Pascal Wehrlein has indicated he will continue to fight for the Formula E title at the Berlin E-Prix, ahead of a crucial weekend in the championship.
Coming into the Berlin E-Prix weekend, Pascal Wehrlein currently lies 69 points behind championship leader Oliver Rowland.
Should he leave the weekend with a deficit of 58 or higher, his reign as World Champion will end, with Rowland inheriting the crown.
However, the battle for the Team’s Championship is far closer, with just ten points separating Porsche and Nissan. Asked in the Friday Press Conference at the Berlin E-Prix if he will change his approach to the weekend, givem the stakes, Pascal Wehrlein was pragmatic.
“I would say it’s every other weekend, so the thing is the drivers championship is out of our hands,” he said. “The only thing we can do there is perform as good as we can and let’s see where that ends up.
“But the two other championships, the teams and the manufacturer ones, they are looking pretty good. One we are leading, the other one we are very close, not in second place and that is just in our own hands.
“So good results, a lot of points with both cars will make us bring those championships home, so that’s what we will try to do. That’s also where the focus is on. But yeah, still on the drivers one I keep fighting until the end and I want to do as well as I can and finish the season with a happy end.”
Pascal Wehrlein reflects on a year as world Champion ahead of Berlin E-Prix
Asked for his thoughts on his reign as World Champion, Pascal Wehrlein said he enjoyed having the coveted number one on his car, revealing his “sadness” with a mischievous glint in his eye. He then spoke of his and Porsche’s long road to title glory.
“I haven’t thought about it, now you just make me very sad. Yeah, it was a pleasure to have the number one on the car, definitely. I mean, you know, it has been a long journey for Formula E for us to be in that position in which we are now.
“I joined the team five years ago and back at that time we were just a good midfield team and I think it’s very clear that with the Gen3 cars especially we’ve progressed to the leading team or to one of the leading teams.
“Established ourselves at the front and yeah, it has been a great journey. So to reflect the last three seasons of the Gen3, I’ve been fourth two years ago, first last year and now we are just at the front again, so very consistent at the front and I’m pretty sure that we will be fighting at the front again next year.
” So that is good. Like I said, it just made me a bit sad, but I will fight very hard again next year to make you not ask this question.
Can Pascal Wehrlein win his maiden home race at this weekend’s Berlin E-Prix?
Asked what it would mean to take his first home win in Formula E, Pascal Wehrlein said he was focused on a strong end to the season. He did reveal that a good result at the Berlin E-Prix would have special significance.
“It would be fantastic because first of all, the season has been a bit up and down and honestly speaking, it’s completely understandable why we are not further up at the front or closer in terms of points.
“So for me, it’s just important to have a good end of the season. And yeah, to have a good weekend in Berlin would be super important because we have a lot of support here from the German fans, the German team, the German driver, a lot of family and friends here, our sponsors and partners.
“Our board members are coming, so there are just so many reasons why we want to do well here. Besides that, we always want to do well. So yeah, it would be good to have a strong weekend here and a good result.”
The pressure on Pascal Wehrlein this weekend was demonstrated during the first practice session for the Berlin E-Prix, after he collided with team-mate Antonio Felix Da Costa in the closing minutes.
