2nd place for André Lotterer in Riyadh
Works driver André Lotterer ensured Porsche’s debut in Formula E was a memorable one after finishing the first race in 2nd position.
The opening weekend of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship 2019/20 presented a double header under glorious sunshine in Saudi Arabia, with Lotterer starting from 7th position on the grid in his #36 Porsche 99X, his Porsche teammate Neel Jani starting from 20th in his #18 99X due to a yellow flag phase at the end of qualifying. Lotterer made a blistering start to Porsche’s first venture in the all-electric single-seater series, working his way up through the field to 2nd. Jani finished in 17th.
For race two the following day, Lotterer continued his good pace, initially finishing 6th before being penalised for overtaking during a safety car period, which demoted the three-time Le Mans winner to 14th. Jani’s form improved from the previous day, finishing one place ahead of Lotterer in 13th. Formula E’s FanBoost feature saw fans vote Lotterer into the top five on both days. This gave the German additional energy in each race. “We are up with the frontrunners; the pace is there. We can build on that,” explained Michael Steiner, member of the Executive Board for Research and Development, Porsche AG.
With two of the 14 races now complete, Lotterer is 6th in the drivers’ championship with 18 points, while the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team lies in 6th place in the team standings. The third race of the season will take place on 18 January in Santiago de Chile.
