‘It’s an incredible feeling’ – Max reacts to his Jakarta pole position

Maximilian Günther has shown consistent qualifying form in Season 9, but despite holding five front row starts in his Formula E career, the young German had never started from pole position.

There’s no time like the present, however, and following on from a clinical start to his 2023 Jakarta E-Prix weekend, Max became the fully-electric World Championship’s newest polesitter.

Having been present on the series’ grid since Season 5, this result has been a long time coming, and quite understandably, the 25-year-old was more than happy about his latest achievement.

“Scoring my first pole position in Formula E is an incredible feeling, and I’m very grateful for the three additional points that come from starting at the front,” said Max.

“The conditions in Jakarta are very tricky, but the car has felt good all weekend and since FP1 we’ve been building momentum smoothly.

“Managing the tyres in the extreme heat is a key factor, and putting them in the right window, extracting the pace and keeping them alive for the whole lap is very important.

“I started my final lap with a bit of front locking in Turn One, but as the lap built, the car’s balance improved,and it was very easy on rotation.

“Finding traction on the exit of Turn Eight was important to open the lap and then the high-speed run from Turn Nine through to Turn 12 was all about confidence.

“Turn 13 is quite a hard braking zone, and it’s super easy to lock the front there, but I think I was just on the limit on the lap. From there, it’s just one final push to the line.”

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On his run to the top, which marked the Maserati brand’s first pole position since the 1957 Pescara Grand Prix, Max set the pace in FP1, FP2 and qualifying Group B to secure his place in the duels.

He pipped team-mate, Edoardo Mortara, in the Quarter-Finals and defeated Pascal Wehrlein at the penultimate stage before beating Jake Dennis in the final.

“After a challenging start to the season, I feel like our momentum is changing,” Max continued, with his eyes now set on the first leg of a double-header weekend in Indonesia.

“We had the podium and scored very good points in Berlin, and in Monaco we also showed a lot of potential.

“Again this weekend, we’re in good shape but we can’t take anything for granted and we need to place our full focus on the race.

“The racing in Season 9 has been defined by energy management. It’s important to play it smart and to react appropriately as the race unfolds.

“Starting from the front row puts us in a good position, and with a clean start, we’ll take it from there.”