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After showing promising pace throughout practice, aspirations were high for the first part of the season finale as Max and team-mate, Jehan Daruvala, entered Qualifying.
The duo launched their efforts from Group B, but unfortunately missed out on the duel stages of the session. While Jehan placed eighth to start from 15th, Max showed strong pace but fell short in Sector Two after posting session-best times in the first and third sectors and started from 11th.
In the face of a chaotic start at the indoor-outdoor ExCeL Circuit, Max and Jehan carefully avoided accidents throughout the field to rise to fifth and ninth over the opening six laps.
By taking Attack Mode early without sacrificing track position, Max placed himself in a supreme strategic position by solidifying his place in the top five while Jehan also cemented his place inside the top 10.
After overtaking Norman Nato on lap 14, Max became a threat for silverware and entered the podium positions by clearing Sebastien Buemi on lap 26.
With an energy advantage in hand, the 27-year-old German continued to press forward and after applying consistent pressure to Mitch Evans, cleared the Jaguar driver to claim second.
A late Safety Car, caused by extensive debris on track, bunched up the grid and presented Max with a late opportunity to fight for the lead.
Max secured a good restart, but cruelly ground to a halt due to a technical issue and was forced to retire. Jehan, meanwhile, sustained damage during the restart and was forced to pit from ninth and finished 18th.
Season 10 of the FIA Formula E World Championship will come to a close on Sunday, 21 July 2024, where Maserati MSG Racing will once again race in London.
Maximilian Günther, Driver, Maserati MSG Racing
“Today hurts a lot. It’s heartbreaking. Our race was perfect and to hold second comfortably with a few laps to go after starting from 11th on a track like London is extraordinary. Today we struck the right balance between attacking and defending and we executed a strong performance. We did everything right, but we were stopped by reliability. We know we have the pace to be at the front here and tomorrow, that’s the goal.”
Jehan Daruvala, Driver, Maserati MSG Racing
“Overall, it was a mixed day for me. In Qualifying the position was disappointing but I took good steps forward in the race. We stuck to our strategy, stuck to our plan and we were looking good for a top 10 finish. The ending was extremely disappointing. The team and I deserved better from today, and we know that we have the pace to fight inside the top 10. That’s my goal for tomorrow.”
Cyril Blais, Deputy Team Principal, Maserati MSG Racing
“Only the points that you score at the end of the race matter, and the fact that we had one car DNF, and the other get taken out at the end shows that it was a terrible day for the team. It isn’t what the team or the drivers deserve. On Max’s side, we did everything perfectly and we were unfortunately let down by a reliability issue. On Jehan’s, he was making great progress and was inside the top 10 and came very close to scoring points. A double top 10 finish today would have shown all of the effort we have been putting in this year, and from here, we just need to review everything that happened. It’s been a very disappointing day, but we have the pace. We need to convert that tomorrow.”
Giovanni Sgro, Head of Maserati Corse
"Extremely disappointing day. We were set to finish in P2 and P7 and due to some last laps issues, unfortunately we had to settle for a DNF for Max and last place for Jehan. However, none of us have forgotten how important it is to build the season race by race, even at the most challenging times and the last round is no exception. A team is judged by its victories, but it’s also the challenges that build character and determination. Tomorrow is another race-day, and we are going to bring the same energy as always. The London crowd is fantastic, we’re excited and eager to make the best of this final act of the Formula E Season 10."
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