Formula E Berlin ePrix II

Wehrlein: Formula E Berlin contact with Dennis "should not happen"

Pascal Wehrlein believes contact “should not happen” between cars using Porsche’s Formula E powertrain after several incidents between himself and Andretti’s Jake Dennis during the second Berlin E-Prix.

Stefan Mackley

Edited: May 12, 2024, 5:01 PM

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Pascal Wehrlein, Porsche, Porsche 99X Electric Gen3, Jake Dennis, Andretti Global, Porsche 99X Electric Gen3, Jake Hughes, McLaren, e-4ORCE 04

The Porsche driver was left to finish fourth in the sequel at the Tempelhof Airport circuit on Sunday, one spot ahead of Dennis as the pair battled for much of the 41-lap contest.

Wehrlein was left unhappy with the actions of Dennis, the reigning champion using Porsche’s 99X Electric aboard the Andretti machine, as both failed to make progress due to the constant clashes.

“I think driving other drivers into the wall is too far, obviously,” Wehrlein told Motorsport.com.

“I think it works with most of the drivers, to drive side-by-side.

“Especially between Porsche cars, this should not happen. It’s been discussed many times, it’s still not working, so it is what it is.”

Jake Dennis, Andretti Global, Porsche 99X Electric Gen3, Edoardo Mortara, Mahindra Racing, Mahindra M9Electro, Oliver Rowland, Nissan Formula E Team, Nissan e-4ORCE 04

Photo by: Dom Romney / Motorsport Images

While team-mate Antonio Felix da Costa was able to take his first Formula E win of the year, having been stripped of his victory in Misano for a technical infringement which has been appealed, Wehrlein was left in damage limitation mode as early as the first lap.

This was after the German was pushed into the wall exiting the Turn 6/7 hairpin by the second Andretti of Norman Nato, which damaged his car for the remainder of the race.

“I think the worst thing for me today was that my car was damaged on lap one,” he said.

“My steering was bent, my floor was damaged, my front wing was damaged. It’s just unnecessary contact there.”

Ahead of the weekend, it was announced that Andretti would continue using Porsche power until the end of the Gen3 regulation cycle in 2026.

Team principal Roger Griffiths admitted that prior to this season there had been clear-the-air talks between both teams after a number of incidents during last year, particularly between Dennis and Wehrlein.

Dennis, who started on pole for Sunday’s race before slipping to fifth, believes that the peloton style of racing seen in Formula E means all drivers were aggressive this weekend when attacking or defending position.

“Everyone is aggressive right now, it’s real challenging to pinpoint anyone,” he said.

“The racing up the front is just really chaotic and there’s a lot of contact between everyone so it’s really difficult to blame anyone.

“If I could have got ahead of Pascal, I think I would have had a bit more of a chance to go at Nick [Cassidy] because it was a little bit cleaner between me and Nick but ultimately I couldn’t pass him, so fifth was the best we could come away with.”

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