After a difficult outing at the Miami International Circuit, DS Penske have already shifted their focus firmly towards the next round of Formula E in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
DS PENSKE showed promising pace throughout the Miami E-Prix weekend, with Taylor Barnard topping the timesheets in second free practice. However, rain before the race forced teams into risky set-up and strategy calls, and the gamble did not pay off. Barnard finished 14th, while Maximilian Günther crossed the line in 19th.
Now, attention turns to the double-header in Jeddah, where the team aims to convert its evident pace into tangible results and fight for its first podium of Season 12.
Günther: “Now it’s all about Jeddah”
Maximilian Günther remains focused on the positives and the opportunity ahead. “This is obviously not the result we were hoping for,” he said. “We took a risk with the car setup and it did not pay off. We lacked the grip to be competitive, and that’s frustrating because we showed very strong pace in dry conditions.”
“In fact, I felt particularly confident during the second free practice session and in qualifying, which proves that we did very good work before the race. So there are definitely some positives to take away from this weekend. Now it’s all about Jeddah, where we took our first victory with DS Automobiles last year.”
Günther’s reference to last season’s success in Saudi Arabia provides added motivation. The circuit delivered a breakthrough moment for the German driver and the French manufacturer, and the team will look to replicate that performance.
Barnard: “We Need to Stay Positive”
Taylor Barnard also emphasised the importance of maintaining momentum heading into the next event. “It’s obviously disappointing tonight because everyone was hoping for a better result,” he admitted. “However, we need to stay positive and build on what we did well this weekend.”
“We arrived in Miami with a very competitive package, which allowed us to fight at the front of every session before the E-Prix. Even though we were clearly missing something in the actual race, we worked well throughout the weekend as a whole. Now it’s down to us to understand exactly what happened and bounce back for the rest of the season.”
