ABB FIA Formula E World Championship – standings after 1 of 16 races
Drivers’ classification
1. Mitch Evans (NZL), 25 points
2. António Félix da Costa (POR), 19 points
3. Taylor Barnard (GBR), 15 points
8. Dan Ticktum (GBR), 4 points
9. Pascal Wehrlein (GER), 3 points
17. David Beckmann (GER), 0 points
18. Nico Müller (SUI), 0 points
21. Jake Dennis (GBR), 0 points
Teams’ classification
1. NEOM McLaren Formula E Team (GBR), 27 points
2. Jaguar TCS Racing (GBR), 25 points
3. TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team (GER), 22 points
6. CUPRA KIRO (USA), 4 points
11. Andretti Formula E (USA), 0 points
Manufacturers’ classification
1. Jaguar, 31 points
2. Nissan, 27 points
3. Porsche, 22 points
Formula E Live on TV and Online
The second race of the season gets underway at 14:05 local time (21:05 CET) on 11 January, with qualifying starting at 9:40 local time (16:40 CET).
The worldwide broadcasting schedule of the Formula E events is available at fiaformulae.com/en/ways-to-watch.
Quotes on the Mexico City E-Prix
Florian Modlinger, Director Factory Motorsport Formula E: “We’re relieved that Pascal has recovered. However, before we move on from the accident it is important that everyone involved draws conclusions from it in order to further improve safety. We have fond memories of Mexico, and São Paulo has made me optimistic that we are well positioned once again. Our pace was very strong in Brazil – across all the Porsches. We’re hoping for a race without any interruptions this time. The two breaks in São Paulo were probably more beneficial to other teams than they were to us, even if António was still close with P2. There’s still a lot of work waiting for the mechanics on site in Mexico – thanks for the effort everyone has put in since São Paulo!”
Pascal Wehrlein, Porsche Works Driver (#1): “I’m pleased to be able to drive again in Mexico because the accident in São Paulo was a serious one and I came away from it with a few injuries. The festive season has helped me to recover, allowing me to go on the attack again. Apart from the accident, things went well in Brazil and despite not having the best laps in qualifying, I was able to claim pole. That gives us confidence, particularly since we have often been very strong in Mexico in the past. I would like to thank the rescue team in São Paulo – and our own team who are getting my Porsche ready for Mexico.”
António Félix da Costa, Porsche Works Driver (#13): “The fans, the atmosphere, and the track running through the stadium all make Mexico one of the best events of the season for me. Over the years, it has become one of the most popular races among the teams, so I’m really looking forward to it. Apart from the past two years, I have always been strong in Mexico and would like to finish on the podium again this time. I feel good, we’re a strong team, and the car means we have a good package for both qualifying and the race.”
Porsche in Formula E
2024/2025 sees Porsche contest its sixth Formula E season. In addition to the works TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, American customer team Andretti Formula E is entering the Porsche 99X Electric of the latest GEN3 Evo generation. The concept of the innovative electric racing car was developed at the company’s Weissach facility, which operates on a net carbon-neutral basis. With the addition of Cupra Kiro, this season will be the first time that a second Porsche customer team has entered the series; they will be using 99X technology of the previous GEN3 generation. Porsche’s involvement in the world championship demonstrates the company’s aim to assume a leading role in the areas of electrification, sustainability and technology. Formula E gives the brand valuable insights for its production sports cars.