Pascal Wehrlein led home André Lotterer in a historic one-two for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team in Mexico City for round 3, with the pair finishing nine seconds clear of the pack, and both driver and team sealing maiden victories in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. Porsche executed the perfect race, with Wehrlein leading on Julius Baer Pole Position award, fending off leader Edoardo Mortara of ROKiT Venturi Racing early on. The pair did drop into the pack behind the Swiss-Italian and DS TECHEETAH racer Jean-Éric Vergne for a brief period but gained an energy advantage on the rest while still matching the leaders' pace.
undefinedPure emotion. Incredible scenes on the podium ????????
— ABB FIA Formula E World Championship (@FIAFormulaE) February 12, 2022
After three years of heartbreak in Mexico, it was time for victory for @PWehrlein today - what a drive! ????
???????? 2022 #MexicoCityEPrix pic.twitter.com/2B30nnpC1E
Into the final 15 minutes, Wehrlein and Lotterer picked their moment and dispatched Vergne and then Mortara for the lead, and from there, the Stuttgart manufacturer dictated in both pace and energy management. By the chequered flag, Wehrlein and Lotterer had nine seconds in-hand on the rest and were able to soak in the adulations of the tens of thousands of fans packing the famous Foro Sol stadium as they toured to the finish line - more than making amends for the heartbreak in Puebla last season.
Into the final 15 minutes, Wehrlein (C) and Lotterer (L) picked their moment and dispatched Vergne and then Mortara for the lead.
Vergne was able to bring the DS TECHEETAH home in third, with teammate da Costa battling to fourth after several skirmishes. Mortara did enough to retain the Drivers' World Championship lead with fifth - the Venturi more marginal on energy than the Porsches and DS' as the race wore on. Reigning champion from Mercedes-EQ, Nyck de Vries scrapped to sixth, a second ahead of Envision Racing's Robin Frijns. Nissan e.dams' Sebastien Buemi showed a stronger turn this time out to take eighth and points, just ahead of teammate Maximilian Guenther and Jake Dennis from Avalanche Andretti. Mortara heads the Drivers' standings by five points over de Vries, with Wehrlein jumping to third with the Round 3 race win.
undefinedWhat a drive from this guy ???? P16 to P8 during the race, but we were caught out at the end due to that extra lap ???? P16 at the flag for @oliverrowland1 and a frustrating DNF for @AlexanderSims. #MexicoCityEPrix pic.twitter.com/5MVenpFFPU
— Mahindra Racing (@MahindraRacing) February 12, 2022
For Mahindra Racing, it was quite a disappointing weekend, as the two free practice sessions saw Oliver Rowland set fifteenth and eight fastest laps, respectively, and Alexander Sims the nineteenth and seventeenth. Later the same day, the pair headed out for qualifying, which saw Alex miss out on the Duels by just 0.03 seconds. Oliver, who made it through to both duels in Saudi Arabia also had to sit out the new knock-out event this time around. While the race ended early for Sims, who touched the wall, Oliver took a gamble with energy consumption and the Brit pushed heroically through the pack to climb as high as eight. However, the aggressive strategy didn't pay off, when the leader forced an extra lap, and he dropped back to sixteenth before the chequered flag.
For Mahindra Racing, it was quite a disappointing weekend.
The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship continues with rounds 4 and 5 in Rome, Italy, on April 9-10, 2022.
1. Edoardo Mortara Rokit Venturi Racing 43 points
2. Nyck De Vries Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team 38 points
3. Pascal Wehrlein Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team 30 points
14. Oliver Rowland Mahindra Racing 4 points
19. Alexander Sims Mahindra Racing 0 points
1. Rokit Venturi Racing 68 points
2. Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team 66 points
3. Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team 60 points
9. Mahindra Racing 4 points
