Jakarta International ePrix: Wehrlein secures third win of Formula E season

Pascal Wehrlein, who started third in the race, pipped Jake Dennis to move to second at the start and then drove past race leader Maximilian Gunther on lap four.

Published : Jun 03, 2023 16:48 IST , Jakarta - 2 MINS READ

Pascal Wehrlein (C), second-placed Jake Dennis (L), and third-placed Gunther (R) celebrate after the Jakarta International e-Prix.
Pascal Wehrlein (C), second-placed Jake Dennis (L), and third-placed Gunther (R) celebrate after the Jakarta International e-Prix. | Photo Credit: BAY ISMOYO/AFP
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Pascal Wehrlein (C), second-placed Jake Dennis (L), and third-placed Gunther (R) celebrate after the Jakarta International e-Prix. | Photo Credit: BAY ISMOYO/AFP

Porsche driver Pascal Wehrlein won his third race of the 2022-23 Formula E season here at the Jakarta International ePrix circuit on Saturday. The German driver, who started third in the race, pipped Jake Dennis to move to second at the start and then drove past race leader Maximilian Gunther on lap four.

From then on, Wehrlein was largely in control despite some pressure from Dennis later in the race, who had more energy left in the closing laps but couldn’t fully use it.

Dennis, driving for Andretti Autosport, slipped to fourth from second at the start before making a solid comeback during the middle phase of the race to challenge for the win.

Meanwhile, pole-sitter Gunther, who dominated qualifying, topping every session, finished a lonely third ahead of defending champion Stoffel Vandoorne.

The win was Wehrlein’s first since winning both races in Saudi Arabia earlier in the year and helped him narrow the gap to championship leader Nick Cassidy, who finished seventh, to just two points.

Cassidy, driving for the Envision Racing team, had a poor qualifying and started tenth and could move only three places but pocketed an extra point for the fastest lap.

Meanwhile, Mahindra Racing had a forgettable outing with Lucas di Grassi and Roberto Merhi, making his debut this weekend, finished 15th and 19th. The Mahindra drivers had a poor qualifying session and started the race from the last row of the grid in the 21st and 22nd positions.

The other team with an Indian connection, Jaguar TCS Racing, had a miserable weekend when its driver Sam Bird hit teammate Mitch Evans when both drivers were running in the top-ten. Incidentally, Bird hit Evans earlier in the season in the inaugural Hyderabad ePrix and had cost the side valuable points.

Teams will gather at the same venue on Sunday for the second race of the double-header weekend.

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