Home hereo Wehrlein flying high ahead of double-header duel in Berlin
Tempelhof Airport circuit set to provide a tough test for title contenders as chase for the Season 10 crown intensifies in the German capital.
For the second year in a row, home hero Pascal Wehrlein leads the way as the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship heads for the final stop of its mid-season European leg in Berlin this weekend (11-12 May), with the TAG Heuer Porsche star seeking to increase his advantage in his quest to clinch the coveted Drivers’ crown.
The German capital is the only city to have featured on every Formula E calendar since the all-electric single-seater series’ inception back in 2014. This year, however, while the notoriously abrasive surface remains unchanged, competitors will need to get to grips with a revised layout on the historic Tempelhof Airport circuit. As ever, energy management and tyre wear are likely to play a major role, with plenty of overtaking predicted around the 2.343km, 15-turn lap.
Twelve months ago, Wehrlein arrived at his home event holding a 24-point lead in the standings. This season, his margin is a more modest seven points, but he is the only double winner of the 2023/24 campaign to-date and has finished inside the top eight on all-bar one occasion. On the streets of Berlin, though, the German has yet to place higher than sixth – a statistic he will be eager to change this weekend.
Wehrlein’s closest contender is Jaguar TCS Racing rival Nick Cassidy, who held sway early on. Nobody has reached the rostrum more often than the New Zealander so far in Season 10, but a brace of retirements have cost him ground. Cassidy is Formula E’s most recent winner in Berlin, and will be targeting a repeat performance as he endeavours to reclaim the initiative in the hunt for honours.
Defending title-holder Jake Dennis occupies third spot as he bids to become just the series’ second two-time champion. The Andretti Formula E ace took the chequered flag as runner-up to Cassidy in Germany last year, while countryman Oliver Rowland looks every inch a bona fide championship protagonist this season for Nissan Formula E Team.
A single point behind Dennis in the chase for the crown, the Briton seemed to be unstoppable prior to a technical issue that denied him a double victory at Misano last month, but he immediately battled back with a characteristically gritty charge through the field from 15th to sixth in Monte-Carlo. Rowland is another previous winner in Berlin – dominating proceedings from pole position in 2020 to secure his breakthrough Formula E triumph.
Cassidy’s stablemate Mitch Evans kick-started his title challenge last time out in Monaco with a sublime success in the glamorous Principality as Jaguar played the team game to perfection. The New Zealander – never a driver to be discounted – spearheaded a one-two finish for the British outfit in Germany last season.
Maximilian Günther (Maserati MSG Racing), DS Penske duo Jean-Éric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne and Porsche’s António Félix da Costa have all similarly conquered Tempelhof’s punishing concrete in the past. The German achieved Maserati’s first rostrum result in Formula E in his home race in 2023, while Vergne is a prolific podium-finisher in Berlin and team-mate Vandoorne sped to his maiden series triumph there from pole position just under four years ago.
Da Costa – who is chasing his first win in more than 14 months – completed the hat-trick of pole, victory and fastest lap at Tempelhof in 2020, before making it back-to-back successes 24 hours later on his way to Season 6 glory. Despite the German capital having staged no fewer than 18 E-Prixs over the last decade, the Portuguese star is one of only two drivers on this weekend’s grid to have prevailed there more than once, alongside fellow title-winner Lucas Di Grassi (ABT CUPRA Formula E Team).
Mahindra Racing will have a slightly different line-up for the forthcoming double-header, with reserve driver Jordan King teaming up with Edoardo Mortara and making his series bow in place of the absent Nyck de Vries. Kelvin van der Linde is similarly deputising for Nico Müller at ABT CUPRA, while Sweden’s Joel Eriksson and Estonia’s Paul Aron will stand in for Sébastien Buemi and Robin Frijns at Envision Racing – the pair, like de Vries and Müller, unavailable due to clashing commitments.
Teenage prodigy Taylor Barnard – who impressed on his championship debut in Monte-Carlo – will continue alongside compatriot Jake Hughes at NEOM McLaren Formula E Team while Sam Bird recovers from his injured left hand.
Round nine of the 2023/24 campaign will get underway at 15:03 CEST on Saturday, 11 May, followed by round ten at the same time on Sunday, 12 May.
