Porsche driver Pascal Wehrlein claimed a landslide victory from ninth in the first race of the 2023 Diriyah e-Prix. Andretti’s team leader Jake Dennis finished second after starting 11th on the grid. Wehrelin showed impressive speed and was the fastest on the track as he picked riders one by one, leading the way.
The Porsche driver managed to secure the top spot on lap 30 at Turn 16 by overtaking Jaguar’s Sam Bird in his third-generation electric race car. At the back, Jack Dennis gave Porsche his second win, powering the Andretti machine. Porsche and Andretti built on their respective successes at the Mexican e-Prix a fortnight ago.
Sam Bird, meanwhile, finished third, marking his first podium finish since winning the New York e-Prix in Season 7. It was also a boost for the Jaguar driver, who had a lackluster season last year. In fourth place was Envision Racing’s Sebastian Buemi, who started from pole but was unable to maintain the same pace throughout the race. Still, it was Buemi’s best finish since the season 6 finale in Berlin.
Jack Dennis continues to lead the Drivers’ Championship after two races, but is just one point behind Pascal Wehrlein
In fifth was Neom McLaren’s Rene Rast, who also started fifth, but after a couple of mid-court battles. Last also scored the fastest lap of the race. Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy was next in sixth, while DS Penske’s Jean-Eric Vergne finished seventh after starting 12th. Jack Hughes finished eighth in the McLaren, ahead of Andretti Racing’s André Lotterer. Jaguar’s Mitch Evans fell from sixth on the grid to the last of the top 10.
Jack Dennis leads the drivers’ standings with 44 points after two rounds, but Wehrlein is just one point shy of 43 points. The drivers will now compete in the second Diriyah e-Prix of the weekend.
First published date: Jan 28, 2023 at 21:26 PM CST
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