Günther Victory skriver motorhistoria för Maserati i Formel E - Omgång 11 - 2023 Gulavit Jakarta E-Prix Reportage
- Maserati MSG Racing driver Maximilian Günther claims first win for Maserati in single-seat motorsport since 1957 with victory in ABB FIA Formula E World Championship race
- Second race in the 2023 GulaVit Jakarta E-Prix double-header sees Jake Dennis take a consecutive runner-up position
- Mitch Evans recovers from dramatic all-Jaguar collision the previous day to round off the podium in third
- Pascal Wehrlein finishes sixth and leaves Jakarta top of the Driver’s standings just one point ahead of Dennis
JAKARTA, Indonesien. Sol. 4 juni 2023 - Maserati MSG Racing-föraren Maximilian Günther vände Julius Bär Pole Position för andra året i rad till seger i loppet i Jakarta och återförde Maserati till det översta steget på prispallen i formelbilssport för första gången sedan 1957.
The second race of the 2023 GulaVit Jakarta E-Prix double-header saw German Günther claim his fourth win in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship and his first in the iconic blue livery of legendary automaker Maserati. The last time the trident was seen on the top step of a single-seater championship was in 1957 when the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio won the German Grand Prix on his way to that year’s Formula One title.
Günther was followed home by Jake Dennis (Avalanche Andretti Formula E Team) who started and finished second in both races on Formula E’s return to Indonesia. The points haul moves Dennis to within just one point of standings leader, Pascal Wehrlein (TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team).
Following a dramatic first race in which he was hit by his own teammate, leaving the Jaguar TCS Racing team pointless on the day, Mitch Evans recovered superbly to produce a classy defensive drive and round out the podium places in third.
Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy lost his championship lead to the previous day’s race winner Pascal Wehrlein – who finished sixth – after an ill-judged overtake led to contact and a point-less day. Cassidy now trails Dennis by five points with six points separating the top three drivers in a hugely tight tussle for the title.
With Günther starting pole for the second day, the young German was looking to turn a promising Saturday drive and podium into his fourth race victory, and he looked assured from the off as he held position in the opening stages.
With a clear race strategy, he appeared happy to hold fire behind Dennis once the Brit had taken the lead through the first round of ATTACK MODE activations.
The telling switch came as Günther held off on his second jolt of ATTACK MODE when Dennis blinked first. The German was able to generate a gap enough to leapfrog the Avalanche Andretti driver by the time he made the dive for his final 50kW boost on Lap 18.
Maserati MSG Racing-föraren kunde utöka till en ledning på 2,822 sekunder på Dennis vid den rutiga flaggan och mer än 18 sekunder på Evans. Ingen hade vunnit med mer än två sekunder i GEN3-eran sedan Dennis seger i säsongsöppningen i Mexico City och marginalen var den största under de senaste 10 omgångarna.
Drama struck the standings leader Cassidy who had only failed to score once this season, with 13th in Diriyah, but he made a costly slip in trying to pass title rival Wehrlein on Lap 20. His car was damaged, he was shuffled to the back of the pack and 19th position.
The Nissan pair of Sacha Fenestraz and Norman Nato made late-race progress to seal fourth and fifth from seventh and 12th on the grid, respectively. Fenestraz’s move on reigning champion Stoffel Vandoorne (DS PENSKE) caught the Belgian unawares into the hairpin, with his teammate Nato able to follow.
Den passeringen gjorde att Vandoorne föll tillbaka till en slutlig niondeplats medan Wehrlein, António Félix da Costa (TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team) och Edoardo Mortara (Maserati MSG Racing) kunde ta sig förbi på sjätte, sjunde och åttonde plats. Envision Racings nedslående eftermiddag gav dem bara en poäng, med Sebastien Buemi som avslutade topp 10.
TAG Heuer Porsche leder i teamrankingen med 212 pts och har därmed ytterligare marginal till Envision Racing som har 190 pts och Jaguar TCS Racing på tredje plats med 171 pts.
Fem tävlingar återstår av säsong 9 av ABB FIA Formula E World Championship med nästa stopp den 24 juni, en fjärde debutstad för serien den här säsongen - Southwire Portland E-Prix 2023.
Maximilian Günther, No. 7, Maserati MSG Racing, said:
"Ett mycket stolt ögonblick, jag är överlycklig över den här segern - redan igår var fantastiskt med ännu en pallplats. Vi har gjort så stora framsteg under de senaste tävlingarna, det är fantastiskt, och att ta min första seger här i Jakarta är enastående. Jag är bara så lycklig.
“We felt really good from FP1 onwards, so the package is working here it was about executing it and keep shooting in the right direction. We always took the right decisions this weekend. Yesterday we did not have enough, but today we did. It is absolutely amazing.
“In Formula E you always need to keep your feet on the ground, like life in general! It can change so quickly, I am just really enjoying this moment here, I know there will be tracks that suit us more, there will be tracks that suit us less. We try to always maximize our package, which is what we have been doing the past few races. I am very proud.”
Jake Dennis, No. 27, Avalanche Andretti Formula E, said:
"Jag är glad, mycket gladare än i går. Ett riktigt bra race för att vara ärlig, glad att jag kunde behålla P2 i starten. Ärligt talat ganska bra maximerat, jag tror att vi inte riktigt fick det andra ATTACK MODE rätt, i slutändan var Maserati så snabb över ett varv idag, och när han pressade, skapade han gapet, som i princip gjorde överskärningen på mig och fick spårposition igen. Det skulle ha varit svårt att hålla honom bakom.
"Jag är nöjd, P2, 18 poäng - 19 med det snabbaste varvet - förhoppningsvis kan vi bygga vidare på det här och fortsätta att ta stora poäng i Portland. Det kommer att bli ett stort race för oss, ett hemmarace. Jag ser fram emot det.
"Jag fick precis höra på radion att Nick (Cassidy) körde om, vilket är bra för oss och Pascal var P6. Riktigt bra poäng, viktiga för mästerskapet, men det är uppenbarligen så många lopp kvar, fem omgångar kvar. Allt är att spela för, men jag ser verkligen fram emot det."
Mitch Evans, No. 9, Jaguar TCS Racing, said:
“[I am] a bit speechless because it was a massive turnaround from yesterday, I was not expecting this today at all. I struggled a lot during the race with my efficiency, and a bit of pace, and I feel like we were looking good half-way through but once Max and Jake put their foot down, I just could not keep up. It was a bit of a roadblock, but I hung on and really needed these points after yesterday. The confetti on the podium will taste good.
“In the range I was in I was doing a lot of coasting, and it just left me very exposed to Stoffel and the guys behind. The pace was slow and so I felt like I was up against the corner but luckily, I was able to hang on and towards the end it got a little bit easier. I was able to under-consume and hit the targets up a bit. Hung on and I guess that is the main thing.”
The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship returns to the USA on Saturday, 24 June for the 2023 Southwire Portland E-Prix, the first time Formula E has raced in the city.
Find out where to watch here: www.fiaformulae.com/en/ways-to-watch
…notes from SP
