Pascal Wehrlein has prevailed in the opening race of the Jakarta EPrix weekend, as he held off Jake Dennis for the win.
Starting from third place on the grid, a strong start from the Porsche driver saw him advance up to second while Maximilian Gunther, who was dominant at the top of the timesheets all day, held onto the lead.
Jake Dennis had a less-than-favourable start and dropped to fourth place on the opening lap.
Wehrlein sized up Gunther for a handful of laps but didn’t waste time making the move as he progressed past his German compatriot on lap four, securing the lead.
Wehrlein would drop back to second place on the following lap, however, as he took his first Attack Mode – Gunther followed him through the zone on the following lap which placed him back into second.
Porsche’s Attack Mode strategy saw Wehrlein take both of his allocated extra power boost early in the race, as by lap nine, he had used up his race allowance.
On lap 17, Dennis began his recovery as he made an overtake on reigning champion Stoffel Vandoorne while utilising his attack mode.
Further back in the grid, there was a hairy moment for Nick Cassidy who made contact with Jean-Eric Vergne as they battled for fifth place.
However, damage was avoided on each of the cars and they were able to continue in the order.
Gunther’s prospects of winning the EPrix took a hit moments later when Dennis made a move on Gunther for second place. But as Dennis closed in on Wehrelin and the race leader was forced to go defensive, it allowed Gunther to close back in again.
He wasn’t the only one – behind, the DS Penske pair of Vandoorne and Vergne decreased the gap, as did Cassidy.
In the final stages of the race, there was drama between the Jaguar pair as Sam Bird hit his team-mate Mitch Evans, eliminating him from the race.
A yellow flag was deployed by no Safety Car was called – however, Wehrlein had enough to hold on and secure his third victory of the 2023 season.
Dennis followed in second, with Gunther rounding out the podium finishers.
Vandoorne led team-mate Vergne over the line, while the second Maserati car of Edoardo Mortara overtook Nick Cassidy late on to take sixth.
Antonio Felix da Costa was eighth with Robin Frijns and Jake Hughes taking the final points on offer.
Formula E will return on Sunday, with the second race of the weekend from Jakarta.
