São Paulo E-Prix – Qualifying: Wehrlein takes pole at the wire, the DS Penske celebrate!

• Two thousandths of a second! It was the tiny gap that separated the pole sitter, Pascal Wehrlein (Porsche), of his opponent Stoffel Vandoorne (DS Penske) during the qualifying final of the São Paulo E-Prix (Brazil). The German, second in the championship, beat the Belgian to the wire in the final meters of the Paulista track to win his second pole of the season.
• Maximilian Günther, eliminated in the semi-finals against Pascal Wehrlein, was penalized with a 20-place penalty for changing gearboxes after FP2, and exceeded the authorized quota (two per season). The Maserati driver is relegated to the back of the grid, in 22nd place.
• Jean-Éric Vergne also reached the semi-finals of these qualifications in São Paulo. Author of the best time in Group A, the Frenchman was nevertheless eliminated in the semi-finals by his teammate at DS Penske, Stoffel Vandoorne. The double champion of the discipline will, however, start from 3rd place on the grid.
• The other two Frenchmen were not as lively: Sacha Fenestraz (Nissan, 8th in Group B) and Norman Nato (Andretti, 11th in Group A) were eliminated during the group stage. The first city will start 14th, the second 21st.
• Nico Müller (ABT Cupra), THE surprise of Group A with the 4th time and qualification for the Duels, was unable to participate in the final phase. The Swiss was stuck in the garage due to a damaged suspension on his car, following contact with the wall in his last attempt during the group stage.
• Two of the big favorites for the championship were eliminated in the group phase: Nick Cassidy (Jaguar) failed 11 thousandths away from qualifying for the Duels in Group A and will start 9th, while Jake Dennis (Andretti) did not. signed only the 6th time in Group B and will start in the middle of the peloton, in 10th place.
• The first qualifying session was quickly interrupted by a curious event: a decoration from the São Paulo carnival fell onto the track a few seconds after the start of Group A! Without consequences for the drivers, the session was able to resume a few moments later.

Qualifying STARTS… and then immediately STOPS 🔴

The session is red-flagged due to debris on the track!#SaoPauloEPrice pic.twitter.com/Ms6e1hC59t

— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) March 16, 2024

More information to follow…

group A

group B

Final phase

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