The TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team have finally confirmed that Pascal Wehrlein and António Félix da Costa have been retained for the new season, with the side targeting to fight for the title once again.
Whilst it was unofficially known, Porsche confirming their 2023/24 driver pairing has completed the grid for the upcoming campaign, meaning the full class of season 10 is now known. Season 10 will mark Wehrlein’s fourth year with the German manufacturer, whilst it’ll be Da Costa’s second.
Wehrlein ended season nine in a somewhat disappointing fourth in the Drivers’ Championship, despite having led the standings for three months. He was the strongest driver for the first half of the year, before falling off massively in the second half of season nine.
This ended his title hopes, whilst it also had a huge impact on Porsche’s dreams of winning the Constructors’ Championship, which they also led for the bulk of the season. Qualifying was Wehrlein’s downfall, with him having also driven too leniently at times. When he went on the attack at places like Diriyah and Jakarta, the German was on another level.
If he can show some aggression on a more consistent basis to get to the front of the field, then he’ll certainly be a contender for the season 10 championship, although the initial target is to enjoy a solid week of testing in Valencia.
“The test in Valencia marks the start of the new season,” said Wehrlein. “We’ve been busy with preparations for weeks, and we’ve already done stints in the simulator. I’m certain we’ve made further progress.
“Last season we learned a lot, which we can build on now. For Valencia, it’s important to be well prepared to be able to roll out our test programme without any issues and gain further insights. There are some minor changes for the new season. Valencia will certainly help us to fully understand them. Then, we can get stuck in.”
There is no doubting Da Costa’s talents, given that he won the Formula E title back in season six; however, he seemed to struggle settling into Porsche last year, something which impacted his title chances.
Da Costa showed great speed at times in the likes of Cape Town, where he secured a famous victory following a last-lap overtake on Jean-Éric Vergne. However, qualifying was also a huge issue for the Portuguese driver, who often had too much work to do.
With a year at Porsche under his belt though, the hope will be that he can push on in season 10. Even he recognises that “everything is easier” this season as he now knows the team and their Gen3 package, which he’s hoping to improve during pre-season testing next week.
“I’m looking forward to Valencia,” Da Costa noted. “The test is always cool because all of the teams and drivers are there. This gives us a chance to show where we stand against the competition, to see where we’re already strong and where we might need to make some improvements.
“The preparation for season 10 is going much better for me than last season’s preparation. I was new to the team last year and getting used to the car. This time everything is easier. I used the Formula E break to contest endurance races in the Porsche 963, spend time with my family and friends and prepare myself mentally and physically for the new season.”
