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The 2023 Jakarta E-Prix was a breakthrough race weekend, as the team galvanised to deliver one of the most dominant performances seen in the history of Formula E.
When Maximilian Günther set the pace in FP1, he also set the tone for the weekend, which was marked by two pole positions, a pair of podiums, and a triumphant return to the top step.
Using insights from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, our Team Principal, James Rossiter, breaks down a landmark performance for Maserati MSG Racing to debrief our winning weekend in Indonesia.
“Our weekend in Jakarta was incredible and was by far our strongest performance as a team this season,” explains James.
“The level of determination shown by the men and women in the garage was inspiring, and I couldn’t be more proud to work with such a talented group of individuals.
“Season 9 hasn’t been the easiest by any means. We’ve had to navigate countless highs and lows, but seeing people pull together in the face of really difficult moments, and working together through challenging situations, is what makes weekends like this so special.”
Due to high temperatures and extreme humidity, the Jakarta E-Prix is the most physically demanding race in Formula E, yet the team found a good rhythm to execute a competitive weekend.
“We had a good preparation before the event,” continues James, “but there’s only so much information you can acquire from the simulator, and we use practice we fill in any gaps we might have in our knowledge.
“As soon as we took to the track on Friday afternoon, our level of competitiveness was evident, and Edo and Max felt very comfortable behind the wheel.
“Max was strong throughout the weekend and topped the timesheets in every session.
“It’s special when a racing driver finds that level of consistency and form – it really adds to their confidence, and Max didn’t put a foot wrong once.
“He took full advantage to extract the most out of the car on Saturday and was ablescore a sensational first pole position in Formula E, which was an incredible achievement.
“Edo also joined him in the duels which, given he had zero running in FP2 and no running in Saturday’s track conditions beforehand, was a very impressive result.”
Max led the opening phase of Race One and was a consistent contender for victory. He remained in the fight to the flag and brought home third place to score our second podium of the season.
“In Race One I think we were missing a little bit of pace, and we were unable to truly take the fight to Pascal [Wehrlein] and Jake [Dennis],” explains James.
“Despite that, we were still able to bring home good points with Max taking third and Edo driving a strong race to finish sixth.
“We knew that with more work that we could improve our performance and poured over our data overnight to make some good improvements for Sunday.”
Changes overnight facilitated a more rounded, competitive performance in Race Two, and by maintaining his form, Max scored a second pole position in as many races.
“Max was fastest in every session and started from pole, and Edo did another great job to ensure that we had both cars starting inside the front two rows,” says James.
“Race Two was a little longer and ran over 38 laps instead of Saturday’s 36, and this meant that energy management was more of a factor.
“With real-time data insights from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, we were able to evolve our race strategy to execute the most energy-efficient race possible.
“We saved a good amount at the start, spent that energy in the moments it mattered, and then kept some energy in hand to we could control the pace and the gap at the front in the final stint.
“Max’s performance was clinical, and he took home a dominant win, which was the Maserati brand’s first since the 1957 German Grand Prix.
“Unfortunately, Edo missed out on a possible podium after missing his first Attack Mode. A braking issue in the second half impacted his race further, but he still came back to finish eighth.”
A pair of double points finishes yielded a reward of 58 points in Indonesia and allowed Maserati MSG Racing to rise to sixth in the World Teams’ Championship, overtaking McLaren and Nissan.
“Winning in Jakarta is huge for us, and will lift our season - both in terms of momentum and team morale,” adds James.
“We knew we could achieve this, so to finally deliver the level of performance we believed we were capable of is extremely rewarding and satisfying.
“Results like this are a reminder as to why you should never give up in life. It shows that if you pull together and continue to believe in one another, you can really achieve anything.
“We’re now entering the final stages of Season 9, and Portland is up next, which is the final new circuit we will visit this year.
“It looks fast, and efficiency will be an incredibly important factor, but with hard work, I know that opportunities will continue to come our way.
“In motorsport, securing that first win is often the most difficult task, and now that the pieces of that puzzle are in place, we know we can fight.”
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