Just a few days after completing one of the most gruelling races in the world for the Porsche Penske Motorsport team – the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance classic – in which he took the chequered flag in an eventual eighth place, MIM-contracted Pascal Wehrlein will step back into the cockpit of his familiar factory Porsche 99X Electric for the next round of the FIA Formula E World Championship.
From the 13.626 km circuit in northern France to the Indonesian metropolis Jakarta, where the 2.37 km track is laid out, the conditions couldn’t be more different for Round 12 of the season. From virtually a round-the-clock sprint race on mainly public roads to a short thrash around a track prepared ad hoc in the capital, where hot, humid conditions will certainly prevail, driver strength and physical endurance will be required for the single race, unlike previous editions of the Indonesian round when two races were held.
Pascal however is not fazed by this latest appointment in what is proving to be quite a tour de force in these summer months, with two rounds in Berlin and London and four races still remaining for him to defend his 2024 title in the all-electric championship.
“I’m really looking forward to Jakarta,” declared Pascal. “It’s a very cool track in extreme conditions. It’s always incredibly hot there, which is difficult for both drivers and cars. The Shanghai weekend taught us how to handle the tyres better when they are put under heavy strain.”
The German currently lies second in the championship on 103 points with one win to his name, 68 behind leader Oliver Rowland (Nissan), who has four victories, but the last time Formula E came to Indonesia two years ago saw Pascal qualify third on the grid and take the victory in race 1, so anything can happen in Jakarta.
Indonesia is five hours ahead, and the Jakarta E-Prix reverts to single-race format so Free Practice 1 is on Friday morning at 1100 CET, Free Practice 2 in the middle of Friday night/Saturday morning in Europe at 0300 CET, Qualifying at 0520 and the Race at 1005 CET.
Photos: Courtesy of Porsche
