Porsche Formula E driver Pascal Wehrlein secured a podium finish in the Madrid E-Prix, as five Porsche-powered machines finished inside the top 10 at the Jarama circuit.
A late move from the
Wehrlein has finished in the top four in half the races so far this year, adding a third visit to the podium after a win last time out in Jeddah and a third in Miami adding to an 11-point series lead.
Nico Müller made the most of a risky strategy to go from 13th to eighth in the second Porsche-run car.
It was also a strong day for the customer teams, as Dan Ticktum took fourth for CUPRA KIRO and his home-favourite team-mate Pepe Martí took ninth.
Jake Dennis led the Andretti charge in seventh, with Felipe Drugovich finishing in 15th.
Story of the race
Wehrlein started the race in sixth, but passed two cars on the first lap in one corner and then another two cars to run second on the second lap.
It was an excellent stint of commanding driving from the 2023-24 season champion.
Though the factory driver was hit from behind by Nyck de Vries while running second on lap three, for which de Vries was assessed a five-second penalty, Wehrlein’s machine avoided crucial damage.
He didn’t blink as other drivers took their Attack Modes early and made their way by, and the team chose the correct strategy to pit relatively early on in the race with an undercut strategy on lap 11.
Wehrlein did lose a place to eventual winner António Félix da Costa in the pits, but he persevered and chose the perfect time late on to use his Attack Mode on lap 18 of 23.
Despite dropping back to fourth in the closing stages behind Ticktum, Wehrlein did not accept defeat and made a late move on Ticktum at the last corner on the last lap to secure the podium.
Muller started eighth and saved energy, took a later pitstop and an earlier attack mode than his rivals to make up five positions.
Having led the most laps entering this race weekend, the eighth helps keep him in sixth place in the championship.
Despite a Jaguar 1-2, the hard work of Wehrlein and Muller, combined with good strategy and performance from the team, ensures Porsche leads the constructors' and teams' championships heading into the team's home race in Germany, at the Tempelhof Airport in Berlin on May 2-3.
Customer racing
Ticktum started ninth but was up into the top four on the opening lap and traded places on multiple occasions with Wehrlein as the two Porsche-powered machines led the challenge through the early phase of the race.
The challenge of Porsche power didn’t end there, as an early attack mode for home hero Pepe Martí of CUPRA Kiro gave him the lead 10 laps in.
Ticktum joined Martí in second after passing Cassidy on lap 11, and although he didn’t stop as early as Wehrlein and others in the optimum window, he didn’t leave it as late as some other competitors, and ultimately he was still able to fight for victory after his pit boost on lap 13.
He got as high as second in the closing stages, watched on by team investor and movie star Idris Elba, with some stunning battling alongside Formula E's best drivers.
With Wehrlein’s late pass, Ticktum was demoted to fourth, but still jumped four places to 10th in the standings.
Martí followed the sixth he scored at Jeddah to take ninth at his home event, but dropped a spot to 12th in the points.
It was a tricky day for the Andretti team as it looked to boost Felipe Drugovich up from last on the grid, with Jake Dennis starting 11th.
Dennis moved up to eighth on lap one, and he’d go one better than that in the race to finish seventh. He made a late stop but didn’t let that unravel his race.
Drugovich led the race on lap eight from the back of the grid using his attack mode. As most drivers saved that for the end of the race, it did mean he fell back later on, eventually taking 15th, up five spots from his start.
Coming next
The next Formula E race is the team's home race in Germany, at the Tempelhof Airport in Berlin on May 2-3.
The double-header will provide thrilling racing to thousands of fans at one of the calendar’s top events.
The race is held on the grounds of the old airport and set in front of its impressive terminal building. It is 2.343km / 1.460mi long and features 15 corners.
The landmark event will also form part of the wider 75 Years of Porsche Motorsport programme taking place in 2026, so watch out for some special activations across the weekend.
