First podium of the season for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E team: Pascal Wehrlein (GER) finished third in the Porsche 99X Electric with the starting number 99 at the Rome E-Prix on Sunday after an exciting race with tough positional battles. His team-mate André Lotterer (GER) finished 15th in the fourth round of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in the Italian capital.

Race 4
In the battle for the Super Pole, Pascal Wehrlein set the first exclamation mark with the third fastest time. Already in the early stages of the race, he improved to second place with the Porsche 99X Electric, only to take the lead with a strong overtaking manoeuvre shortly afterwards. These were his first leadership laps for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E team. On the 3,385 km long city course in the district of Esposizione Universale di Roma, however, he could not hold this position for long. First he had to let his strongest pursuer pass, who was in attack fashion. He lost another position in the re-start after a full-course yellow phase. Although he finished fourth, the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E team had every reason to rejoice: As the third-place finisher had used up too much energy and was subsequently disqualified, Pascal Wehrlein advanced to third place – in his fourth race for Porsche.

His team-mate André Lotterer, who was already on the podium twice in Rome, had to start the race from the penultimate row. Because he used too much energy in qualifying, his fastest lap in the super pole was cancelled. The TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E team then decided to replace the powertrain of the Porsche 99X Electric with the starting number 36 and thereby accept a 10-second stop-and-go penalty in the race.

Voices on the Rome E-Prix, Race 4

Amiel Lindesay, Head of Operations Formula E: "We are delighted with the first podium this season. That was a positive surprise in the finish. The conditions were not easy, but we were very busy. We have made good progress since the start of the season in Diriyah. In qualifying we were in the lead. But we must now finally implement this in the race. Today we were already close. Pascal's third place is a result on which we can build for the next two races in Valencia."

Wehrlein, Porsche factory driver (#99): "This was a good day for Porsche and for me. Riding on the podium in the fourth race of the season is a great result. I thank the team for the hard work and great support. Nevertheless, if you are in the lead, of course you want to win. Unfortunately, this was not possible today, because we lacked some speed in the race– as in Diriyah. But we are on the right track. I hope that we can take another step forward by Valencia."

Lotterer, Porsche factory driver (#36): "For me, as in Diriyah, it was a tough weekend without points. Nevertheless, I think that we have once again shown our potential. The podium for Pascal is a motivation for the whole team. These are little things that we still have to work on in order to be able to drive for the first victory in Valencia." So it goes on The next event for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E team is the Valencia E-Prix on 24/25 April with the 5th and 6th races of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

Porsche in Formula E
With the Porsche 99X Electric, the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E team will be competing in formula e-season 2021 for its second season in Formula E.

André Lotterer made his successful racing debut in November 2019 when he finished second in the season-opening race in Diriyah after a meticulous preparation. A custom-made debut and proof that Porsche had a competitive vehicle at the start with the Porsche 99X Electric right away. This was impressively underlined by the first pole position in Mexico City as well as another second place in the home race in Berlin. Formula E is the first all-electric racing series in the world and, as an accelerator for innovative and sustainable mobility technologies, has been bringing exciting motorsport to people in the metropolises since 2014. This season, in which a driver and team world champion is chosen for the first time, more car manufacturers are at the start than in any other racing series.