Porsche has confirmed that Pascal Wehrlein will return to the championship full-time for the 2020/21 season, linking up with incumbent Andre Lotterer at the team.
The ex-F1 racer made his debut in the series in Season 5 with Mahindra Racing and negotiated a semi-successful rookie campaign in which he scored one pole position and a podium at the Santiago E-Prix.
Wehrlein stayed on for a second campaign with the Banbury-based team, however, left the squad with immediate effect shortly after the conclusion of the Race At Home Challenge and ahead of the Season 6 Berlin finale.
By signing with Porsche, Wehrlein takes the place of Neel Jani, who experienced a tricky rookie season in the championship, scoring a disappointing six points in 11 races compared to Lotterer’s 71.
“It is a great honour for me to represent Porsche in the 2020/2021 Formula E World Championship,” said Wehrlein.
“I have always followed the brand’s unique motorsport history. I have huge respect for the legendary Porsche success story.
“Now, to line up as a works driver for Porsche is a fantastic opportunity. I would like to thank everyone at Porsche for this amazing opportunity and for trusting in my skills.
“Now I am looking forward to getting to know the team and starting work in Weissach as quickly as possible.”
Fritz Enzinger, Head of Porsche Motorsport, thanked Jani’s commitment to the outfit after the Swiss racer signed with the Formula E team in December 2018 and confirmed the one-time Le Mans winner’s involvement in future ventures.
“We are delighted to welcome Pascal to the Porsche family,” he added. “He has gained a lot of experience in different race series at his young age, where he has always sparkled.
“We would also like to thank Neel Jani for his outstanding commitment. He played a significant part in the development of our Formula E project and thereby contributed greatly to the successes of the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team this past season.
“Neel will stay with Porsche. We will see him in action in future motorsport projects again very soon which I’m very pleased about.
“With Pascal and André we will have two experienced, top-class Formula E drivers in the 2020/2021 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, who have everything it takes to celebrate further success.”
In signing Wehrlein – one of Formula E’s most promising young talents – Porsche will be able to bolster its position in the championship to build on an already strong rookie campaign in which it took two podiums and one pole position.
Formula E’s seventh season will commence on 16 January 2021 in Santiago, Chile, with pre-season testing expected to take place in December at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit or Donington Park.
