Maximilian Günther came agonisingly close to a points finish at his home race, ultimately crossing the line 11th in an eventful Berlin E-Prix Race 1. The DS Penske driver showed strong pace throughout the weekend so far, but a strategic compromise during the Pit Boost phase ultimately cost him a result he believes was firmly within reach.
Speaking to Pit Debrief after the race, Günther reflected on a frustrating afternoon, identified where things went wrong, and laid out his plans for bouncing back in Race 2.
Strong pace, costly strategy
The German had every reason to feel optimistic heading into Saturday’s race. He set the fourth-fastest time in FP1 and the fifth-fastest in FP2, with teammate Taylor Barnard topping the opening session. Even from 11th on the grid, Günther made an aggressive start, climbed up the order and led the race during its opening stages, looking every bit a genuine contender for a podium on home soil.
The Pit Boost phase, however, proved to be the turning point. As different strategies played out across the field, DS Penske’s choice fell awkwardly between the two extremes, and Günther paid the price.
Looking back on his race after crossing the line in 11th, just outside the points, Günther was candid about how the result felt.
“One of many eleventh places this year. Unfortunately you can’t buy much with that, but generally the opportunity was very solid. I drove a very good first race phase,” Günther told Pit Debrief.
Having muscled his way into the lead group early, he was confident that the team’s initial direction was the correct one. Execution from there, however, did not match the situation.
“Positioned right at the front, in my view the right strategy. And then we weren’t decisive enough, I would say, when it came to strategy. We couldn’t hold our position at the front.”
The Pit Boost stop itself unravelled the entire afternoon. By neither committing fully to an undercut nor an overcut, DS Penske left Günther exposed in traffic and shuffled him out of contention.
“And then we lost a few places at the Pit Boost because we didn’t do an undercut or an overcut. Something in between, and that unfortunately cost us the race and we lost many places.”
A late charge that fell just short
From there, Günther was forced into damage limitation mode, scything his way back through the field as Tempelhof delivered its trademark late-race chaos. He came tantalisingly close to clawing back into the top ten, with a final-lap fight against António Félix da Costa providing one last shot at the points. It was not quite enough.
“And we tried in the end to come from far back to the front. It almost worked, P11 just outside the points. I had another fight with António [Félix da Costa] on the last lap, but unfortunately not enough for points today.”
The plan for Sunday
With Round 8 coming up, Günther turned his attention quickly to where the focus needs to go. Looking ahead to what he and the team would need to change for Sunday’s Qualifying and Race in order to land back inside the points, he made clear that race pace would be the priority over grid position.
“My qualifying always starts well. If you are at the front, it is certainly not as decisive tomorrow as today. Therefore the main focus is to have a fast car for the race.”
He emphasised that efficiency through the corners and the timing of attack mode usage will be central to executing a stronger Sunday.
“If you are fast through the corners, you have good efficiency. We will focus on that and use both attacks at a good moment. Save plenty of energy beforehand and hopefully make good progress.”
When the conversation turned to how confident he was that the team could deliver that turnaround, Günther’s belief in both himself and the squad behind him came through clearly.
“I have great trust in myself, I have trust in the team. We have a good feeling.”
For DS Penske, the Berlin E-Prix’s Race 1 brought a mixed afternoon: Barnard converted strong pace into a points-paying eighth place, while Günther was left to rue what might have been. With clear pace and a sharper strategic execution to aim for, the German has every reason to believe Sunday can deliver the home result he has been chasing.
