Pascal Wehrlein endured a nervy four-hour wait to see if he had definitely won the season-opening Mexico City E-Prix, following a post-race investigation for a technical infraction.
The German driver and reigning World Champion Jake Dennis were both investigated after the first Formula E race of Season 10 for “Alleged not respecting the homologated primary throttle pedal map”. According to The Race, it was pondered whether both drivers had used a ‘form of traction control launch’ at the start of the race.
The FIA investigated this extensively but ultimately decided that there was no need for further action in either case.
The FIA stated: “After intensive investigations the Stewards couldn’t find a breach of Regulations. Therefore the Stewards concluded to give a No further action.”
As a result, Wehrlein kept his fifth Formula E victory and his early championship lead, after impressively converting pole position into victory. In Dennis’ case, he kept his two points for finishing ninth after a disappointing start to his title defence.
Due to the time difference between the United Kingdom and Mexico, those in the UK had to wait until the early hours of Sunday morning to discover the outcome of the investigation. With traction control devices being illegal in the all-electric series, the FIA had to make sure that their investigation was thorough.
The Formula E technical regulations clearly state that any system “which can prevent the driven wheels from spinning under power or of compensating for excessive torque demand by the driver” is illegal.
Getting the all-clear would’ve been a huge relief for Wehrlein, who performed brilliantly. He excelled whilst the other Porsche-powered drivers faltered, with his title intentions being clear. Wehrlein defeated Sébastian Buemi in the final of the duels to clinch pole position, before maintaining first in the opening laps following an excellent getaway.
Wehrlein only dropped behind Buemi when he activated his Attack Modes but regained the lead when the Envision Racing driver did the same. The 29-year-old ended up winning for the fifth-time in Formula E by just over one-second.
His victory was “pretty controlled” after he capitalised on a mistake by Buemi, although he admits that “every lap was like a qualifying lap” in the lead.
“It was a tough race because we were leading most of the race and that’s not so efficient for energy – but every lap was like a qualifying lap, trying to maximise speed,” Wehrlein said.
“I saw a small mistake behind me which created a small gap, and from then I think it was pretty controlled. Thanks a lot to my team and thanks to all the fans here, it’s always a great to be here in Mexico; it’s a great atmosphere. I’m already looking forward to coming back next year.”
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