Maximilian Günther heads into the Monaco E-Prix hoping to return to the points after another though weekend in Berlin. While the German acknowledged the team’s struggles throughout season, he remains confident that their strong Qualifying pace could provide opportunities around Monaco.
Strong qualifying pace gives hope for Monaco E-Prix
Speaking to Pit Debrief ahead of the Monaco E-Prix, Günther explained that the Berlin E-Prix was part of a challenging season the team is facing this year, especially regarding race efficiency. After starting in 14th, the DS Penske driver fought his way to the front of the field. However, issues in the closing part of the race, left Günther with finishing only 15th.
“In general, it was not only Berlin, but every weekend this season. Maybe except for the first weekend where we got good points. Yes, generally in the race, efficiency-wise, it’s difficult for us. With our package, we try to get the best out of it. We’ve managed to do that for most of this year, but unfortunately my hands are tied a little bit there.”
“It’s part of the game that sometimes you have a season with a strong package, where you can fight right at the front, and sometimes you don’t. Yeah, this year it’s been a challenge for us, but the goal is always the same. We try to get the best out of our package.“
Although race pace has been the main difficulty this year, Günther highlighted that qualifying is one of the team’s strengths. That is something that could be especially important in Monaco, there overtaking opportunities are limited.
“I think we are really strong in qualifying, and we can definitely have good races when the conditions suit us. That is the goal here for this weekend. I like Monaco a lot. The goal is now, of course, to have a good qualifying and then hopefully get some points.“
Pit Boost adds further strategy questions in Monaco
Saturday’s race will include the Pit Boost, creating additional uncertainty around strategy on a track where track position is important. When asked about the potential impact of the Pit Boost by Pit Debrief, Günther admitted that the strategic picture is still unclear.
“There are many strategies that are possible here. The difference to last time is that we only have one attack mode. Last year we had two, that was a little bit easier to choose the attack modes. Now with one it really depends on the dynamic of the race, but definitely track position is important.”
Monaco presents an opportunity for Günther and DS Penske to rebuild momentum after a challenging season so far. If the team can convert their strong qualifying pace into a clean race execution, points could be possible on the streets of Monaco.
