Pascal Wehrlein of TAG Heuer Porsche won the 2023/24 ABB FIA Formula E Drivers’ World Championship in a dramatic Hankook London E-Prix finale.
The other contenders Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy, both of Jaguar TCS Racing, lost the possibilities for different reasons, in a thrilling finale to the 2023/24 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship until the last laps of the race.
At first a puncture as a consequence of a collision for Cassidy taken out him of the fight for the title… and this is a normal risk of the Formula E races.
Most incredible has been what happend with Mitch Evans, that made tha race afore Pascal Wehrlein that tried in every moment and with different trajectories to overtake the kiwi, but at few laps of the end… Evans made a mistake in the activation of the Attack Mode and had to repeat it in the folowed lap, open the street to Wehrlein that has been also protected by his team mate Da Costa. Enough to arrive second, behind Oliver Rowland that made an intelligent and conscious race to win at home, left Mitch Evans in third position and in second position of the drivers world championship.
In this way, despite individual setbacks, Jaguar won the Teams’ World Championship, their first top-tier motorsport title since 1991, as well as the Manufacturers’ Trophy, taking home the double victory.
The dramatic conclusion unfolded at the Hankook London E-Prix, with Wehrlein’s triumph exemplifying Season 10’s year of intense racing.
It’s necessary and just to say that Nick Cassidy demonstrated remarkable resilience, rebounding from a disappointing performance in Portland and a challenging Saturday qualifying session in London. Starting 15th in the first race, he managed to finish seventh, before earning pole position for the second race Sunday morning. Cassidy led the field as teammate Evans overtook Maximillian Günther (Maserati MSG Racing) for second place at Turn 1.
During the race, an early Safety Car period allowed Wehrlein to pass Günther, placing all three title contenders in the top-three positions by Lap 6. Jaguar appeared poised to dominate, with their drivers battling for the championship. However, internal tensions surfaced during Cassidy’s Attack Mode activations, with Evans and Cassidy jostling for position and Wehrlein capitalising on their discord.
Oliver Rowland, starting from ninth, surged to fourth by Lap 29 and overtook Cassidy for third, triggering a collision with Günther that ended Cassidy’s race with a puncture. This left the championship fight to Wehrlein and Evans as the Safety Car reappeared.
With less than eight laps to go, both Evans and Wehrlein still needed to activate their remaining Attack Mode boosts. An invalidated attempt during the caution period handed Rowland the lead, but a Safety Car infringement forced him to relinquish it to Evans. The Kiwi’s subsequent Attack Mode activation failed, returning the lead to Rowland.
On Lap 34, Evans successfully activated his boost, but Wehrlein’s strategic Attack Mode activation allowed him to overtake, leaving him a clear run to the finish and secure the Drivers’ title. Evans, unable to maintain his pace, finished as the championship runner-up once again.
Rowland comfortably claimed the final race victory of Season 10, while Wehrlein’s second-place finish secured his maiden Drivers’ World Championship by a seven-point margin over Evans. Cassidy finished third in the standings. Despite the setback for the Drivers’ Championship, Jaguar celebrated their first top-tier motorsport title since 1991 by clinching the Teams’ World Championship.
In a double victory for Jaguar TCS Racing, the British team also secured the inaugural Manufacturers’ Trophy, narrowly edging out TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team by just four points in a fiercely competitive season.
Pascal Wehrlein, No. 94, TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, said:
“I don’t know where to start. The race was hard. Obviously, I knew I had to attack and I had to get in front of the Jags. I think Mich defended quite hard, but I still tried to overtake and pass. I don’t know what happened in the end, if it was due to the safety car that got quite close to the attack mode or because he missed it. But nevertheless, I think what we did this weekend, especially, we knew that yesterday and today are the days and we need to be super focused, concentrated, and outperform probably what the car can do and what we could do here in London, because this has never been a track which is good for our car. I think we did that. I think we clearly showed some great pace. I’m very happy for myself, but even more for the team.”
“It feels good. I don’t know what to say, it’s definitely not expected. You turn up, you have a chance. But I always believed in it. The last couple of weeks, every day before my day was starting and my day finished, I said, I can do this. We can do this. Even if the last couple of races, the performance was not that strong and I was struggling a bit with the car and what I felt in the car. I said, It doesn’t matter. I could see it. I taught myself every day, and I’m just super proud of everyone in the team.”
Oliver Rowland, No. 22, Nissan Formula E Team, said:
“Amazing, starting ninth in today’s type of race, we would have never expected to win, but it was a crazy race. I picked my moments in the early parts of the race, and then honestly, when I got to fourth, I just didn’t want to get involved with the title fight. I was waiting. I was kind of hoping something was going to kick off, which it did in the end, and I managed to pick up the pieces and win the race.”
Mitch Evans, No. 9, Jaguar TCS Racing, said:
“I want to be happy for the team for winning the Teams’ Championship, but I feel like we’ve been off our game on this side this weekend and also yeah bit surprised at some of the calls made against me today. A lot of discussions to be held.
“This one was the most realistic and it was mine for a bit. I feel like my own team were working against me at one point, so that’s not nice.”
Hollywood stars celebrate Formula E season Finale
Australian actor Liam Hemsworth, best known for his role in ‘The Hunger Games’ franchise, joined Harry Potter star Tom Felton to mark the championship-deciding season finale.
British rapper & singer Headie One was given a private tour of the Maserati garage and experienced the thrill of an ‘electric lap’ in a Maserati.
English former footballer Bobby Zamora was also in attendance, alongside international actors Alice Agneson and Herman Tommeraas, and TV personality Josh Denzel, to cheer on the teams from the exclusive Formula E VIP hospitality area, the Emotion Club.
British racing car drivers, Jamie Chadwick and Abbi Pulling, who competed together in the W Series championship, were also out to celebrate the season finale. Pulling took to the Formula E track for her first ever drive in a Gen3 Formula E car, reaching speeds of over 150 km/h.
Sunday’s race was headlined by British singer-songwriter Craig David who performed his TS5 show set in the Allianz Fan Village, as well as a standout performance right on track before the lights went out.
In the following links you can read and/or download the Final Classification Race 2 of Hankook London E-prix, the final position of the Drivers Championship and the final position of the Team Championship. (PDF).
Fonte: Formula E
Photos: BMF – Mitsuaki Futori
077_Doc 77 – Final Classification RACE
078_Doc 78 – Drivers Championship Points after R16
079_Doc 79 – Teams Championship Points after R16
Fonte: Formula E
Foto: BMF – Mitsuaki Futori
Be the first to comment