Porsche & ABT aim to shine at German Formula E home race in Berlin

The home race for the German Formula E teams Porsche and ABT Cupra will take place at Tempelhof Airport next weekend. Last year, ABT caused a sensation in wet qualifying when Robin Frijns took pole position ahead of Nico Müller. Porsche also scored good points in 2023, but it was not enough for a podium. That might change at this year's Berlin E-Prix.

The situation of the two teams could not be much more different. Porsche is in second place in the team standings with 128 points, while ABT Cupra is in penultimate place with just 19 points. Whether the race track on the unique airport surface will bring points for both teams is still up in the air, as the layout of the track is now completely different.

New track, new driver pairing - many variables for ABT Cupra

Nico Müller, the current number 1 driver at ABT, will not be on the grid in Berlin. Due to his racing commitments in the WEC series, Kelvin van der Linde will take the wheel on Saturday and Sunday. The South African already replaced the injured Robin Frijns for three races last year and is currently a reserve and simulator driver at ABT.

"It's exciting to be working with the Formula E team again for a weekend. Nico is having a strong season, but I will obviously do my best to represent him in a worthy manner," says Kelvin van der Linde. The actual DTM driver has not scored any points so far, but has prepared himself as well as possible for the new Berlin E-Prix track. He describes the new layout as "a typical Formula E circuit with long straights, where we are sure to see some exciting racing".

Lucas di Grassi currently has just one point to his name and is lagging behind the results he had hoped for. Berlin is close to the Brazilian's heart and would be the right place for an upturn in fortunes: "Berlin feels like my third home race after Sao Paulo and Monaco. I've already celebrated some fantastic moments in Berlin. We have prepared ourselves in the best possible way to add one or two more great experiences."

Porsche expects slipstream battle on Saturday

As usual, the German works team Porsche will line up with Antonio Felix da Costa and Pascal Wehrlein. Wehrlein is currently in the lead in the drivers' standings and will do everything in his power to maintain and extend this lead. Unlike team-mate Felix da Costa, he has yet to win in Germany. However, the new track is now reshuffling the cards.

Team principal Florian Modlinger is looking forward to the home races this weekend. In his opinion, the new track layout will make for a varied E-Prix: "Due to the different distances, we are expecting extreme slipstream battles in the first race. For the second race, we expect more of the usual racing. The variety makes it particularly exciting for the spectators."

We will find out whether Modlinger is right on 11 and 12 May, as soon as the "double-header" gets the green light on the historic Tempelhof apron.