How Wehrlein kicked off Formula E's new season with a statement of intent

Pascal Wehrlein had to wait hours before he could properly celebrate his win in Mexico. But the message from the Porsche driver's performance was unequivocal as he set out his bid to claim a maiden all-electric championship with a dominant first win since Jakarta in June

Published Jan 15, 2024, 4:33 PM

On a weekend when Usain Bolt got to grips with a Formula E machine, the wait to officially declare a winner from the championship’s season-opening Mexico City E-Prix took a little longer than the world’s fastest man’s 9.58 seconds 100-metre world record.

In fact, it took approximately four hours after the chequered flag had fallen at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit for on-the-road winner Pascal Wehrlein to be credited with victory after a post-race technical investigation. It somewhat took the shine off a performance that by any metric was dominant and a sign of intent from the Porsche driver, who is targeting an elusive maiden Formula E title in 2024.

Author Stefan Mackley

A proud Yorkshireman, Stefan Mackley is Autosport's National Deputy Editor. Having graduated from the University of Central Lancashire with a degree in sports journalism he spent nearly four years working on local newspapers in Wiltshire - during which time he became an NQJ-qualified journalist and cut his teeth covering club racing at Castle Combe in his spare time.

Making the jump into motorsport journalism full-time, he joined the national desk for both Autosport magazine and Motorsport News in 2017 before becoming National Deputy Editor for the former in 2020.

His passion for motorsport stems from watching Formula 1 as a child with his father and is matched only by his love for Star Wars.

A better journalist than racing driver, he has so far competed in the Citroen C1 24 Hours and 116 Trophy with hopes of racing more machinery in 2021 and beyond.