Strong Performance at the Madrid E-Prix goes Unrewarded
The weekend started strong with a P3 performance in the first practice from Maximilian, showing that the work the team and he had done in the month between races had moved the car’s performance forward. It was a great position to be in, displaying the potential of the package going into race day.
After a difficult FP2 in the morning, Maximilian recovered well to put in an excellent performance in qualifying. Making it through to the Qualifying Duels for the third race in a row, Maximilian secured a P7 starting position on the grid. The team and driver were convinced that a top result was absolutely achievable and focused their attention on it, setting their sights on getting their championship campaign back on track.
Uncommonly for single race events, the Madrid EPrix included Pit Boost, adding an extra element to the strategy for the teams and drivers to consider. DS PENSKE and Maximilian were still confident in the improvements that the package had shown, and ready to add some more points to their Season 12 total.
It started incredibly well, with Maximilian getting a fantastic start and moving up a couple of positions. This gave him and the team the opportunity to control their race strategy, rather than having to react to others, assisting in putting them into a brilliant position. Maximilian was second after the Pit Boost cycle and moved into the lead of the race with the strategy playing out exactly as the team and he had planned.
Unfortunately, pace and efficiency problems saw a halt to Maximilian’s progress, as the delay in competitors taking their final Attack Mode gave them a pace advantage when he was managing his energy. It was an issue for some driver of the grid suffered from, with the Madrid EPrix taking place on the energy-intensive permanent circuit, Circuito Jarama. Maximilian crossed the line thirteenth after a valiant effort to recover some positions in the final few laps.
Next race is Berlin, Maximilian’s home race, where he will be looking to put on a strong performance in front of his home fans. There is about a month before the next race, but when the next phase of the championship begin it is full steam ahead to the end of the season. This time will allowed DS PENSKE and Maximilian to fine tune their package so it’s as competitive as it can be for the remainder of Season 12.
RESULTS
Free Practice 1 – P3, 1:23.818
Free Practice 2 – P17, 1:41.914
Qualifying – P7 (Duels, Quarter Final, 1:44.583)
Race – P13
Championship Standing – P16 (8 points)
MAXIMILIAN GÜNTHER:
“The track was outstanding and I’ve really enjoyed driving here. It’s been a fantastic event with so many fans, very unique, and something I really look forward to doing again in the future when we come back to Madrid. This weekend, for the racing, there was actually quite a few good things to speak about.
“I think we had very good pace yesterday in FP1, executed a very good qualifying and recovered well from what we had in FP2. The race was executed, I think, well, fighting for race positions. In the end, what we were missing was the outright pace and efficiency to get the result. This is really what we faced today. We drove out hear out in the race, so much so at one point we were briefly leading. It simply wasn’t enough.
“You learn more and more about the package the more you race, even though we’re in the fourth year of Gen3, always learning and exploring to find performance. There are elements that we discovered this weekend that are positive, but maybe we can dial that in better. That’s what we can focus on positively in tomorrow’s rookie test. It’s a great opportunity for the team to get some great data as we continue into the season.
“Then a bit of a break until the next race. We can regroup again and get ready to Berlin. It’s going to be pretty flat out then until the end of the year, so I look forward to the coming racing.”