Home as a Driving Force

There are moments in life that are more than just memories. They’re a part of our story and shape the very way we think, our journey through life. Pascal Wehrlein experienced one of these moments at the age of ten, when he saw a Porsche 911 GT3 for the first time. He was playing soccer when a sound drew him out of the game, set his pulse racing, and silenced his thoughts. He had just a moment to register the wide shoulders and the striking rear wing in the distance before the car disappeared into the forest. “What remained was a never-ending, deep, raw sound,” says 30-year-old Wehrlein, gazing all the while at his own 911 GT3 (992) parked a short distance from a dock on Lake Constance. Wehrlein’s first encounter with the Porsche brand took his deeply rooted passion for motorsport to a whole new level. He’d already been go-karting for two years that fateful day when the GT3 glided past, emboldening him and extinguishing any doubt. “When I heard it, I knew once and for all that I wanted to be a race car driver.” For Wehrlein, this sports car is more than just an invitation to dream. It represents a promise to himself to never stand still, but to go faster and faster, to always strive for more.

With talent and determination 

Over the next two decades, Wehrlein developed into one of the most talented drivers of his generation, representing superlatives and breaking records. Well known for his versatility, he can win in a touring car or a Formula car. His relentless determination to succeed is almost tangible. “If there’s something I want, I find a way to get it.” Wehrlein wrote history in 2015 as the youngest German Touring Car Champion (DTM) of all time – at just 21 years of age. He spent the next two years in Formula 1, where he also made a name for himself and demonstrated his talent, before finding his new racing home in Formula E in 2019.

Between electric power and the sound of the internal combustion

After enjoying a few moments of quiet on Lake Constance with the world champion, we hand him the key to the all-electric Macan Turbo that we brought with us. Raving about the sound of the 911 GT3 just moments ago, he’s now about to drive the electric car through the forest. Elegant in Ice Grey Metallic, sporty with up to 470 kW (639 PS; Macan Turbo Electric: Electric power consumption* combined (WLTP) 20.7 – 18.9 kWh/100 km, CO₂ emissions* combined (WLTP) 0 g/km, CO₂ class A ). Thanks to Launch Control, it only takes 3.3 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 100 kmh. “I love the Macan. I’m impressed at just how quiet it is, but also by the unbridled power that pushes me back into the seat the moment I accelerate,” says Wehrlein, navigating the windy roads. “As far as I’m concerned, electric mobility and the technology of the internal combustion engine can co-exist in perfect harmony. I feel right at home in both worlds.”

Advice for a lifetime

When Wehrlein was five, his parents took him to his first Formula 1 race at Hockenheimring. He drove a go-kart for the first time at the age of eight. His father, an entrepreneur and mechanic born in Germany’s Swabian region, is always by his side, supporting him and ensuring that everything is working on racing days. Pascal Wehrlein’s father gave him some advice early on that has stuck with him to this day. “You also need to be able to win with the second-fastest go-kart, not just the fastest one.” Wehrlein took these words to heart and immediately quit complaining about the go-kart. Complaining that the balance was off, that the front was sliding, and that it couldn’t go any faster. That shaped his mentality. He has long known that he doesn’t need to have the fastest car to be the fastest.

Wehrlein’s hunger for knowledge and perfection was also visible off the go-kart track. After school, he’d sit in front of the TV and watch old Formula 1 races. He’d spend the weekend following current races with his father. Not even the time difference could keep him from watching the Grand Prix in Australia. “My parents would set an alarm for me when I was a little kid. I’d wake my dad up just before the race started, so we could watch it together,” Wehrlein recalls.

Water as a source of power

Today it’s not only his relentless determination to win that sets Wehrlein apart as a professional athlete. You don’t have to spend much time with him to notice just how focused he is when he’s speaking and how accurate every movement is. He folds the seams of his sweater carefully together before setting it on his shoulder. Wehrlein watches what he eats and is mindful of his physical and mental fitness. He meditates regularly to maintain focus, which allows him to concentrate on what’s important. “When I’m out on the racecourse, my focus is entirely on driving the best lap possible, pushing the car to the absolute limit at that moment, and performing the best that I can,” he explains. He avoids thinking about the potential consequences of making a mistake. “I free my mind of those thoughts entirely and focus on the here and now. It allows me to perform at my best.” 

This inner strength is also reflected in his down-to-earth attitude and attachment to home. His family means the world to him. He wears a cross around his neck that his mother, who comes from Mauritius, gave him for his first communion. Whenever he talks about his parents, his fiancée, Sibel, or his daughter, Soleya, who’s almost two years old, his striking facial features change, his brown eyes light up, and a warm smile spreads across his face. “The first person I spent time with in parc fermé after winning the world championship in London was my daughter,” he says. 

The extra mile for success

Energy for even more major successes in the years to come. “I know I can perform at an extremely high level and overcome difficult situations,” says Wehrlein with confidence. His words reflect the respect that he has for professional athletes, the team, and the Porsche brand, as well as his experience with the challenges of the elite sport. He often talks about what it’s like to experience failures and then sit alone in his hotel room, frustrated, without the support of his family, who can’t always be there. “The days where things don’t go so well outnumber the special moments. You lose much more often than you win,” he says, describing a truth that not only applies to motorsport. The path to success is full of obstacles, setbacks, and losses.

And then he brings up the Porsche moment again, when he was a little boy on the soccer field – the sound of the GT3 that echoed out of the forest, as if it had gotten stuck in the air. This memory remains a part of his identity to this day. Porsche symbolizes the values that Wehrlein embodies today: precision, a down-to-earth attitude, and an unwavering drive for perfection. For race car drivers, success means being willing to go the extra mile if it’s necessary. But success is also about drawing the energy you need to keep dreaming from moments of calm and a special connection to family and home.