Wehrlein beats team-mate da Costa to pole as Porsche dominate

Reigning Formula E champion Pascal Wehrlein claimed back-to-back pole positions having bested team-mate Antonio Felix da Costa in qualifying for the Mexico City E-Prix as Porsche dominated.

The German entered the second round of the season with a new chassis after his spectacular shunt in the Sao Paulo season-opener, but it didn’t prevent him from becoming the first driver to take pole position four times at the same venue.

Da Costa was initially faster in the opening sector by less than a tenth but fell away in the second sector as he trailed his team-mate by 0.324s.

Despite a small slide through the final turn for Wehrlein, he was able to take his eighth Formula E pole position by 0.125s with a 1m10.984s, as da Costa reported a problem with his car over the radio.

Da Costa set the fastest lap throughout the entirety of qualifying in the semi-final stages with a 1m10.739s, leaving him 0.184s clear of Jean-Eric Vergne.

Wehrlein made it through to his second qualifying final in a row after besting Nissan’s Oliver Rowland in the semi-final, the Briton fractionally ahead at the end of the second sector before losing two tenths in the final segment.

Championship leader and Sao Paulo winner Mitch Evans dropped out in the quarter-final duel stage, the Jaguar driver finishing 0.280s behind Rowland as the Briton posted a 1m11.058s courtesy of the 350kw all-wheel-drive mode.

Wehrlein was never headed in his duel with Edoardo Mortara after the Mahindra driver ran deep into Turn 1 and finished nearly one second adrift, as Andretti’s Jake Dennis finished nearly half a second behind da Costa.

In an all-DS Penske affair, Vergne bested Maximilian Guenther by over three tenths having posted a faster time in the opening two sectors.

With the track still damp for the opening qualifying group, the final laps proved decisive as Wehrlein headed Rowland, Envision’s Sebastien Buemi and Evans.

But Buemi was stripped of his best times due to a throttle pedal map infraction, promoting Mortara into the duels having initially missed the cut by just over two tenths after he was held up by Lucas di Grassi through the final corner.

The incident was placed under investigation before no further action was taken as di Grassi was classified ninth, with Lola-Yamaha Abt team-mate Zane Maloney promoted to fifth ahead of Andretti’s Nico Muller.

Cupra Kiro’s David Beckmann was classified seventh having run deep into Turn 1 during the session, ahead of Maserati MSG’s Stoffel Vandoorne and McLaren’s Taylor Barnard, who finished 4.5s off Wehrlein’s 1m14.610s.

Taylor Barnard finished last in the group, the McLaren driver some 4.5s off Wehrlein’s 1m14.610s.

Maximilian Guenther, DS Penske

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images

Guenther topped the second session with a 1m13.352s as conditions improved and headed Dennis, Nick Cassidy and da Costa.

The second DS Penske of Vergne missed the cut by just 0.037s, but like Mortara, the Frenchman progressed after Cassidy was stripped of his fastest lap for a throttle pedal map infraction.

The second Envision of Robin Frijns also suffered a similar fate having initially finished ahead of Sam Bird, the McLaren driver left frustrated as he was blocked through the final turn on his last attempt by Mahindra’s Nyck de Vries.

The incident was placed under investigation and the Dutchman was handed a three-place grid penalty and a penalty point.

Maserati MSG’s Jake Hughes, who was also handed the same punishment as de Vries for impeding Frijns, Cupra Kiro’s Dan Ticktum and Nissan’s Norman Nato  completed the provisional classification.

Mexico City E-Prix qualifying result