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Maserati MSG Racing completed Season 10 of the FIA Formula E World Championship at the 2024 London E-Prix after facing a challenging campaign finale at the indoor-outdoor ExCeL Circuit.
After facing a heartbreaking race on Saturday, which saw driver, Maximilian Günther, lose a likely podium due to a technical issue, the Monaco-based team banded together with the aim of ending the 2023/24 campaign in style.
With evident pace in the Maserati Tipo Folgore, Max executed a clinical performance in Qualifying to line up on the front row after defeating Mitch Evans and Jean-Eric Vergne in the session’s duel stages.
Although the 27-year-old lost out to Jaguar’s Nick Cassidy in the Final, Max was placed on the perfect springboard to contend for a points finish, while team-mate, Jehan Daruvala, started from 11th.
Despite securing a good start in the face of a chaotic opening phase, Max slipped to third on lap one while Jehan threatened the top 10, battling hard with Antonio Felix da Costa.
After gaining 10th from the Porsche driver, Jehan was unfortunately caught up in an accident on lap seven and was forced to retire after sustaining extensive damage, leaving Max as the team’s sole challenger.
Losing ground to newly crowned Season 10 champion, Pascal Wehrlein, Max lost his place on the podium on lap seven and after taking both Attack Modes early, held seventh on the road.
By clearing Vergne, Max moved into sixth and threatened the top five but unfortunately sustained terminal damage after making contact with Cassidy who slowed on the apex of Turn 20.
After scoring 81 points over the 16-race season, with definitive highlights including a victory at the 2024 Tokyo E-Prix, Maserati MSG Racing ends Season 10 in eighth in the World’ Teams’ Championship and will return in Season 11.
“We gave it everything we had this weekend. We showed some great performance. Race One was perfect until a few laps before the end when we had the gearbox failure, and today as well, we did a fantastic Qualifying despite all of the difficulties around changing the gearbox. The race was tough and we struggled a lot with balance and understeer, but fifth or sixth was within reach. Unfortunately, we were in the wrong place at the wrong time with Nick [Cassidy] getting the puncture in front. He tried to pit but I was directly behind him, broke my wing, and my race was over with the suspension damage after. We gave it our all and it just wasn’t meant to be.”
"Looking back, I think it’s clear that we could have scored a significant amount of points as a team this weekend. It’s disappointing, but there are positives to take – I qualified well today, drove aggressively in both races, and could have been in the top 10. From here, we have a long offseason and we can take the time to rest and recharge after a long year."
"This is not the end to the season that we deserved. We had strong pace this weekend, and we deserved points but racing is hard, and the harsh reality is that we’re coming back empty handed. But there are positives – this weekend, we had the pace to fight at the front on a circuit that has never suited our team, and from that, we can take great confidence for the future. I’m proud of the team for never giving up, and for giving their all for the last race weekend of the season. Our focus, hard work and dedication is still as high as it was in Mexico City in January, and we can be proud of that. Now, we need to have a break, recharge the batteries and reset, and then put our full focus and attention on Season 11."
"Despite the good qualifying, today was an unlucky day; we know motorsport can be unpredictable. After an intense year full of memorable moments, Maserati has ended its second season in Formula E in eighth place: this result reflects a year that was most of all exciting, for the brand and for the team. There was no shortage of difficult days on the track, but we also remember Max's brilliant victory in Tokyo, his third place at Misano in the home race for Maserati and nine top ten finishes. Motorsport is made up of victories and unexpected challenges, but as a brand founded on the track that has written glorious chapters in the history of the racing world, we know that never giving up is what matters and to always focus on pushing the boundaries. That’s what the team has always done. This second year is a major milestone for our brand, having made its debut in Season 9 after a long absence from high-level competition. Maserati’s presence in Formula E is an integral part of the brand’s new strategy, to enter this new era of mobility at full speed with Folgore, constantly drawing inspiration from the 100% electric series. Now’s the time to regain our strength and get our heads back together for next year. First things first though, the team needs a well-earned rest. I know that each one of them did their best up to the final lap, and I'd like to thank them personally on behalf of Maserati."
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