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Following a promising pre-season test in Valencia in late 2023, the Monaco-based team visited Mexico’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez with quiet confidence and took a measured approach throughout practice.
Initial data collection on Friday yielded a performance improvement for Saturday, and after posting the second-fastest time in FP2, Max carried his speed forward into qualifying by leading the way in Group B.
In the Quarter-Finals, the German racer unfortunately lost out to Mitch Evans but due to a grid penalty for the New Zealander and his Jaguar team-mate, Nick Cassidy, Max advanced to third on the starting grid.
Team-mate, Jehan Daruvala, meanwhile qualified 17th as the 25-year-old continued to build and expand his knowledge of electric motorsport as the only rookie on Formula E’s 2024 grid.
The duo enjoyed a competitive start to the race and maintained their starting positions in the opening phase before Full Course Yellow and subsequent Safety Car on lap nine, caused by an accident for Robin Frijns, neutralised the race.
On lap 11’s restart, Max and Jehan continued to hold third and 17th, but during his final Attack Mode activation, Max unfortunately lost track position to Cassidy, falling to fourth.
Despite taking maximum advantage of the 350kW power mode, and a small energy advantage, Max kept pace with but was unable to overtake the Kiwi, and narrowly missed out on the podium.
Jehan, meanwhile, finished 16th with a late overtake on ERT’s Dan Ticktum, to complete his debut in World Championship motorsport – only the third Indian driver in history to do so.
Formula E’s 10th season will continue in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, for the first double-header event of the campaign on 26-27 January 2024.
Maximilian Günther, Driver, Maserati MSG Racing
“A very good first weekend of the season for us with third in qualifying, fourth in the race, and some very good points. I think we showed some good pace here. Mexico was very difficult for us last year, so to start the season with such a strong result now is very promising. I’m super happy for the whole team, and they did a great job. The car felt amazing in qualifying, and it’s a shame that we lost the podium with the second Attack Mode, but we gave it our very best. I’m really happy with fourth today.”
Jehan Daruvala, Driver, Maserati MSG Racing
“I’m very happy to have completed my first weekend in Formula E. Today was my first time in full race conditions, and it was a very positive experience. My main goal was to have a clean race and to take the chequered flag so I could learn as much as possible. Using everything I’ve learned this weekend, I’ll be able to build on my performance and continue my progression in Diriyah.”
Cyril Blais, Chief Engineer, Maserati MSG Racing
"This weekend has been very positive. We came to Mexico City having learned a great deal from Season 9, and after making some good improvements during the winter. Our objective for Max was very clear: We wanted to start the season on the right foot and score solid points, and that’s exactly what we did today. We had a strong, clean race, with a perfect execution and no mistakes. It’s a shame to narrowly miss out on the podium, but we’re pleased with this result. Jehan also drove a solid race today. Because we have very little track time each weekend, Formula E can be very challenging for a rookie, and Jehan’s main target was to gain more experience in the car, drive a clean race, and see the chequered flag. That is exactly what he did, without putting a foot wrong. We hit our targets, and this weekend will put us in great shape for the rest of the season, and for the next race in Diriyah.”
Giovanni Sgro, Head of Maserati Corse
"It feels good to be back! Season 10 kicked off with an exciting first race, with Max finishing in P4 and bringing the team our first points this year. It is great to also see Jehan cross the finish line in his first race in Formula E. During this race weekend both drivers showed that they are already fully into the competition, concentrated on building from the beginning. They did a good job and now we focus on Saudi and keep pushing hard to reach the podium. We have along season ahead of us, and we intend to keep the pace and don’t miss the battle in the front field."
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