Pascal Wehrlein, the outspoken star of Formula E, has erupted with frustration, labeling the series' qualifying format as “boring” and questioning its very relevance. His comments come on the heels of a chaotic Berlin E-Prix double-header, where the unpredictability of pack racing overshadowed the traditional significance of qualifying.
The second race in Berlin sparked a heated debate among drivers, many of whom expressed discontent with the notion that a race could be won from virtually any position on the grid. The introduction of the Gen3 cars has polarized opinions, and Sunday’s race at the Tempelhof Airport Circuit was no exception, as it pushed the boundaries of this controversial racing style to an unprecedented level.
The strategic decision-making in the lead-up to the race was particularly controversial. In a bid to conserve their fresh tyres for the race, some competitors deliberately chose to qualify using older rubber, sacrificing their starting positions. This left seasoned drivers like Wehrlein, who managed to clinch pole position at Porsche's home event, witnessing the bizarre sight of notable names such as Mitch Evans starting from a dismal 17th place. The reigning world champion, Oliver Rowland, also found himself mired in the middle of the pack, as the ninth row became a graveyard for potential race winners.
Last year's Berlin victor, Nick Cassidy, executed a similar strategy, triumphantly starting from 20th. This trend of energy preservation has become a hallmark of pack racing, where drivers often lay low for the initial stages, saving energy at a deliberately slow pace before launching a surprise attack at the front. Wehrlein is staunchly against this tactic. He argues that it effectively nullifies the importance of qualifying, diminishing the value of the drivers’ hard work to optimize their performance.
In an eye-opening interview with RacingNews365, Wehrlein did not hold back. He lamented, “Well, that's what happened, and I find it boring, because how is it possible that we are doing a qualifying where everyone is putting in so much effort to optimize things, and in the end they [Jaguar] decide not even to do the qualifying and just basically start from the race, save a lot of energy in the beginning, and the races are so slow in the beginning in terms of energy saving that you can just win from last.”
He continued, expressing his frustration, “I don't know how to put it into words. I don't care about things I cannot control. But you know, it's that way of being slow over one lap just doesn't matter. So you know, you might just turn up for the race and still win.”
Wehrlein's passionate outburst raises critical questions about the future of Formula E. As the series grapples with its identity amidst the growing pains of Gen3, the need for a cohesive and exciting racing format has never been more urgent. Will the sport heed the calls for change, or will it continue down this controversial path of pack racing, leaving the thrill of qualifying in the dust? The clock is ticking, and the fans are watching closely.
