Porsche has confirmed what has long been suspected: Pascal Wehrlein and Antonio Felix da Costa will continue to compete in Formula E next season
The final driver pairing for the tenth Formula E season in 2024 has been confirmed: Pascal Wehrlein and Antonio Felix da Costa will also compete for Porsche next year and fight for the world championship with the 99X Electric. Wehrlein has already been part of Porsche’s Formula E team since 2021, while da Costa joined before last season.
Porsche fell short of expectations last season, even though the team finished fourth in the team standings, its best result since entering Formula E in the 2019/20 season. Wehrlein celebrated victories in Diriyah and Jakarta, which earned him fourth place in the World Championship standings.
Team-mate da Costa finished ninth overall with podiums in Hyderabad and Portland and an impressive victory in Cape Town. However, Porsche’s weakness was particularly evident in qualifying: da Costa’s second place on the grid in Sao Paulo was the best qualifying result, and neither Porsche driver was able to achieve a pole position.
Therefore, Porsche used the break to improve the software system of the 99X Electric. One important point that was worked on was the improvement of the qualifying performance. “We used the time to review the past season in detail,” reveals Florian Modlinger, overall project manager of Formula E at Porsche.
“In the process, we carried out a strengths-and-weaknesses analysis to assess the potential that still exists in our package,” Modlinger continues. “With a view to Season 10, we have mainly worked on the further development of the software to make our four 99X Electric [two from Porsche customer team Andretti] even more competitive. “
Gabriela Jílkova becomes rookie at Porsche
At the official Formula E test in Valencia (24-27 October), Porsche will continue to work towards bringing the World Championship title to Germany next season. Wehrlein and da Costa will be accompanied in Spain by LMP3 and GT4 driver Gabriela Jílkova, who has been nominated by Porsche as a rookie driver.
“We will use the test in Valencia to further prepare ourselves as a manufacturer and team in a targeted and focused manner for the new season,” announces Modlinger. “Our goal for 2024: we want to maintain our good race performance and continue to improve in qualifying. “
“In addition to Pascal Wehrlein and António Félix da Costa, Gabriela Jílková will be with us in Valencia,” explains the Formula E overall project manager at Porsche. “Having already supported us in the simulator, we are now giving her the chance to show what she can do on the race track as well. “
Wehrlein “sure that progress has been made “
“I’m looking forward to Valencia. This test is always cool because all the teams and all the drivers are there,” says da Costa. “There we can see in direct comparison where we are, where we are already strong and where we might need to improve. The preparation for season 10 is going much better for me than the preparation for season 9.”
“Back then I was new to the team, I had to get used to it and get to know the new car,” recalls the Portuguese. “This time everything is easier. I used the Formula E break to do endurance races with the Porsche 963, spend time with my family and friends and prepare myself mentally and physically for the new season. “
Wehrlein, too, can hardly wait to climb back into the cockpit: “The test in Valencia is the starting signal for the new season,” the German is delighted. “We’ve been in the middle of our preparations for weeks now, and we’ve already been in the simulator. I am sure that we have made further progress.”
“Last season we learned a lot that we can now build on,” Wehrlein believes. “For Valencia, it’s important to be well prepared to be able to reel off our test programme without any problems and to gain further knowledge. There are some small changes for the new season. Valencia will certainly help us to understand them in the best possible way. And then we can get started. “