Pascal Wehrlein delivers clear Formula E qualifying stance: 'It just doesn't matter'

Pascal Wehrlein has delivered a clear stance on Formula E qualifying this season, declaring that "it just doesn’t matter" following the most recent round in Mexico City.

The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez had traditionally been one of the toughest tracks to overtake on the Formula E calendar, making qualifying incredibly important.

However, changes to the track layout a fortnight ago made overtaking possible, with pack racing taking place to some extent — a first for Mexico City.

It rendered qualifying fairly irrelevant, with Nick Cassidy claiming victory from 13th on the grid, while Wehrlein finished sixth after progressing from 11th.

Cassidy delivered another energy-management masterclass, though it was a style of victory that had previously never been successful in Mexico City.

Both races so far this season have seen drivers make up a huge number of places, with Miami next weekend expected to be no different for the Gen3 Evo machinery.

It is something Wehrlein has accepted, with the way Cassidy won in Mexico having taught the German a lot for the title fight.

Asked if Wehrlein learnt a lot for the title fight from Mexico City, Wehrlein told RacingNews365: "Yeah, definitely. I mean, we expected this race to be one of the hardest races to overtake.

"Therefore, it should have been one of the most important races to qualify at the front. It turned out that Cassidy won from 13th.

"So that only tells you that probably 80% of this season’s qualifying will not matter. It just doesn’t matter."

Wehrlein eyes midfield-to-first victory

Following the opening two rounds in São Paulo and Mexico City, Wehrlein sits fourth in the drivers’ standings, 17 points adrift of Cassidy.

The 2024 world champion is likely to be in title contention, but it is worth noting that he has never won a Formula E race starting from outside the top nine.

To become a two-time world champion this season, Wehrlein will likely need to change this, recognising that there are clearly opportunities to win from outside the top 10.

"I mean, it’s clear that it’s super tight, and depending on the strategy or how the race is evolving, you don’t need to start at the front," added Wehrlein.

"And I think that is something I probably want to do once in a while. We are always good when we’re starting from the front.

"There also seem to be opportunities when you are starting outside of the top 10, like in Mexico, when we didn’t optimise that."