"How he deals with pressure is cruicial": Pascal Wehrlein's path to Formula E world championship

It was during pre-season testing in autumn 2018 that 23-year-old Pascal Wehrlein entered the Formula E paddock for the first time - back then in a Mahindra racing car. Today, he is the first German world champion in formula racing since Nico Rosberg, which he secured primarily thanks to his nerves of steel in the title fight.

At the age of 20, he became the youngest DTM champion. Pascal Wehrlein has always been one of Germany's greatest motorsport talents. He moved from the touring car series to Formula 1 at an early age - first to Manor and then to Sauber for one season after their insolvency. The pressure to prove himself was always there, as talented youngsters like Charles Leclerc were just waiting for their cockpit. It was not uncommon to see it burning under the surface of the German, who made it into the top 10 twice in Sauber.

"I'm most proud of having made it as a professional racing driver and earning my money with it. Because it wasn't always easy for us in the junior series," he told e-Formel.de in Monaco. But things were not to get any easier for the German at first. After retiring from Formula 1, he returned to the DTM with Mercedes in 2018 until Mercedes withdrew from the series. After he was unable to agree on a Formula E commitment with HWA, he cancelled his contract as a works driver and drove with Mahindra in Formula E - where he hit the ground running.

Laudenbach: "One of the most talented racing drivers you can get"

At the start of the season, he had to be replaced by Felix Rosenqvist - presumably due to a complex contract with HWA. However, he finished on the podium in his second race in Santiago. second place behind Sam Bird. Three weeks later in Mexico, he took pole and almost secured his first race win - had he not run out of power in the final corner.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED!? ?@LucasdiGrassi wins the 2019 CBMM Niobium #MexicoCityEPrix #ABBFormulaE pic.twitter.com/oGgXHlb3pS

- Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) February 16, 2019

"When we brought him in, I was sure that he was one of the most talented racing drivers you could get," says Porsche Head of Motorsport Thomas Laudenbach to the colleagues at The Race. "If you look at his driving style, it was and is extremely precise and clean. Even if he still had to grow and mature here and there."

"Not an old hand yet, but no longer a rookie either"

However, he was only able to join Porsche in the title fight at the start of the Gen3 era. The Stuttgart-based team had built an extremely efficient drivetrain with which they were able to win the three races in Mexico and Diriyah together with customer team Andretti. Even then, nasty voices were saying that Pascal Wehrlein and Jake Dennis would only be able to beat each other. And indeed, they are the two drivers who secured the drivers' titles in the Gen3 era. However, it was not an easy ride for either of them.

Wehrlein finished the ninth Formula E season 80 points behind Dennis. The main reason for this was the team's qualifying performance. The German team did not take one pole position - an average of 9.6 on the grid for Pascal Wehrlein. An issue that the team addressed during the season break and completely reorganised itself for this season: This season, Wehrlein is the best qualifier on average with a grid position of 5.3. He has been on pole three times.

 

 

 

 

 

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"Daddy is world champion"

However, consistency also spoke in his favour this season: he finished all but two races in the points. The two retirements followed collisions with Vergne and Bird. On the home straight, he was able to make decisive gains in the championship battle: While Cassidy collected eight points in the final four races, Wehrlein amassed 58, with his victory in Saturday's race in London, when he overtook Evans on the track to take the overall lead in the championship, possibly being the decisive factor.

He has developed this strength of nerve over the last few years: "He is a different personality today and a more complete racer. He's much more on point than he was a few years ago and that's great to see," says Laudenbach on 'The Race'. "How he deals with pressure is essential," agreed Modlinger on ServusTV ahead of the race. One source of energy is undoubtedly his family, with whom he has made a home in Switzerland. "For me, the greatest thing is when I win in the presence of my family. When they are at the track, it always pushes me that little bit more," he says after the London E-Prix. No wonder that "Soleya, Daddy is world champion!" were his first words on the team radio after crossing the finish line of race 2.

This makes him the first German world champion in formula racing after Nico Rosberg. With him, all former Formula 1 drivers who have competed in Formula E this season have now won the drivers' title. The other six ex-F1 drivers are Lucas di Grassi, Sebastien Buemi, Stoffel Vandoorne, Jean-Eric Vergne, Sebastien Buemi and Nyck de Vries.