Maximilian Günther clinched the first victory for Maserati in single-seater motorsport since 1957. (Formula E photo)
JAKARTA, Indonesia – Maserati MSG Racing driver Maximilian Günther converted his second consecutive Julius Baer pole position into a race win in Jakarta, putting Maserati back on the top step of the podium in single-seater motorsport for the first time since 1957.
In the second race of the GulaVit Jakarta E-Prix Doubleheader, German Günther claimed his fourth win in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship and his first in the iconic blue livery of legendary car manufacturer Maserati.
Behind Günther was Jake Dennis (Avalanche Andretti Formula E Team), who started both races on Formula E’s return to Indonesia and finished second. Because of the number of points, Dennis is just one point behind championship leader Pascal Wehrlein (TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team).
After a dramatic first race where he was hit by his own team-mate and the Jaguar TCS Racing team was pointless for the day, Mitch Evans recovered superbly, put in a superb defensive performance and completed the podiums in third.
Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy lost his Championship lead to the previous day’s race winner Pascal Wehrlein, who finished sixth after a poorly considered overtake resulted in a contact and a pointless day. Cassidy is now five points behind Dennis, with six points separating the top three riders in a very close battle for the title.
After Günther started from pole on day two, the young German was looking to convert a promising Saturday drive and podium into his fourth race win and looked confident from the off as he held his position in the early stages.
With a clear race strategy, he appeared content to pass Dennis after the Brit took the lead on the first lap of Attack Mode activation.
The crucial change came when Günther held off his second attacking jab when Dennis blinked first. The German managed to carve out a gap big enough to overtake the Avalanche Andretti driver as he made the jump to his final 50kW boost on lap 18.
The Maserati MSG Racing driver was able to extend a lead of 2.822 seconds over Dennis and more than 18 seconds over Evans by the checkered flag. Since Dennis’ season-opening win in Mexico City, no one had gained more than a two-second lead in the GEN3 era, and that lead was the widest in the last ten rounds.
The drama unfolded for championship leader Cassidy, who failed to score just once this season in 13th place at Diriyah, but made a costly slip on lap 20 while attempting to overtake title rivals Wehrlein. His car was damaged and he was pushed to the rear pack and 19th place.
The Nissan duo of Sacha Fenestraz and Norman Nato made progress towards the end of the race, securing fourth and fifth from seventh and twelfth on the grid respectively. Fenestraz’s attack on reigning champions Stoffel Vandoorne caught the Belgian by surprise in the hairpin and teammate Nato was able to follow.
That pass eventually dropped Vandoorne to ninth place while Wehrlein, António Félix da Costa and Edoardo Mortara progressed to sixth, seventh and eighth respectively. Envision Racing’s disappointing afternoon was just a point clear with Sebastien Buemi completing the top 10.
TAG Heuer Porsche leads the team standings with 212 points, further ahead of Envision Racing who are third with 190 points while Jaguar TCS Racing is third with 171 points.
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