Wehrlein takes dominant victory in Jeddah for Porsche
- Vyas Ponnuri
- 19 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Written by Vyas Ponnuri
Pascal Wehrlein ensured Porsche put their name on the winners' board in 2026, extending the lead for the reigning champions after a dominant drive in Round 4 in Jeddah. The German also ensured he took the lead in the drivers' standings, rounding out a strong day of racing under the lights.
The pivotal moments came after the drivers had taken Pit Boost. Wehrlein's strategy call to take attack mode paid off big time, as he opened up a massive seven-second gap within a matter of laps to stamp his authority on the race.
Pole-sitter Edoardo Mortara was able to come home second, salvaging a podium finish after a difficult start. Jaguar's Mitch Evans rounded out the top three, taking his second successive podium of the race.
Wehrlein's teammate Nico Müller came home in fourth after a late attack mode call, with Evans' teammate António Félix da Costa coming home in fifth. Championship leader Nick Cassidy climbed up seven positions to finish sixth, while Envision Racing's Sébastien Buemi ascended 11 positions once again to finish seventh.
Cassidy's teammate Jean-Éric Vergne scored points once again, finishing eighth, ahead of Andretti's Jake Dennis and DS Penske's Taylor Barnard.
AS IT UNFOLDED: Jeddah E-Prix
Round 4 of Season 12 kicked off under the lights in Jeddah, with drivers set to tackle a 31-lap race around the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. Edoardo Mortara took pole for Mahindra earlier in the day, beating 2025 winner Max Günther by just over a tenth of a second.
This race also featured the first appearance of Pit Boost in Season 12, with drivers required to take a mandatory pit stop during the race to activate this feature.
However, there were hurdles even before the five red lights went out. It was an aborted start for Mortara's teammate Nyck de Vries. The Dutchman had to be wheeled into the pit lane, his race over even before it got underway.
Off the five red lights, pole-sitter Mortara endured a horrendous getaway, spinning his tyres up and generating plenty of smoke as he got away. As the drivers barrelled into Turns 1 and 2, the Mahindra racer had dropped down to seventh, while Günther took over the race lead.
Mortara swiftly made up two positions later, but a Full Course Yellow (FCY) was called out immediately for a stricken Lola ABT Yamaha of Zane Maloney on the exit of Turn 8. The Barbadian racer found himself at the receiving end of a battle ahead, squeezed into the barriers by Cupra Kiro rookie Pepe Martí.
According to the instructions of race director Marek Hanaczewski, this FCY was upgraded to a safety car, with Martí going through the pit lane for a check by the team. With a rear right tyre changed, the Spanish driver rejoined the field in 18th, and last position.
The safety car retreated into the pits at the end of Lap 3, bringing the grid back to green flag running. Günther led at the front for DS Penske, with Nissan's Norman Nato second and Taylor Barnard in third, rounding out a 1-3 for the French-American team.
Porsche's Pascal Wehrlein left no stone unturned, moving past Barnard to take third at the end of Lap 4, and challenging Nato ahead for second. The Nissan man himself took the race lead from Günther the next lap.
Despite attack mode being available from Lap 5, no driver looked rushed to activate it just yet. Although, the pace picked up, with drivers starting to lap in the 1:19s by Lap 8.
Wehrlein shaped for an overtake on second-placed Günther on the main straight, although the DS Penske man was able to fend off his rival into Turn 1. However, he received a warning for 'moving under braking' from the stewards for this move.
The Porsche man finally moved ahead into second on Lap 14, making his move around the outside of Turn 8. He would also move past race leader Nato a lap later, while Günther became the first driver to take attack mode.
The first drivers to take their mandatory Pit Boost stops were Envision Racing's Joel Eriksson and Nissan's Oliver Rowland. However, an issue with stopping in the pit box cost the former dear. In the meantime, the likes of Barnard, Sébastien Buemi, Jake Dennis and Jean-Éric Vergne made their pit stops. Eriksson took his attack mode too, looking to make up for the lost ground.
Günther moved past Wehrlein for the race lead on Lap 18, with the Porsche man taking to the pits instead to activate Pit Boost. Wehrlein would emerge ahead of the rest who had taken Pit Boost, and were also in attack mode.
As of Lap 20, only four drivers were yet to take Pit Boost, including Miami winner Mitch Evans and championship leader Nick Cassidy. Eriksson, meanwhile, received a drive-through penalty for his State of Charge (SoC) infringement, putting paid to his race.
Wehrlein managed to scythe past Günther for the race lead, looking to make the most of his attack mode. He would quickly open up a gap, as the DS Penske man would lose positions and drop down to sixth. The biggest winners from the Pit Boost phase included Dan Ticktum and Jaguar's António Félix da Costa, with both drivers sitting fourth and third respectively.
While the rest squabbled for position, Wehrlein opened up his lead towards the six-second mark by Lap 23, a vast margin in Formula E's close standards. Mortara remained the only driver yet to take attack mode among the top half. He would eventually take attack mode on Lap 24, as those ahead closed up after using their attack mode.
The likes of Evans and Nico Müller took their attack modes on Lap 25, with Mortara moving up to fourth with relative ease. Only a lap later, he would move up to second, chasing down Wehrlein's seven-second gap for the race lead.
As Evans chased down those ahead, his teammate da Costa moved up into third. Both Jaguars would climb up into third and fourth, putting Jake Dennis further down the order. Several faces emerged towards the front, including Evans, Müller, and the Citroën duo of Cassidy and Vergne moving ahead.
At the same time, race directors announced that the race would feature one added lap, due to the safety car period earlier.
The two Citroën drivers would swap positions on Lap 29, with Vergne losing a further position to Buemi in attack mode.
Heading onto the final lap, Mortara had managed to close down the gap to Wehrlein to 2.5 seconds, however, it would be too much to overhaul for the pole-sitter. The Porsche man would deliver a commanding victory for the reigning champion in his 100th Formula E start, taking the championship lead.
Mortara and Evans would come home to round out the podium, marking a trio of manufacturers making up the podium once again.
Jeddah E-Prix: Results (Round 4)
Pascal Wehrlein (Porsche)
Edoardo Mortara (Mahindra Racing)
Mitch Evans (Jaguar)
Nico Müller (Porsche)
António Félix da Costa (Jaguar)
Nick Cassidy (Citroën Racing)
Sébastien Buemi (Envision Racing)
Jean-Éric Vergne (Citroën Racing)
Jake Dennis (Andretti)
Taylor Barnard (DS Penske)
Max Günther (Nissan)
Dan Ticktum (Cupra Kiro)
Norman Nato (Nissan)
Pepe Martí (Cupra Kiro)
Felipe Drugovich (Andretti)
Lucas di Grassi (Lola Yamaha ABT)
Oliver Rowland (Nissan)
Joel Eriksson (Envision Racing)
Zane Maloney (Lola Yamaha ABT) - DNF
Nyck de Vries (Mahindra Racing) - DNS
