Porsche 99X Electric displays TAG Heuer livery at the Formula E season finale in Seoul
- TAG Heuer and Porsche celebrate the world premiere of the luxury smartwatch TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4 – Porsche Edition.
- Season 8 came to an end at the Seoul E-Prix with the 100th race in Formula E history.
- The final race for André Lotterer with the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team.
- The one-two result for the Porsche 99X Electric in Mexico City marked the highlight for Porsche.
- Season 9 with the new Gen3 cars takes off on 14 January 2023 with the Mexico City E-Prix.
The anniversary was also the finale with the 100th race in the history of Formula E in Seoul on Sunday, season 8 of the world’s first electric racing series came to an end. The two Porsche 99X Electric racers lined up on the grid sporting a new and exclusive design – in a celebration of the world premiere of the TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4 – Porsche Edition, the first jointly developed Smartwatch from Porsche and TAG Heuer.
The sports car manufacturer and the Swiss luxury watch brand joined forces as global partners in 2021. TAG Heuer has been the team’s title partner since Porsche entered Formula E in 2019. The squad’s third season did not conclude with the notable achievement it had hoped for at the Seoul E-Prix. André Lotterer (GER/#36) failed to reach the finish in his final race for the team. Pascal Wehrlein (GER/#94), who earned points with seventh place in Saturday’s race, also retired early both through no fault of their own.
Season 8 proved to be a rollercoaster for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team. The greatest success for the team from Weissach was its historic one-two victory at the Mexico City E-Prix on 12 February 2023. In the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, pole-setter Pascal Wehrlein clinched the first victory for Porsche in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in his Porsche 99X Electric. André Lotterer followed him over the finish line in second place, making the triumph perfect for the Stuttgart sports car manufacturer at its third Formula E race of the season.
At the Rome E-Prix, André Lotterer was on his way to claiming the winner’s trophy. With just under twelve minutes left on the clock, he swept to the front of the field and held the top spot for a long stretch. At the restart after the safety car phase, he lost his advantage and had to let his rivals pass. When the safety car was deployed for a second time, he was no longer in a position to make a bid for the lead.
At the Monaco E-Prix, it was Pascal Wehrlein who was on course for victory. Tackling the race from the first grid row, he snatched the lead with a breathtaking manoeuvre at the tunnel exit before the port chicane on the legendary Grand Prix circuit in the Principality on the Côte d’Azur and managed to pull away slightly from his pursuers. However, just after the halfway mark, his Porsche 99X Electric suddenly lost speed and he was forced to retire with a technical problem.
At the other races, André Lotterer and Pascal Wehrlein put in strong drives, particularly in qualifying, but were not always able to match these performances in the race.
In the drivers’ classification of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, Pascal Wehrlein ranks 10th after 16 races with 71 points. André Lotterer wraps up the season 12th with 63 points. In the team classification, the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team lies in seventh place with 134 points.
Comments on season 8
Florian Modlinger, Director Factory Motorsport Formula E: “This last race in Seoul was definitely not our day. Both of our drivers became entangled in other competitors’ accidents and were thrown out of contention. After just a couple of laps, Pascal had fought his way into the top 10. He was certainly on track for something more. André contested his last race for us today. I’d like to thank him very much for his dedication over the last three years. The team will miss him as a driver and a great guy. All in all, season 8 was a rollercoaster for us. There were great highlights like our one-two result in Mexico and the strong performances in Monaco and Rome, but some races and racetracks underlined our weak areas. We will now work hard on those weaknesses to make our Gen3 car a winner. Our goal for next year is clearly on consistently going for victories so that we’re in a position to fight for the world title.”
André Lotterer, Porsche works driver (#36): “I’d like to thank the team and Porsche for three great years. During this time, we experienced many highs and lows together. We’d hoped for more successes and we surely deserved them. This year began well for us. Our one-two in Mexico was a big highlight. But the second half of the season turned gnarly, and Seoul wasn’t how I’d imagined my farewell either. I’ll miss the team – they’re like family to me. I wish the squad all the very best and great success in the future. I’ll remain with Porsche Motorsport and I’m in good hands there.”
Pascal Wehrlein, Porsche works driver (#94): “At the moment, I’m still feeling disappointed about this weekend and our unfortunate second half of the season. Nevertheless, although we didn’t get the results we could have achieved, we showed a lot of potential. Despite everything, there were also many positives. Mexico was our highlight, of course. That’s a feeling we want to experience again as soon as possible. I’d like to thank the team for their great support, hard work, and camaraderie, too. We’ll do everything in our power to come back stronger next year and hopefully win many races.”
Next up
Season 9 of the ABB Formula E World Championship takes off with the new Gen3 racing cars at the Mexico City E-Prix on 14 January 2023.
Porsche in Formula E
With a historic one-two result thanks to Pascal Wehrlein and André Lotterer in the Porsche 99X Electric, the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team celebrated its greatest success to date in Mexico on 12 February 2022. The team contests its fourth season in the world’s first all-electric racing series in 2023. At the debut event in November 2019, André Lotterer scored second place at the season-opening race in Diriyah: a dream start and proof that with the Porsche 99X Electric, Porsche had a competitive vehicle right from the outset. Last season, Wehrlein claimed pole position in Mexico City. Two podium results followed with Wehrlein finishing third in Rome and Lotterer securing second in Valencia. As an accelerator for innovative and sustainable mobility technologies, Formula E has brought thrilling motorsport to people living in major cities since 2014. With the all-electric Taycan, Porsche supplies the safety car this season, underlining the importance of Formula E for Porsche Motorsport.