Wehrlein insists he is ‘giving everything’ after costly Sanya setback

Wehrlein left to rue a major missed chance

Pascal Wehrlein has admitted that Sanya represented a painful missed opportunity in the Formula E drivers’ title fight, after the Porsche driver failed to score on a weekend when several key rivals also left empty-handed.

The penalty dropped Wehrlein to 14th, leaving him outside the points at a moment when the championship picture had opened dramatically. Mitch Evans, Oliver Rowland and Edoardo Mortara — the top three in the standings — all failed to finish, making Wehrlein’s non-score particularly costly.

Six races remain as pressure rises

Asked whether Sanya was a missed chance to cut into Evans’ advantage, Wehrlein was clear that the effort level is not in question.

“I’m giving everything,” Wehrlein told RacingNews365. “I feel like I did a really good race until the red flag and, yeah, I was making good moves, positioning myself well and, obviously, also taking more risks, which was paying off until the red flag.”

‘The elbows have started to come out’

Wehrlein’s comments underline the fine margins now shaping the championship run-in. He believes the race was under control before the interruption, but accepted that the situation changed quickly once the contest restarted.

“Afterwards, it just fell apart a bit. It’s a very fine line. The good thing is there are still six races to go, and we are all giving our best,” he said.

The Season 10 world champion also pointed to a noticeable escalation in racecraft as the title fight tightens.

“Obviously, in the last couple of races, the elbows have started to come out a bit more and things are shaping up more, so, yeah, we are all here to give our best and try to win [the title].”

For Wehrlein, Shanghai now becomes more than just another stop on the calendar. After Sanya’s lost points, it is a chance to turn aggression, risk and pace into the kind of result his championship challenge urgently needs.