Pascal Wehrlein Slams Formula E Berlin Qualifying Chaos

Pascal Wehrlein has strongly criticised Formula E’s Berlin race format after the second qualifying session at Tempelhof triggered major controversy throughout the paddock.

The Porsche driver secured pole position for the second Berlin E-Prix race and collected three valuable championship points, which now represent his current advantage at the top of the Formula E standings.

Despite the result, Wehrlein admitted the pole position became one of the least satisfying moments of his entire motorsport career.

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The controversy emerged after several drivers and teams deliberately chose not to maximise their qualifying performance in order to preserve an extra set of fresh tyres for the race itself.

The strategy proved highly beneficial due to the extreme importance of energy management and tyre preservation around the Tempelhof circuit.

Race winner Mitch Evans famously charged from 17th on the grid to victory, while Oliver Rowland also admitted intentionally avoiding a strong qualifying result.

According to Wehrlein, the Berlin weekend crossed the line because qualifying effectively lost its competitive significance.

“On Sunday, the energy targets were so low that nobody really cared about qualifying,” Wehrlein told RacingNews365 in Monaco.

The German driver even described the Berlin pole as the unhappiest pole position of his career.

“It was the unhappiest pole position I’ve ever had because, apart from the three points, it meant absolutely nothing. Being fast over one lap meant nothing for the race,” Wehrlein explained.

The reigning Formula E world champion also believes the championship pushed the energy-management concept too far during the Berlin event.

“It was probably the most extreme race of the season and, in my opinion, one extreme that went a bit too far,” Wehrlein added.

The Berlin controversy has once again reignited debate about the balance between strategic energy saving and genuine outright performance in modern Formula E racing.