The 11th Formula E season has come to an end at the London E-Prix, with DS Penske driver Maximilian Günther finishing his first season with the team. He praised the work throughout the campaign and points out that the standings results don’t reflect the actual quality.
Strong qualifying was not rewarded in the second London E-Prix race
Günther had a strong qualifying after retiring from the first race on Saturday. In the semi-finals he was beaten by Dan Ticktum, who proceeded to take pole. However, the Briton was relegated back to P6 due to a penalty. That meant, Günther started from second place.
Unfortunately, the race didn’t go as the German would have hoped for. Speaking to Pit Debrief in the media pen, he explained that he struggled with balance.
“Very good qualifying, mega good front row start and then a difficult race. Unfortunately, we had no balance in the car, extreme understeer, which meant no efficiency,” he said.
“The main sticking point in the race was that we spent both attack modes behind the safety car or full course yellow. And that made things extremely difficult for us.”
In the end, it was a P7 finish for Günther. During the race, he was still under investigation for an incident with McLaren rookie Taylor Barnard. So far, there isn’t any decision.
Günther praises quality and performance throughout Formula E season
It’s P10 in the drivers’ standings for Günther at the end of the season. He was able to take pole twice, as well as being on the top step on two occasions. In Jeddah, the 28-year-old was able to win from pole. Overall, it’s been a “very positive” season, he says.
“Ultimately, neither the team championship nor the drivers’ championship reflects our performance this year. That’s why I’m very satisfied with the season in terms of results, because there was so much quality and so much performance in it!
“Of course, we had some extremely great moments, with two pole positions and two race wins. But we also consistently delivered such high quality.”
He adds: “Unfortunately, we had many technical issues, as well as some misfortune in certain races. As a result, we were unable to secure points.” One of those races was the first in London.
For next year, he knows that those issues need to be sorted out: “Especially on the technical side, in terms of reliability. And then we’re already fully engaged in the fight for much more.”
So full attack? “Always!”
