Berlin and the Formula E World Championship – they simply belong together. The fully-electric racing series has appeared in the German capital every year since it was launched in 2014, and now celebrates its 10th anniversary in Berlin with races nine and ten of the season from 10th to 12th May. The race weekend at the disused Tempelhof Airport is also a special one for Hankook, as Germany is one of the core markets in the world for the company. The circuit in the most populous city in the European Union has a new layout this year, making it a big challenge for the drivers. The 2.343-kilometre racetrack now features 15 corners. “The new layout in Berlin looks superb. As usual, the track has heavy braking zones and a number of very technical sections. The racing will definitely be spectacular again, and the fans can look forward to that. Another good thing for visitors is that overtaking is always relatively easy in Berlin. The race is obviously rather special for me, as Germany is my home. For this reason, I am particularly looking forward to the double-header in Berlin,” says Maximilian Günther from the Maserati MSG Racing team, who won this season’s race in Tokyo.
Hankook Formula E race engineer Thomas Baltes: “Although the layout is different this year, the surface is obviously the same. The concrete slabs on the apron of the disused Tempelhof Airport are very different: some with gravel, some without, and also repaired and eroded in many places. As a result, the grip level on the track changes multiple times and demands the utmost concentration from the drivers. However, our Hankook iON Race performed very strongly in Berlin in Season 9. And that, although we were driving in the rain for the first time there. On the Sunday, the drivers took to the track in wet conditions for Free Practice 3 and qualifying. The drivers can rely on our tyres.”
Fifth place in Monaco was sufficient for German Porsche driver Pascal Wehrlein to defend his lead in the championship. The 29-year-old travels to the double-header in Berlin with 102 points to his name. Trailing him by just seven points in second place is Nick Cassidy (Jaguar TCS Racing). The New Zealander has very fond memories of the Berlin E-Prix and the performance of the Hankook iON Race, as he won the Sunday race last year: “The tyre was really very consistent and I was able to push the whole time,” said the 29-year-old after his victory in 2023. Third in the table is Britain’s Jake Dennis (Andretti Formula E) with 89 points.
