The reigning Formula E world champion takes on a new challenge this weekend, making his endurance racing debut at the 24 Hours of Daytona with JDC-Miller MotorSports.
Porsche factory driver Pascal Wehrlein has a storied and successful career behind him already, having raced in everything from the DTM to Formula 1. But at Daytona International Speedway this weekend, the German takes on a new challenge: making his endurance racing debut in the Porsche 963.
Driving for customer team JDC-Miller MotorSports, Wehrlein lines up in the #85 car alongside Tijmen van der Helm, Gianmaria Bruni and Bryce Aron for his long-awaited debut in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s landmark event.
Though he previously drove the Porsche 963 in an endurance test ahead of its race debut in 2023, it wasn’t until November at the IMSA-sanctioned test that Wehrlein got a proper taste of the car, before developing his experience at last week’s Roar Before the 24.
“It's a lot of fun, first of all,” he said of his time behind the wheel so far. “It’s the first time for a long time driving something different than a Formula E car - I've been with Formula E since 2019.
“Before that, obviously I was driving lots of different cars like DTM, Formula 1, so I've got good experience in many different types of cars. It felt like something new again, you know, having to shift again, for example.
“Driving a sportscar again was good fun and I'm enjoying it. It's also the first endurance race for me, which you have to change your mind a little bit with how you approach it. It’s my first time sharing the car with other drivers, so yeah, a lot of things for me to soak up and to learn.
“I definitely feel ready [for the race], I feel happy, I’m confident in the car. Obviously still a lot of questions, which I'm asking the team and especially Jimmy [Gianmaria Bruni] - he’s the most experienced driver here - how it goes on the safety car [period] and where I need to pay attention.
“In general, learning how we approach a 24-hour race, keeping the car clean, trying to have the best possible pace at the end of the race, so you also need to watch out after the car and take a bit care of it. But in general I feel happy in the car, the testing went well and it was good preparation.”
Wehrlein said that compared to Formula E “everything is very different”.
“First of all, the feeling of the car and how it behaves, the tyres are very different, the systems on the car and not being able to set up the car 100% to your likings, you need to try and find the best compromise for all the drivers.
“It's very different in many ways, but yeah, I just take the challenge as it's coming. I just want to do the best possible job for myself and for the team, really get into this mindset of ‘it's us four and we need to have the best possible compromise for all the drivers and trying to help each other with advice’. It's a very different approach.”
Wehrlein had hoped to turn his hand to endurance racing for some time. When the opportunity with JDC-Miller arose at the end of last year, he seized it with both hands after clinching the Formula E crown with the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team last July.
Though it is a smaller team than Wehrlein is used to, he is relishing the family feel of the Minnesota-based outfit, and enjoying the teamwork-oriented emphasis of the discipline.
Both Wehrlein and Aron are making their Daytona debuts this weekend, with Aron usually racing in the Indy NXT series. The duo will join full-season pair van der Helm and series stalwart Bruni at the iconic race.
“The work with the other drivers went super well,” Wehrlein said. “Jimmy is the most experienced one, he drove the car the last couple of years. He knows the systems, he knows the tyres, he knows the race here and how it goes and where we need to be careful and how we need to approach it.
“So I would really say Jimmy is giving advice to me and to Bryce, because it's our first time here in Daytona. Tijmen is also quite experienced in that car, so I would say he’s also a great addition to the team, and then Bryce is a complete rookie and a newcomer, so definitely we all tried to give a lot of advice to him and make sure that he's comfortable and confident.”
He continued: “You can't imagine how many questions I've been asking the last couple of days, but there's so many questions always coming into my mind, not only to Jimmy, for example, but also to the team. So I'm constantly asking, hoping that I'm not annoying them.
“But in terms of winning, everything I heard so far was just that we need to try and keep the car clean for the first 20 hours and then the last four hours is where we need to attack and then also trying to prevent the car from any damage, any contact and so on. The last four hours, it's like a sprint race.
“So that's kind of how I'm going into the race and what the feedback is. We need to be on the lead lap, that’s also what I heard very often, and the last four hours is where we really want to push. So hopefully the car is reliable and we have a clean race until then, and then I think we definitely have the pace to put in a good result.”
Despite being a big name stepping into the seat, Wehrlein is not feeling the pressure, instead focusing on learning as much as he can and grabbing a good result for both himself and the team.
Comparing his experience to Formula E, he said he faces far more pressure in the all-electric championship where each driver is solely responsible for their result. He also said there was “not one thing the same” as Formula E, emphasising the “very different approach” in sportscar racing.
Wehrlein currently sits fourth in the Formula E standings after two rounds, having secured both the available pole positions before taking a third-place finish last time out in Mexico City. The TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team leads the teams’ standings, while team-mate António Félix da Costa tops the drivers’ championship.
Wehrlein said he’s had a “great start to the season”, aside from his São Paulo E-Prix crash, adding: “Everything feels like we have a strong package, we have the pace. São Paulo was a bit unlucky, we would have had a great race there as well and probably been on the podium. I think everything is there which we would need for a title defence, so I'm looking forward to the season there.
“We are pretty confident with the package we have, with the team we have, and I'm enjoying this moment where we are right now, because it's never guaranteed that you have a strong car and strong package, so I'm just super happy to be in that position.
“I'm always thinking about the championship, obviously that I want to win it. But let's say it's still way too early to put a strategy in place, or to think about it too much right now. It’s just focusing event by event and trying to maximise the results there no matter what.”
The 63rd Rolex 24 at Daytona - Wehrlein’s first - is this weekend. The race will get underway at 1:40pm local time / 7:40pm CET on January 25.
Read our full preview of the Porsche cars and drivers taking part in the race
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