Pascal Wehrlein has compared his championship titles in Formula E and the DTM after topping the standings in the all-electric series in the 2024 season.
The German driver took the title during his fourth year with Porsche after multiple years of floundering in the midfield.
Wehrlein has driven in a range of cars across his career from single-seaters such as Formula E and Formula 1 to sports cars in the DTM.
He has been successful across all disciplines he has competed in, too, taking titles in both types of cars during an illustrious career.
Wehrlein found Formula E ‘a little bit harder to win’ than the DTM
The 29-year-old has taken a somewhat unusual route throughout his racing career. He began in go-karts and was then competitive in junior series, including winning the ADAC Formel Masters title in 2011.
But after a competitive campaign in the Formula 3 European Championship in 2012, his journey towards Formula 1 stagnated and Wehrlein switched to the DTM in 2013.
The different world of sports cars compared to single-seaters with huge amounts of downforce took some adjusting as the German finished 22nd in the standings.
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The 2014 season was a better performance as he took his maiden win at the Lausitzring before the floodgates opened a year later.
The following season saw Wehrlein win the title after a hard-fought duel with his nearest rival, Jamie Green. Despite taking fewer wins than the British driver, the German had a consistent season and won the title.
Now, after taking the Formula E title in 2024, Wehrlein has told RacingNews365 that the all-electric series is actually a more difficult series to win than the DTM.
He said: “For many reasons, I think first of all, Formula E is so competitive. It’s definitely the most competitive championship I’ve won.
“But also the DTM one, DTM is also very competitive, but it just feels like Formula E is a little bit more unpredictable and probably a little bit harder to win.”
Wehrlein appreciates success more than when he was younger
Wehrlein achieved a huge amount of race wins and championships earlier in his career, challenging for titles while chasing a seat in Formula 1.
This includes getting the better of F1 race winner Carlos Sainz in the 2012 Formula 3 European Championship.
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He has also endured some leaner moments, including a two-year stint in Formula 1 at Manor and Sauber, two cars that struggled to consistently score points.
He continued: “Also, I have to say, because I’m in a different age now than when I was in the DTM, I appreciate it a lot more now.
“The last couple of years would support that appreciation, because when I won DTM, I was still super young, I was 20 years old. Not a long time ago, I was winning every junior category I was racing in and it kind of felt normal at that time to be very successful and to win.”