Pascal Wehrlein secured pole position for Race 2 of the Berlin E-Prix with a commanding Duels performance, overcoming Taylor Barnard in the final after a tightly contested qualifying session that saw championship leader Edoardo Mortara eliminated in the group stage.
The second Berlin E-Prix day so far
Edoardo Mortara set the pace in final practice of the Berlin E-Prix, edging a tightly packed field at Tempelhof.
The Mahindra driver, who took pole the day before, and led a top three covered by just 0.008s.
Maximilian Guenther and Taylor Barnard finished close behind, underlining how finely balanced the fight for qualifying would be.
Group A
Group A opened with Edoardo Mortara among the key contenders after taking the championship lead, as drivers prepared with build laps before their first push runs.
As times began to fall, Nick Cassidy set the early benchmark, with just a tenth covering the top four.
Mortara initially slotted into fifth and looked set for another attempt in the closing moments.
However, the session ended in disappointment for Mortara, who missed progression by just two thousandths of a second.
Cassidy topped the group, with Taylor Barnard, Felipe Drugovich, and Jean-Eric Vergne advancing to the Duels in an extremely tight session.
Eliminated: Edoardo Mortara, Nico Mueller, Sebastien Buemi, Norman Nato, Oliver Rowland, Dan Ticktum
Group B
Group B followed with current championship runner up Pascal Wehrlein looking to capitalise after Edoardo Mortara’s early exit, as Nick Cassidy’s benchmark from Group A set the target.
Antonio Felix da Costa quickly moved to the top with the fastest time of qualifying, edging Cassidy’s mark.
The group proved more spread out, with da Costa holding a clear margin over Envision’s Joel Eriksson, while others struggled to hook up clean laps.
At the flag, da Costa secured top spot, progressing alongside Eriksson, Zane Maloney and Wehrlein. Mitch Evans missed out in ninth, capping a difficult session for Jaguar.
Eliminated: Nyck de Vries, Maximilian Guenther, Jake Dennis, Lucas di Grassi, Mitch Evans, Pepe Marti
Duels
Felipe Drugovich vs Taylor Barnard
Taylor Barnard pulled clear of Felipe Drugovich, building his advantage through the latter half of the lap to move into the semi-finals.
Jean-Eric Vergne vs Nick Cassidy
Nick Cassidy edged teammate Jean-Éric Vergne in a tight Citroën duel, securing progression by just over a tenth.
Zane Maloney vs Joel Eriksson
Joel Eriksson produced a strong lap to defeat Zane Maloney by 0.140s and advance to the semi finals.
Pascal Wehrlein vs Antonio Felix da Costa
Pascal Wehrlein beat Antonio Felix da Costa by 0.328s, taking control in the second half of the lap to progress.
Semi Finals
Taylor Barnard vs Nick Cassidy
Taylor Barnard edged Nick Cassidy by around 0.150, holding the advantage despite late pressure to secure his place in the final.
Joel Eriksson vs Pascal Wehrlein
Pascal Wehrlein comfortably beat Joel Eriksson by 0.547s after Eriksson ran deep at the hairpin, sealing his spot in the pole shootout and three important points.
Final
Taylor Barnard vs Pascal Wehrlein
In the first sector, Taylor Barnard showed a quicker pace. Pascal Wehrlein caught up during sector 2 and sector 3, finishing the lap with a 57.292 – 0.038 seconds quicker than Barnard and gaining Pole Position for race 2 of the Berlin E-Prix.
READ MORE – Oliver Rowland admits to fine margins that cost him Formula E victory in Berlin
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