"Today was a perfect day": Pascal Wehrlein dominates and celebrates a perfect Formula E Saturday

What is quite commonplace in other racing series is an absolute rarity in the Formula E World Championship: the complete dominance of a single driver on a race day. However, Pascal Wehrlein made an impressive mark in his Porsche at Saturday’s Shanghai E-Prix. For the German, everything went like clockwork from the very first minute: first he secured pole position in a thrilling qualifying session, then in the race that followed he celebrated a commanding and controlled start-to-finish victory.

"It was a really good day," said Wehrlein after the race. "This is a very important phase of the season; we have the last few races of the season ahead of us. It’s very close; every point and every race counts. Today was a perfect day, with 3 points in qualifying and 25 points in the race. We gave it our all."

This driving performance was all the more remarkable given that the first race of the double-header weekend placed considerable strategic demands on the teams and drivers. The programme featured a Pit Boost race, in which the field had to make do with just a single activation of Attack Mode. The risk of error with the strategic manoeuvres surrounding the temporary power boost was correspondingly high.

Unpredictable weather and a strategic masterstroke from Porsche

In addition, the weather threw a spanner in the works of the usual schedule. With heavy rain forecast for the afternoon, race control reacted promptly: The schedule for the rest of the race weekend was rescheduled at short notice immediately after the first free practice session to ensure the sessions could take place in dry conditions. However, Porsche and Wehrlein remained unfazed by the commotion in the paddock. The team fine-tuned the car perfectly to the changed conditions and treated themselves to a flawless Saturday in China.

For 31-year-old Wehrlein, it was already the tenth triumph of his Formula E career. At the same time, he wrote his name into the history books of the all-electric racing series: he became the first driver ever to secure one of the top two places on the Shanghai podium for the third year running.

Championship battle intensifies: Jaguar in the sights

Having secured almost the maximum haul of points on this perfect Saturday – missing out only on the bonus point for the fastest lap among the top 10 – Wehrlein has put himself in a brilliant position just in time for the crunch stage of the season. With five races to go before the season finale in London, the Porsche driver has moved up to second place in the Drivers’ World Championship.

The battle for the World Championship title therefore promises to be a real nail-biting finale: Wehrlein is currently separated by just three points from his toughest rival, the overall leader Mitch Evans in the Jaguar. Following this statement victory in Shanghai, the focus is firmly on the attack for the next round.