Porsche’s Florian Modlinger: Leading both championships ‘a very special motivation’

Despite having endured a frustrating home weekend in Berlin, TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team remain at the top of the Constructors’ Championship ahead of the iconic Monaco E-Prix this weekend, whilst Pascal Wehrlein continues to lead the Drivers’ Championship.

Leading both championships ahead of the second half of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship “is a very special motivation” for the entire team, according to Team Principal Florian Modlinger. Porsche have ultimately been the strongest team so far this season; however, Berlin was a necessary reminder for the side just how quickly things can change in Formula E.

The German manufacturer saw their lead in the standings slashed from forty-one points to just fifteen, with Envision Racing very much being on a charge. Wehrlein also saw his advantage collapse, with the German driver now leading the standings by just four points. Qualifying was Porsche’s Achilles heel again in Berlin, with the side continuing to struggle for one lap performance.

Race pace is certainly not an issue; however, starting towards the back of the field is starting to badly cost them. These are all things that the team have learnt this season, though, with Modlinger recognising that “we’re all constantly learning”.

“We’re all still on a learning curve with the Gen3 cars. Each team will continue to make progress over the coming weeks and months. We can’t let up. We need to create the conditions for us to remain competitive and be at the front. We’re all constantly learning. The balance of power can shift from race to race.

“In Monaco, everything happens in one day, from the free practice to the race. That means we have to be even better prepared and not make any mistakes.”

Monaco represents an ideal place to rebuild their lead in both championships given how special the venue is, with momentum being the key now as the season draws towards its close. Given how much they struggled in Gen2, Porsche have done unbelievably well to have started the Gen3 era as well as they have; however, in order to finish the season where they are now they must “piece” everything they’ve learnt “together”.

“Coming to Monaco after the first half of the season as the leader of the team and driver standings is a very special motivation for us all,” said Modlinger. “We’re very pleased with that. We’ve shown that we’re capable of winning on a wide variety of tracks, and we learnt a lot on the racetracks where we weren’t as strong. We now have to piece all this knowledge together and implement it in the races in the second half of the season.”