Pascal Wehrlein took zero risks on Sunday at the Jakarta E-Prix after storming to victory on Saturday, with the German having had the “championship in mind” throughout the double-header.
Having lost the lead of the championship in Monaco, Wehrlein entered the weekend on a mission. After successfully winning for the first time since the end of January in race one, he simply targeted a good points haul on Sunday. Wehrlein qualified sixth and actually made a poor start, as a result of having been on the dirty side of the grid.
Despite this, he recovered to finish the race in sixth, ensuring that he took the lead of the championship by one-point. A top-five was on the cards had he pushed a little harder; however, Wehrlein was keen to play it safe due to it having been “very difficult to overtake”.
“After my win on Saturday, I’m delighted that I was able to regain the lead in the championship today. Overall, things were a bit more difficult today. I had to start from the dirty side of the track and lost a position right at the start. I tried to move up the field, but it was very difficult to overtake. With the championship in mind, I didn’t want to take too many risks.”
“Jakarta was a success for Porsche” – António Félix da Costa
On the other side of the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team garage, António Félix da Costa managed one better than he did in race one after clinching seventh.
The Portuguese driver finished eighth on Saturday and seventh on Sunday, having demonstrated consistent pace. Qualifying was again an issue for him, as he failed to make the duels prior to both races. With overtaking having been very challenging, it meant he was unable to push into the top-five, leaving him to fight for the lower points places.
Da Costa was nevertheless back amongst the points in Jakarta, something which will give him confidence ahead of Portland.
“I made a mistake in qualifying, which cost me a better starting position,” admitted Da Costa on Sunday.
“I was able to move up a few positions in the race. Together with Pascal, I wanted to secure as many points for the team as possible. Which we managed. Overall, Jakarta was a success for Porsche, with the lead in both championships. Huge thanks to the team, who did a fantastic job once again in these difficult conditions.”
