Sophie Clare reflects on Formula E’s finale in London, with Pascal Wehrlein crowned the Season 10 champion and Jaguar TCS Racing taking the Team’s and Manufacturer’s trophies.
Following the eventful round 15 race on Saturday, all was still to play for as teams and fans once again descended on the ExCeL Centre in London last Sunday. The atmosphere of excitement and anticipation was palpable, with Jaguar TCS Racing’s Nick Cassidy and Mitch Evans facing off against TAG Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein for the world championship title.
I once again began my race day in the media centre, watching Free Practice with other journalists and content creators. There was an ominous start to proceedings for title contender Nick Cassidy, who was unable to take to the track for the session because of a brake by wire fault. Nonetheless, in a series of qualifying duels with fractional margins between the drivers, it was Cassidy who prevailed to take pole. Among several tense moments in the duels was the quarter final between Maserati MSG Racing’s Maximilian Günther and DS Penske’s Jean-Eric Vergne, rumoured to become team-mates in 2025. Following his FP3 issues, there was a further scare for Cassidy before his duel against Wehrlein, when he was warned of a possible further brake by wire problem. Despite concerns, Cassidy came through to beat Günther to the pole position with a margin of just 0.169s in the final sector.
Taking the opportunity to spend as much time in the paddock as possible, I visited the pit-lane after qualifying to observe the different teams’ preparations for the race. Watching the progression of the day was particularly enjoyable, for instance the team members in the TAG Heuer Porsche and Jaguar TCS Racing garages appeared acutely focused on the pressures of the championship fight while the teams who were not under championship pressure had a more evident “last day of school” atmosphere. There was also a large media, VIP and celebrity presence around the paddock – including Liam Hemsworth, Mark Webber and Abbi Pulling, who took to the track herself for some laps in the Gen3 car.
I was joined by James Phillips and Lena Ferle from the FormulaNerds team for my exploration of the pit-lane, before they made their way to McLaren for an exclusive feature with Jake Hughes. Later I enjoyed a tour of the Mahindra Garage with James from FormulaNerds, thanks to Damian Meaden the team’s Press Officer. We got to glimpse several behind the scenes areas, including stores of spare front wings, livery stickers and carbon fibre which are used to repair the cars on the fly. If damage is more extensive or requires specialised parts, team members will simply go across to the spares garage at the other side of the paddock who supply parts to all the teams. The process of repairing carbon fibre parts was also explained to us. The team can restore a damaged part back to good-as-new condition by combining resin and carbon fibre mesh, which are then bonded together, left to cure, sanded and polished.
A further example of Formula E’s efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle was shown by the World Champion’s throne, made out of used car parts including front wings which will no longer be suitable for the incoming Gen3 Evo cars next season. This was available in the Fan Village for visitors to take their own photographs, but also was centrepiece for the World Championship celebrations on Sunday.
In order to decide the World Champion, it was time to get racing for the last time in season 10 and the final outing of the Gen3 cars. The round 16 race itself delivered just as much excitement as Saturday’s, with the added finality of three simultaneous championships being decided. An early Safety Car period allowed Pascal Wehrlein to overtake Maximilian Günther, meaning that by lap 6 the top three positions were occupied by the top three contenders. Unfortunately for the Jaguar TCS Racing team, their strategy calls for Attack Mode activation combined with a series of unpredictable interactions on track resulted in the Driver’s title slipping out of their grasp. Nick Cassidy was caught up in a squeeze after being overtaken by Nissan’s Oliver Rowland, with contact between Antonió Felix da Costa taking Cassidy out of contention and his later penalty taking Porsche out of the manufacturer’s trophy. At this stage, both Wehrlein and Evans had yet to take their two mandatory Attack Mode boosts, however it was Oliver Rowland who ultimately secured first place on the podium in the action-packed closing stages of the race. With his second place finish, Wehrlein ultimately prevailed in the Driver’s title and a devastated Evans was left in second place just seven points behind. The Team’s and Manufacturer’s trophies were some consolation for the Jaguar team, not least because they marked the brand’s first title in the highest level of racing since 1991, a notable success for what is currently the marque’s only motorsport team.
With the race and championship results decided, it was time for the podium celebrations. Unfortunately I only caught glimpses, because I had to guess which direction was best to walk and sadly found myself at the wrong end of the paddock to access the ceremony. Even so, it was a happy and celebratory atmosphere with a collective recognition of the great achievements made throughout the season. Returning to the media centre for a press conference with Wehrlein, Rowland, Evans and Jaguar team principle James Barclay was a more sombre affair. Wehrlein shared his excitement and happiness to share this success with his family, while Evans was understandably devastated to come so close yet so far to the championship for the fourth consecutive season.
After one last media pen it was time to pack my bags, say my goodbyes and bid farewell to the thrills and excitement of the Formula E paddock for this season – the biggest and most competitive yet. I am looking forward to watching what comes next for the sport in season 11 and the new Gen3 Evo era.