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In Formula E, we take every chance we can. If given the opportunity, every moment can be seized, and at the 2024 London E-Prix, we gave it our all to end Season 10 on a high.
But motorsport can be cruel at times. Brutal, in fact. A race can perfectly align, but without the aid of fortune, can sometimes go the other way. On this occasion, London went that “other way”.
Yet we can draw confidence from every heartbreak. Gain resilience from every blow. We can be proud that we raced fearlessly, and that we fought in our own way.
Following the conclusion of the final race of Formula E’s 10th season, Maserati MSG Racing’s Deputy Team Principal, Cyril Blais, debriefs the 2024 London E-Prix using insights powered by Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
“After all of the hard work we’ve put in this season, we deserved so much more from our weekend in London,” says Cyril.
“Traditionally, London is a circuit that hasn’t suited our team or our package, but after some good performances on street circuits earlier in the season, we were feeling quite confident.
“Our pace at every stage was immensely strong, and if you look at our overall performance over the weekend, I would argue that we were inside the top three teams in terms of pace, maybe even the top two.
“We deserved points this weekend, but motorsport and especially Formula E is extremely hard, and can also be cruel. The brutal reality is that we’re coming back empty handed.
“But we did our very best, and we didn’t put a foot wrong all weekend – the circumstances which impacted us were ultimately out of our control.
“Despite those circumstances, the team never gave up. We held our heads high, we fought until the end and most importantly, and we raced with dignity. I’m proud of everybody.”
After showcasing promising pace in practice, aspirations were quietly high in Race One, and Maximilian Günther and Jehan Daruvala delivered another characteristic fighting performance, although bad luck reared its head.
“Race One was heartbreaking for the team,” continues Cyril. “Sadly, only the final result counts, but it hurts that we were on course for second place, only for the path to the podium to crumble away beneath our feet.
“I think we did everything perfectly on Saturday, and Max responded well to fight forward after starting outside the top 10, and our strategy was critical to this.
“In London, because there are very few overtaking opportunities on track, Attack Mode timing was central to our plan, and thanks to the real-time data insights we receive from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, we were able to undercut most of our competition to the podium.
“Towards the end of the race, Max said that he was hearing vibrations from the rear of his car on team radio, and in the final restart, he unfortunately came to a stop and had to retire because of a gearbox failure.
“Jehan, meanwhile, had pieced together an excellent race to move into the top 10 after starting from 15th, but he was crashed into from behind just before the chequered flag and finished down in 18th.”
While disappointing, Saturday’s race showed the team that everything was still up for grabs in Sunday’s finale, and after a strong Qualifying, Maserati MSG Racing was again in the hunt.
“When a team faces a difficult scenario, just like we did in Race One, they can respond in one of two ways. They can either let it defeat them, or use it as a source of motivation, and knowing that we had the pace to fight at the front inspired us to push for one final time this season,” explains Cyril.
“Max’s pace in Qualifying was very competitive and starting from the front row, there was a strong sense that we would be able to fight for another podium.
“Unfortunately, the balance on the car in race trim proved to be quite difficult and because of understeer, we struggled to keep pace with the lead cars but still felt that a top five was possible.
“Max was caught up in an incident late on when [Nick] Cassidy slowed in front with a puncture. We picked up front wing damage, the wing broke off, went under the car, broke the suspension and that ended our race.
“In a separate incident, Jehan also picked up terminal damage. For sure, it’s a difficult way to end the season, and it isn’t how we wanted it to end, but there are always positives.
“The fact that we were competitive at a track that has never traditionally suited our car is an amazing source of confidence and it shows first-hand how much progress we’ve made over the past 12 months.”
With Formula E’s 10th season complete, Maserati MSG Racing’s preparations will now switch to Season 11, which will commence on 7 December 2024 with the São Paulo E-Prix in Brazil.
“Now that the season is over, we’ll be taking some time to rest up and recharge after a very busy year and at times, difficult year, and from there, we’ll debrief, regroup, and come back stronger.
“With the victory in Tokyo, podium at Misano, and improved consistency, we can take great confidence from Season 10.
“We’re in an excellent position to build on this framework, and after seeing our evolution first-hand, I’m confident that we could achieve great things in Season 11.”
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