Maximilian Günther back in the top 10 despite challenging Tokyo weekend
Maximilian Günther battled to a hard-fought top 10 finish at the 2025 Tokyo E-Prix, overcoming a challenging weekend in Japan
German racing driver, Maximilian Günther, recovered to a top 10 finish at a challenging double-header Tokyo E-Prix by bouncing back from a retirement in Race 1 to claim 10th place in Race 2.
As the victor of the inaugural Tokyo E-Prix in 2024, Max went to the Japanese capital with high hopes and showed his confidence at the first opportunity by setting the second-fastest time in the opening practice session of the weekend.
Despite his evident pace, however, extreme wet weather cast Saturday into complete unpredictability, and when Qualifying was cancelled, the results from FP2 were used to form the grid.
This left Max starting from ninth, and after being tapped wide by another driver on the first racing lap, the 27-year-old initially lost ground but quickly fought back into the top 10 with an early Attack Mode deployment.
Unfortunately, a battery issue on lap 13 forced Max to stop on track and retire from Race 1, although he bounced back at the first opportunity on Sunday by showing top 10 pace in FP3.
In Group B Qualifying, a yellow flag during his final flying lap prevented Max from advancing to the session’s duel stages by just 0.163 seconds, but by starting from 12th, he was in a strong position to fight for a points finish.
With his first Attack Mode, taken on lap five, Max was shuffled back into the pack and lost track position before an ill-timed Safety Car – one lap after his second activation – stalled his final planned assault.
Facing a one lap sprint to the flag, Max was able to recover to 10th to score one point. He will be back in action on 31 May-1 June for the double-header Shanghai E-Prix – the site of rounds 10 and 11 of the 16-race 2024/25 Formula E season.
Maximilian Günther, DS PENSKE Driver
“[Race 1] was especially disappointing because this was a race that could have given us plenty of opportunities. I felt happy in the car and we had good pace. Unfortunately, we then experienced a battery issue that ended our race early. But that’s racing! To sum up the whole weekend, we were solid in the first free practice sessions before heading in directions that weren’t ideal. On Sunday, the performance just wasn’t really there, which dropped us to 12th on the starting grid. The first part of the race was tough, but then I managed to climb back up to grab a spot in the top 10. The neutralisation that came right after I activated my Attack Mode was a real shame. I ended up behind the Safety Car for two minutes, which definitely cost me a few positions. So this wasn’t really our weekend, but I know the team is strong and I’m sure we’ll be able to bounce back in two weeks in China.”
2025 Tokyo E-Prix Maximilian Günther Results
Free Practice 1: P2
Free Practice 2: P9
Qualifying 1: P9*
Race 1: DNF
Free Practice 3: P9
Qualifying 2: P12
Race 2: P10
Championship Position: P11 [43 points]
*Qualifying cancelled. Grid positions based upon FP2 results