PREVIEW: Can Porsche defend their Formula E title in 2026?
- Vyas Ponnuri
- 4 hours ago
- 5 min read
Written by Vyas Ponnuri
In the lead-up to Formula E's Season 12, DIVEBOMB's writers preview the season ahead for each of the 10 teams taking part in the all-electric racing series. The next part of this preview series looks at the defending champions, Porsche, who have thrown their hat deeper into the Formula E ring recently….
Team history - Porsche’s Formula E Team
Porsche’s commitment has stretched all the way back to Season 6 in 2019. The German manufacturer made the decision to move away from the World Endurance Championship (WEC) to throw its weight behind the all-electric racing series.
Having started with endurance drivers Neel Jani and André Lotterer taking the wheel, Porsche snapped up F1 departee Pascal Wehrlein from Mahindra, a figure who would go on to become their cornerstone for the future.
Season 7 saw the team claim their maiden victory in Formula E at the Puebla circuit, only to lose it hours later after having failed to reveal their session tyre usage for the race weekend. Nevertheless, the team made up for it the following season, kicking off their Mexico success with a victory at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
The German outfit managed to achieve the ultimate goal among teams in the Gen3 era, becoming constructors’ champions at the end of Season 11. This was made possible due to the signing of Portuguese racer António Félix da Costa, who scored a series of podiums to aid the team’s journey to the title.
Da Costa also played a major role in Porsche’s success in Season 10, winning four races in quick succession to turn around a slow start to his campaign. However, a lengthy backstory and an undisclosed feud between both drivers eventually led to the Portuguese driver leaving Porsche ahead of Season 12, with Nico Müller moving up to become the ‘logical successor’ for the team from Weissach.
Now, it’s a familiar story once again for Porsche. In light of their prevailing financial struggles in the automotive sector, the team have been forced to leave the hypercar class of the World Endurance Championship, and has once again devoted plenty of attention towards Formula E.
A major reason behind this decision is the upcoming Gen4 era, when Porsche will also introduce a new factory outfit competing alongside the regular works Porsche team. This entry will essentially operate as a ‘junior team’ of sorts, nurturing the upcoming talent in Formula E.
It’s essentially a new dawn for Porsche in the future, who will go into their first season with TAG Heuer not being the title sponsor. Müller and Wehrlein head into 2026 with a chance of becoming the first team to defend their constructors’ title since Mercedes EQ in Season 8. Meanwhile, a lot will also be riding on the additional factory entry coming in from Gen4, and the potential drivers for this entry in 2027.
Who is driving for Porsche in Season 12?
An established figure stays on; a talented driver steps in alongside, while a familiar face returns as the reserve.
Wehrlein remains the constant at Porsche once again. The German driver had a season of successes interspersed with middling showings in Season 11, scoring a win in Miami and five further podiums. On the flip side, he also had five non-point scores and a harrowing escape when his Porsche flipped over at São Paulo exactly 12 months on.
However, his haul of 145 points was enough to help Porsche seal the constructors’ title, and Wehrlein will be looking to make it two titles in 2026 by taking a second drivers’ title and replicating his Season 10 exploits.
The new face coming in is Swiss driver Nico Müller, who moves in from Andretti to the works Porsche team in 2026. He has been in and around the Porsche stable for a long time, and was even reported to replace da Costa earlier, after details of a private test in April 2024 were revealed.
Müller certainly brings in plenty of consistency and a strong recent track record. While adapting from the settings of ABT Cupra to Porsche-powered Andretti took a few races, he was able to finish 15th in the standings, scoring three top five finishes during the course of the season.
However, it’s not too long ago when Müller was a dominant force for ABT Cupra, having outscored Lucas di Grassi with 52 points to four across the course of Season 10. Müller’s standout performance came at the Misano E-Prix, when he was just pipped to the line by Nick Cassidy for a podium, coming home fourth.
The podium also eluded him once at Andretti, and even slipped away from him weeks after the Jakarta E-Prix, when Envision’s Sébastien Buemi’s podium was reinstated following an appeal from the team in green.
Müller will be chasing that rostrum finish when he gets into the Porsche at São Paulo this weekend, and would rate his chances higher due to the prowess of the team’s package underneath.
Porsche also recently announced the return of David Beckmann as a reserve driver. The German has been in and around the Porsche set-up since 2021, and stood in for Andretti at the Jakarta E-Prix in Season 9. He managed to score a point at the London E-Prix in 2025 for Cupra Kiro, ending his first full season in the championship on a high.
Gabriela Jilkova will continue to remain as the female driver on the team, having piloted Porsche machinery at the female Formula E tests. She was also joined by BMW GT4 driver Janina Schall in 2025 for the test.
How did Porsche fare during pre-season testing?
A solid pre-season test for the German team saw them rack up 550 laps across the four days of testing. Müller’s tally stood at 285 laps, as he got up to speed with Porsche’s Formula E car. Wehrlein, meanwhile, managed to get 265 laps of running in, as both drivers appeared to settle in with ease and not face many issues.
Müller also won the mock race staged during pre-season testing, with the Porsche looking planted and quick around Valencia’s Circuit Ricardo Tormo. Porsche also topped day one of testing, while their customers also showcased a strong turn of pace during the morning session on day two.
Alongside Mahindra, Porsche would have certainly been one of the teams leaving Valencia satisfied, and confident heading into Season 12.
How did Porsche fare in Season 11?
The best. Safe to say.
Porsche finally took home a maiden constructors’ title, taking advantage of Norman Nato’s struggles at Nissan, and fending off a late resurgence from Jaguar to seal the deal in London.
Despite Jaguar’s six race wins and champion Oliver Rowland’s four race victories during the season, the German team relied on consistency and a two-pronged attack to maintain a strong position all the way through the season.
Da Costa took a brace of second places to start the season, before accompanying Wehrlein on the podium at Miami and Shanghai to ensure the team took home a bag of points from several weekends. He scored 111 points, finishing fifth in the standings.
Despite his sole victory in Miami, Wehrlein took five further podiums, doing enough for Porsche to win the title by 29 points from Jaguar.
Bold prediction for Porsche in Season 12
Anything less than defending their constructors’ title would be a below-par season for Porsche. Such is the level the team have been operating at over the past two seasons.
While I do predict Porsche will defend their constructors’ title, I believe it would be a more even fight between both drivers. Müller would push Wehrlein all the way during the season, with Wehrlein still emerging the top dog in 2026.
