“It’s a very tough championship” - Former F1 driver-turned-Formula E racer compares the all-electric series to its gasoline counterpart

Former F1 driver Pascal Wehrlein believes Formula E is a very competitive series with a strong pool of talent in comparison to the pinnacle of motorsport, F1. In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda in Mexico, the Porsche driver claimed that the competition in Formula E is very close as compared to F1, making it a very difficult championship.

Asked by Sportskeeda if it is difficult to adapt to the electric series straight after F1, the German explained that the learning curve varies from driver to driver. He said:

“Well I almost won my second race here so I cannot say that. It always depends on the type of guy you are, if you can adapt quickly and change your driving style quickly and if you are quick learner or not. But I mean the level we have here and also some parts of the car like chassis and battery is shared between all the teams, and we have the same spec- means that it is very close, the competition is super close together.”

He added that the competition between the teams is much closer in Formula E compared to Formula 1, saying:

“If you are a couple of tenths slower, you can go from P1 to P20. Therefore I think it’s quite a different approach to Formula 1, where you see huge gaps between the teams like around three seconds, you don’t have that here. It’s a very tough championship, you need to deliver every weekend and not lose any time, even one-tenth. If you lose one-tenth of a second you are already off.”

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Former F1 driver Pascal Wehrlein believes Formula E is an interesting championship to follow

The German driver, who has been with the electric series since its fifth season, feels that Formula E is a unique single-seater racing category in its own right. Pascal Wehrlein highlighted its road relevance with the direction of the automotive industry globally, where some famous teams and manufacturers are involved in FE. The former Sauber F1 driver also believes that the series has great potential and has evolved from its inception in Season 1, where the cars were underwhelming compared to the Gen 3 cars used now.

Upon being asked what made Formula E a unique series to follow, Wehrlein pointed to the level of talent and progress that the series has witnessed over the years. He said:

“It’s a great category. First of all, it’s an electric, single-seater category, the best one and the only one. We are racing in all the cities, all the great cities. The level of drivers is huge, we really have some of the best drivers, which you can imagine from around the world. The cars and the technology is also advanced, it is also relevant for what’s happening on the road cars, and it still has a lot of potential. We are now in Season 9 and if you see how the cars were in Season 1 now compare it to Season 9. In the beginning, they even had to change the cars in the race to finish the race. And what we have now is really, really good and we have some great teams with us, great manufacturers, and great brands. As a driver, it is a really cool championship.”

The German driver clinched second place in the season opener in Mexico after starting sixth on the grid. In F1, Wehrlein was a reserve driver for Force India in 2015 and made his debut in 2016 with the Manor Racing team. While his career in the sport ended after a final season with the Sauber team in 2017, his latest outing in F1 was from 2019 to 2020 as a test driver for Ferrari. The German made his Formula E debut with Mahindra Racing and has flourished in the electric racing series since.