The next day, a dedicated rookie test in Berlin will see the following drivers take to the track: Riccardo Feller and Tim Tramnitz with ABT CUPRA; Jak Crawford and Zane Maloney with Andretti; Jonny Edgar and Robert Shwartzman with DS Penske; Alice Powell and Dries Vanthoor with Envision; Marta García and Mikel Azcona with ERT Formula E Team; Enzo Fittipaldi and Sheldon van der Linde with Jaguar; Frederik Vesti and Kush Maini with Mahindra; Felipe Drugovich and Nicolás Pino with Maserati; Grégoire Saucy and Ugo Ugochukwu with NEOM McLaren; Caio Collet and Gabriele Mini with Nissan; and Dennis Hauger and Thomas Preining with Porsche.
THE 2024 TRACK
MEDIA CENTRE
Opening Hours of the Media Centre
- Thursday 9 May: 0900 – 1800
- Friday 10 May: 0730 – 1900
- Saturday 11 May: 0600 – 2000
- Sunday 12 May: 0600 – 2000
- Monday 13 May: 0730 – 1900
2024 BERLIN E-PRIX TIMETABLE
| Friday 10 May | |||
| Starts | Ends | Length | Activity |
| 14 :30 17:00 |
14 :45 17:30 |
00:15 00:30 |
SHAKEDOWN FREE PRACTICE 1 |
| Saturday 11 May | |||
| Starts | Ends | Length | Activity |
| 08:00 | 08:30 | 00:30 | FREE PRACTICE 2 |
| 10:20 | 10:32 | 00:12 | QUALIFYING Group A |
| 10:37 | 10:49 | 00:12 | QUALIFYING Group B |
| 11:05 | 11:20 | 00:15 | QUARTER FINAL |
| 11:24 | 11:34 | 00:10 | SEMI FINAL |
| 11:38 | 11:43 | 00:05 | FINAL |
| ≈15:04 | RACE (40 LAPS) | ||
| Sunday 12 May | |||
| Starts | Ends | Length | Activity |
| 08:00 | 08:30 | 00:30 | FREE PRACTICE 3 |
| 10:20 | 10:32 | 00:12 | QUALIFYING Group A |
| 10:37 | 10:49 | 00:12 | QUALIFYING Group B |
| 11:05 | 11:20 | 00:15 | QUARTER FINAL |
| 11:24 | 11:34 | 00:10 | SEMI FINAL |
| 11:38 | 11:43 | 00:05 | FINAL |
| ≈15:04 | RACE (38 LAPS) |
MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES
| Friday 10 May | |
| 12:30 – 12:45 | Team Representatives FIA Press Conference |
| Florian Modlinger – Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team | |
| Roger Griffiths – Andretti Formula E | |
| Thomas Biermaier – ABT Cupra Formula E Team | |
| 12:45 – 13:00 | Drivers FIA Press Conference |
| Pascal Wehrlein – Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team | |
| Maximilian Günther – Maserati MSG Racing | |
| Paul Aron – Envision Racing | |
| 13:00 – 13:20 | Media Pen (All Drivers) |
| Saturday 11 May | |
| 16:35 – 16:50 | FIA Press Conference (Top 3) |
| 16:50 – 17:10 | Media Pen (All drivers) |
| Sunday 12 May | |
| 16:35 – 16:50 | FIA Press Conference (Top 3) |
| 16:50 – 17:10 | Media Pen (All drivers) |
2024 BERLIN E-PRIX ENTRIES
2023 BERLIN E-PRIX RESULTS
RACE 1
| 1. Mitch Evans | Jaguar TCS Racing |
| 2. Sam Bird | Jaguar TCS Racing |
| 3. Maximilian Günther | Maserati MSG Racing |
RACE 2
| 1. Nick Cassidy | Envision Racing |
| 2. Jake Dennis | Avalanche Andretti |
| 3. Jean-Eric Vergne | DS PENSKE |
2024 ABB FIA FORMULA E WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
The 2024 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship Standings are available here: https://www.fia.com/events/abb-fia-formula-e-world-championship/season-2023-2024/standings