Tag Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein stormed to pole position for Race 2 of the Formula E Berlin E-Prix, taking top spot at his and the team’s home race.
The reigning World Championship, who is currently clinging onto his title with Oliver Rowland able to win it this weekend, defeated Cupra Kiro’s Dan Ticktum in the final.
Rowland qualified in third, but a five-place grid penalty would see him in eighth. Antonio Felix da Costa was then third, with Robin Frijns fourth, and Nico Mueller fifth.
Stoffel Vandoorne was sixth, with Taylor Barnard seventh. Behind Rowland was Mitch Evans, winner in Race 1, and another home favourite in Maximilian Guenther 10th.
Group A started on a greasy track with the weather indecisive, a brief shower coming just before the cars went out on track. Only 10 cars would participate as Lucas di Grassi’s Lola could not be repaired in time after a huge smash in FP2.
The Stellantis-powered cars were the quickest early in the group, with Jake Hughes, Jean-Eric Vergne and Guenther going fastest, but Ticktum soon jumped ahead into first.
Jake Dennis then went fastest, but Hughes then went back on top, with Zane Maloney getting into the top four with just a few minutes remaining.
Vandoorne went quickest as the track began to dry, with Ticktum going back into third having dropped to 10th.
Hughes then perhaps felt a bit too confident, sliding into the wall at Turn 2. It brought out the red flag, which condemned Oliver Rowland to fifth, meaning that, with his five-place grid penalty for taking out Vandoorne in Race 1, would face an uphill battle in the race.
But Hughes’ time was deleted for causing the red flag, meaning that Vandoorne, Barnard, Ticktum and Rowland were the four that went into the duels.
Group B saw the track drier than it probably has been all weekend, and as the time began to tumble, the order continued to change sporadically.
After the first runs, it would be both Porsches of Wehrlein and da Costa in first and second, with Edoardo Mortara third and Sam Bird fourth. Both Jaguars languished towards the foot of the order, with David Beckmann looking good to potentially progress into the duels.
Felipe Drugovich was sixth but had time to get another run, as Nico Mueller jumped into second, with da Costa immediately taking it back off of him.
Robin Frijns then jumped into third, and despite Mitch Evans improving, he just missed out, as the Dutchman’s Envision the Porsche duo and Mueller into the all-important top four.
Porsches dominate duels as works and customer make final
The first duel of Ticktum v Barnard began as rain began to fall again, and it was Ticktum who was a tenth ahead of the McLaren in the first sector, and then gained another tenths in the second.
It was in the end a gap of six tenths in the end, the first time this season that Barnard would be knocked-out in the first duel.
The second quarter-final placed Rowland against Vandoorn, the Nissan driver just three hundredths ahead after the first sector, which was growing to two tenths by the end of the lap, and when they crossed the line, Rowland’s lap would eventually be over three tenths quicker.
Frijns against da Costa was the third matchup, and the latter was up by three hundredths at the start of the lap, and it became a tenth towards the end of the lap, but then closed down again, but da Costa’s lap was eventually a tenth quicker, seeing him through to the semi finals.
The final duel placed Mueller against Wehrlein. Midway through the lap, the Porsche was three tenths up, and increased it still, ending it six tenths up, his 57.855s being the quickest time of the weekend.
The first semi-final placed Rowland against Ticktum. The Kiro looked steadier through the braking zones, but sector one saw Rowland ahead but by only three thousandths of a second. The middle sector was different, with Rowland a tenth down, and whilst he lessened the gap towards the end of the lap, it was not enough. Ticktum was through.
Da Costa and Wehrlein battled for supremacy in the second semi-final, the prospect more mouthwatering after their clash in FP1.
Wehrlein was two tenths up quickly, and doubled it by the end of the lap, finishing up six tenths ahead of his team-mate.
This placed him against Ticktum in the final, a battle between Porsche works team and customer.
Ticktum’s first sector was scruffy, placing him under pressure already, and with Wehrlein’s one-lap form strong over the whole day so far, he was a tenth up.
It was now two tenths midway through the lap, and his 57.850s would see him take pole position, and a crucial three championship points.
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