Pascal Wehrlein took pole place for the Mexico Metropolis E-Prix for the second 12 months in a row as TAG Heuer Porsche locked out the entrance row of the grid for the primary time.
The reigning sequence champion, who additionally began on pole in December’s season opener in Sao Paulo, set a 1m10.984s within the closing of the head-to-head Duels to beat teammate Antonio Felix da Costa.
Da Costa was faster within the first sector however misplaced time within the subsequent two to complete 0.125s adrift of Wehrlein, however complained of “one thing damaged on my rear proper” after his flying lap.
En path to the Duels closing, Wehrlein topped the primary Group session forward of Oliver Rowland, Sebastien Buemi, and Mitch Evans, earlier than occurring to beat Edoardo Mortara – handed a reprieve after Buemi was excluded for a tire strain infringement – and Rowland, who’s semifinal Duels run was derailed after he ran extensive at Flip 16.
Da Costa completed the second Group session fourth behind Maximilian Guenther, Jake Dennis, and Nick Cassidy, who was additionally excluded for a technical infringement, selling Jean-Eric Vergne to the ultimate switch spot in that session.
He then defeated Dennis in an in depth Quarter Finals Duel the place each took a sector every within the first two third of the lap, earlier than Dennis misplaced time within the stadium part on the finish of the lap to complete 0.488 adrift. Wehrlein then beat Vergne to arrange the all-Porsche closing.
Wehrlein’s pole was not solely his second of the season and his second in a row in Mexico Metropolis, however his fourth at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, making him the primary driver in Method E historical past to assert 4 poles at a single monitor. It additionally bodes effectively for him as in each earlier visits to the monitor within the GEN3 period, the polesitter has not solely gone on to win the race, however the championship as effectively – Dennis doing it in Season 9, and Wehrlein himself doing it final 12 months.
Beginning behind each works automobiles from the German outfit on the grid can be Vergne, with the DS Penske driver beginning within the high three in Mexico for the primary time because the 2017.
Nissan driver Rowland will line up fourth, forward of Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans, and Guenther, who fell to his DS Penske teammate Vergne within the first a part of the Duels. Dennis and Mortara accomplished the positions of those who superior to the Duels for Andretti and Mahindra respectively.
Zane Maloney will begin ninth for Lola Yamaha Abt forward of NEOM McLaren’s Sam Fowl, who was a sufferer of visitors within the Group stage which prevented him from enhancing on his time. Nico Mueller will begin thirteenth within the second Andretti entry forward of Cupra Kiro’s David Beckmann, Maserati MSG’s Stoffel Vandoorne, and Nyck de Vries within the different Mahindra, with Dan Ticktum fifteenth for Kiro, and Jake Hughes sixteenth for Maserati.
Lucas di Grassi will begin from seventeenth on the grid within the different Lola, in entrance of Nissan’s Norman Nato, McLaren’s Taylor Barnard, and Robin Frijns, who was one other driver unable to enhance his Group stage finest resulting from visitors, whereas his Envision Racing teammate Buemi will begin on the again row of the grid alongside Jaguar driver Cassidy after their exclusions.
