Track record, double pole, podium and race win – Günther enjoys the best Formula E weekend of his career
What a weekend for Maximilian Günther: fastest in all free practice sessions, double pole position, track record, podium on Saturday, and victory on Sunday! Maximilian Günther and the Maserati MSG Racing team were in a league of their own and produced a virtually flawless performance at round eight of this season’s ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in Jakarta, Indonesia. The 25-year-old, who came into the weekend with three Formula E wins to his name, ended the opening race in third place. In Sunday’s race, the man from Oberstdorf put on an outstanding and error-free display in his “Maserati Tip Folgore”, leaving his rivals in his wake and taking a worthy victory. In doing so, he presented Maserati with its first win in a Formula series since 1957.
Following a successful debut last year at the Jakarta International ePrix Circuit, the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship returned to the Indonesian capital for two races. Temperatures of up to 35 degrees Celsius and high humidity really put the drivers to the test all weekend. However, Günther refused to be knocked out of his stride by the extremely challenging conditions and was by far the fastest man in the practice sessions, even setting a new Formula E lap record in Jakarta with a time of 1:07.552 minutes. After his fastest times in practice on the 2.37-kilometre track, Günther again showed his incredible pace and wealth of experience in the qualifying sessions. He emerged triumphant in all his head-to-head duels and started both races from pole position.
In Saturday’s race, Günther successfully defended his lead in the “Maserati Tipo Folgore” on the sprint to turn one. As the race progressed, he then spent almost all his time fending off attacks from his rivals behind him. The 25-year-old kept a cool head and held onto his lead in some thrilling wheel-to-wheel battles. Over the following laps, Günther was overtaken by two cars and found himself running third at the halfway point. However, the Monaco resident continued to focus on his energy management, in order to remain within striking distance. Right up to the chequered flag, Günther attempted to pass the car in front. However, he was unable to do so and crossed the finish line in third place after an impressive race.
On Sunday, Günther made a perfect start and defended first place. The chasing pack repeatedly strived to pass the man from the Allgäu, but Günther was able to hold them at bay with some skilful manoeuvres. He and his team had come up with the perfect strategy, which allowed them to tighten their grip on the lead. Only the use of the “Attack Mode” regularly resulted in changes in position. When the leader at the time activated his “Attack Mode”, Günther was able to overtake him on the inside and retake the lead. From this point on, he spectacularly demonstrated the dominance that he had shown all weekend. Within a few laps, Günther had opened up a gap of several seconds ahead of his pursuers. He went on to take his fourth Formula E victory in commanding fashion.
Maximilian Günther: “That was a mega race for us! I am incredibly proud that I was able to show my pace in the Maserati. To crown what has been a virtually perfect weekend with a win on the Sunday feels unbelievable. We were very strong in every session. To claim the maiden victory for Maserati in Formula E is a great honour. After the difficulties in the first half of the season, we never gave up, worked hard and have improved consistently. We are now exploiting our full potential and showing that we can compete at the very front. The heat and humidity made the two races the most exhausting of the season so far, so I am all the happier with the result. On the whole, we are very proud of this weekend. We have to continue this way!”
Race twelve of this season’s ABB FIA Formula E World Championship takes place on 24th June 2023 in Portland (USA).
All updates on Maximilian Günther can also be found on his social media accounts: Instagram and Facebook (both @maximilianguenther) and Twitter (@maxg_official).