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The weekend has enchantment and energy. It has charisma. It has a habit of igniting our hunger, and right now, our appetite for racing is insatiable.
When we hear the roar of the thousands of spectators in the Foro Sol from our garage and feel the passion of our fans from the cockpit, everything stops. Everything becomes real. The present becomes the place where our ambitions are realised.
At the 2024 Mexico City E-Prix, months of hard work was realised for Maserati MSG Racing when we settled old scores at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, shaking off the shackles of Season 9.
From a fourth-place finish in the race, to a historic outing for the only rookie on Formula E’s Season 10 grid, this is our race recap, Mexico City-style.
A Formula E season starts long before people think. To fans, the first race is the first day of term, but after months of preparation, it’s the moment we see the outcome of our hard work team-side.
Since Season 9 concluded in London, we’ve been working hard behind-the-scenes, solidifying our strengths, and addressing our weaknesses with the hope of maintaining our performance trajectory.
At testing, we took our first steps on track, but with additional car development since Valencia, we’ve been longing to see the outcome of our efforts.
When we touched down in Mexico City, it all became very real. The curtains were about to open, and we were ready to take centre stage. But first, we had a chance to rehearse in practice.
The first race of a Formula E season isn’t just our first opportunity to score points. It’s our first chance to validate our developments, and as such, the time we spent during practice was integral to our weekend.
Despite some disruption to FP1, we left our first 30 minutes of running with a clear view, and despite the timesheets – and some disruption – we liked what we saw.
After closely examining our data over Friday night, we set the wheels in motion, and when Maximilian Günther set the second-fastest time in FP2, it was evident that we were in the hunt.
When the time for qualifying came, we were excited. The Trident was ready to strike.
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In the first qualifying session of the season, Max launched his efforts from Group B and after 12 minutes of running, emerged as the class of the field by leaving the session with the fastest time.
This performance pitted the 26-year-old against Mitch Evans in the duels, and while it was the Jaguar driver who came out on top, Max’s 1:13.505 run proved to be crucial when forming the grid.
When qualifying was complete, Max emerged in fifth, but thanks to two grid penalties for Evans and Nick Cassidy, the German racer was promoted to third on the starting grid.
From the second row, Max was sure to contend for a place inside the top five when the race got underway. Our performance was starting to align with our hopes.
When we signed Jehan Daruvala for Season 10, we knew what we were getting ourselves into. He’s a proven Formula 2 winner, an established Formula E test driver, and a one-in-a-billion talent.
As the only rookie in Formula E, Jehan is facing a steep learning-curve in 2024, but in Mexico City, he made history by becoming only the third Indian driver to compete in World Championship motorsport.
Carrying the pride of a nation, Jehan completed an exemplary debut weekend. He maximised his running and by keeping his nose clean, gained critical knowledge of Formula E.
Session-by-session, race-by-race, Jehan will continue to grow in strength, and we can’t wait to see his ongoing evolution as a racing driver first-hand this season.
Standing on the grid serves an array of emotions. Alongside the suspense, there’s a sense of inevitability. Time stops for no person, and second by second, minute by minute, we edge closer to lights out.
But from third on the grid, all was calm on Saturday. Max’s objective was clear, and from the race’s start, he navigated every lap with expert precision. He knew what needed to be done.
By holding his place off the line, Max settled into a competitive early rhythm, striking the balance between consumption and conservation in electric motorsport’s ultimate strategy game.
He kept pace with Pascal Wehrlein and Sebastien Buemi ahead, looming in the fight for victory, but when he activated his final Attack Mode, Max slipped to fourth.
Yet still he searched for the time to strike, continually harrying Cassidy in pursuit of the podium.
Despite running out of laps, however, Max’s fourth place was an incredible achievement and contrasted a complete turnaround in fortune, compared to 12 months earlier.
From then, to now, it’s been a journey, but we’ve only just begun. Next up: Diriyah.
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