In the first edition of our Speed Demons and Dream Team series, we’re taking a closer look at TAG Heuer Porsche Team.
Credit: Formula E Media Bank / Mark Sutton
One quarter of the season is done, so our team at pitdebrief.com decided to shed some spotlight on the teams and drivers fighting for the title of Formula E World Champions. We’ll try to follow them (somewhat) in order of how the championship standings look like, hence the first edition will be dedicated to the current protagonist of the season, TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team. We’ll provide you with some background information on the team, as well as a bit of biography of their current lineup – Pascal Wehrlein and Antonio Felix Da Costa. Put your seat belts on, and let’s go!
Porsche is no newbie in the championship – coming back to single-seater racing after more than 30 years in 2019/20. Their history in racing goes back to the 1950s, so obviously the stakes are high for the German manufacturer. How Season 9 is turning for them so far is definitely a positive, considering they’re currently occupying the first spot in the standings, with their customer team running in 3rd.
Building on its recent successes in endurance racing, which included numerous victories in both LMP1 and GT categories, Porsche looked to the all-electric racing series as a way to prepare for the next generation of electric Porsche road cars. Considering their all-electric Taycan has sold more units in 2021 than their 911 model, it was definitely a good idea to enter the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. Season 2019/20 seen the team secure their first podium (thanks to Andre Lotterer), followed by a pole position in Mexico City. Overall, they finished their debut season in 8th, thanks to their consistent performance. Although during the following season the team was plagued by trouble, including penalties and infringements, their then line-up of Lotterer and Wehrlein were capable of demonstrating some solid pace. In Season 2021/22, Porsche achieved their first-ever win and historic one-two finish, but failed to keep their consistency up and having to settle for 11th and 12th in the drivers standings.
The team is managed by Florian Modlinger, who’s been continually growing into his position since 2010, when he worked for the Maserati customer teams in FIA GT1 World Championship, followed by a stint in BMW’s journey in DTM before he joined Audi Sport. Their current line up consists of Pascal Wehrlein, who’s been with the team for the third seasons now; and Antonio Felix Da Costa, one of the most established drivers in the championship. It seems in Season 9, Porsche has all it takes to win the championship, if they can keep the consistency going.
Pascal Wehrlein
Born in 1994, the German-Mauritian driver is currently having his third season with TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team. Wehrlein began his racing career in karts in 2003 and progressed to the Formula 3 Euro Series in 2012, finishing second in the standings. In 2013, at the age of 18, Wehrlein made his DTM debut with Mucke Motorsport and moved to rival team HWA in 2014, where he became the youngest driver in the series history to claim pole position. In the same year, Wehrlein was announced as a reserve driver for the Mercedes-AMG Formula One team. In 2015 he won the DTM championship, which helped him secure a seat in F1 in 2016 with Manor Racing. The team ceased operations early in 2017, and Wehrlein subsequently joined the Sauber Formula One team, where he scored the team’s only points of the season, after which he returned to DTM in 2018. His beginnings in Formula E were with Mahindra, where he partnered Jerome D’Ambrosio for two seasons in Season 2018/19. After showing quite good performance, Wehrlein made a switch to Porsche in 2020/21. So far in the championship he’s shown consistent performance across the board, scoring podiums and pole positions wherever possible, including the historic one-two with Lotterer in Mexico City. In Season 9, Wehrlein is currently dominating the standings with 80 points, 18 points clear of Dennis in 2nd.
Credit: Formula E Media Bank / Mark Sutton
Antonio Felix Da Costa
If you’ve never heard of Da Costa, what have you been doing? Born in 1991 in Lisbon, the Portuguese is one of the most established drivers in the series, being in Formula E since season 1.
His career kicked off in 2007, when he raced for Formula Renault 2.0. His performance in the junior categories caught the attention of others, eventually leading to signing a contract for the Red Bull Junior Team. He made his F1 debut in testing in 2010 with Force India, before moving to Red Bull Racing. In the inaugural season of Formula E, Da Costa switched to all-electric racing and started his journey with Team Aguri at the second round in Putrajaya. After his two year stint with Aguri, he moved to Andretti for two seasons, before the team became BMW I Andretti Motorsport, which coincided with the launch of Gen2 cars, eventually making him stay in the team. Although his first win for the team came in 2014/15 season, a Costa had been unable to secure a first-place finish until the opening round of the 2018/19 season in Saudi Arabia. In Season 2019/2020, he made the switch to DS TECHEETAH, to join forces with Jean-Eric Vergne. It was Da Costa who scored better results that season where he secure three consecutive victories. His consistent performance led him to victory, claiming the championship title that season with DS. The two following seasons seen him represent the same team again, but he was only capable of finishing 8th in the championship standings. In Season 9, he’s currently 4th in the championship standings, stepping on the toes of Dennis and Vergne ahead of him.
Credit: Formula E Media Bank / Simon Galloway
Will Porsche continue their favorable streak and win the championship this season? After the first few races, we can confidently say that the other teams won’t let them claim the title without a good fight. We’re curious to know what you think – what’s your opinion on the drivers? And if you’re a fan – what are your favorite fun facts about them? We’re looking forward to reading the comments.
For now – enjoy the race, wherever you are ✨
