The first Formula E race at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit saw Maserati MSG Racing's Jake Hughes and Stoffel Vandoorne secure another double points finish. Jake had a strong qualifying to feature in the knock-out duels, Stoffel narrowly missed out with both drivers starting in P7 and P14 respectively.
Qualifying saw both Jake and Stoffel take to the track in Group B and as is the trend in Formula E, the difference between making it into the duels and missing out was marginal. Stoffel was split from Jake – P7 and P2 in group respectively – by just three tenths of a second, sadly just missing out on a duel spot.
Making Maserati MSG Racing's first duels appearance of Season 11, Jake was up against Porsche's Paschal Wehrlein. A small mistake cost Jake a chance to progress any further in the duels stage, being beaten by Wehrlein by nine tenths of a second. His time was the third fastest of those eliminated in the quarter finals, giving him a P7 grid start position.
The start of the race saw multiple incidents, which both Maserati MSG Racing drivers managed to navigate. Jake and Stoffel had strong starts, gaining positions ahead of a brief Safety Car period that was deployed to remove debris from the track. Jake was up to P5, Stoffel P13, as the grid bunched up looking to the race leader to release them back to green flag racing.
All eyes then turned to the Pit Boost window as the cars began inching closer to the required 60% energy to activate their opportunity to pit. Jake was one of the first in, taking the stop as soon as he could, to optimise the undercut and try to negate an energy issue he had begun to suffer. The strategy worked well as he managed to regain his fifth place as the field cycled through their mandatory stops, momentarily settling in P2. Stoffel came in for his stop about three laps later, returning to the race in P11.
For Stoffel, the intentions were clear: get back into the points. Using two blocks of four-minute Attack Mode he held himself in the fight with those around him, managing to secure himself tenth and the final point on offer by the chequered flag.
Jake found himself in a much more intense battle with McLaren's Taylor Barnard as they raced pace for pace with Barnard looking to demote him from P5. He put up a monstrous fight, holding off the impending attack with spectacular grace and inventive defending manoeuvres. However, the energy battle that Jake had been having since the middle of the race and Barnard utilising being in Jake's slipstream to conserve energy finally saw the defence crack.
The race included many learnings for Maserati MSG Racing, which they will take into tomorrow's race as Round Four is conducted on the same Jeddah Corniche Circuit. With the only difference in tomorrow's competition being the removal of Pit Boost, everyone will be a step further forwards and the competition looking to be as fierce as ever. Targeting a double duels appearance, Maserati MSG Racing are ready to go to bring more points back to the team at the conclusion of the racing in the desert.
QUOTES
Jake Hughes, Driver, Maserati MSG Racing: 'That's race one done here in Jeddah and overall it was a good day. P7 in qualy P5 in the race so all in all a strong performance. It was a very stressful race, I can laugh about it now but at the time there was a lot to manage. Obviously being the first race with Pit Boost for everyone brought a whole new element to the competition. I think we have learned some good lessons from the race, even I had some important mental lessons. I think I drove very well, and the car was strong the whole race but I think just understanding how to use the energy in the Pit Boost is going to be quite a big discussion point. It always tastes a bit sweeter when you take good points home, so it was a really good day and I'm already looking forward to tomorrow.'
Stoffel Vandoorne, Driver, Maserati MSG Racing: 'It was a very eventful race. Our first one with the Pit Boost so plenty to learn from, but points with both cars which is the positive of today. I think we just need to take all this information on board. It was quite challenging out there, quite difficult from inside the car to understand where everyone is with their strategies. It was eventful. At some points you're getting overtaken, at some points you're getting it back. But in the end, P10 is a good result after a bit of a difficult start to the race so we'll take the points and come back stronger tomorrow.'
Cyril Blais, Team Principal, Maserati MSG Racing: 'Two cars in the points - Jake P5, Stoff P10 – that's a strong race for us. It was our first race with the Pit Boost and it provided a lot of excitement and a lot of different strategies as we anticipated it would. We went for the undercut with Jake which worked quite well. At one point we were P2, but he was managing the energy that we overspent in the end. I'm massively proud of the team and this result. We moved forward in the race, wherever we start we're always gaining positions which is exactly what we want. We know when we start qualifying higher up the grid that we will be in a great place to challenge for top positions. It was a strong execution from everyone today. Now we have another race tomorrow, without the Pit Boost, so we need to try and do even better!'
Maria Conti, Head of Maserati Corse: 'Jeddah is an event we were looking forward to as it's the first double-header of the season with a Rookie test ahead of the weekend of racing and the introduction of Pit Boost. We were very curious about how Pit Boost would affect the racing. Our drivers showed great skill and determination, managing to gain valuable positions and points as the championship continues. The teamwork and commitment of all team members were key to achieving the result. A crucial aspect is also the continuous transfer of technology from the racetrack to the road cars, which enables to constantly innovate and improvement to our performance. Like the introduction of Pit Boost this season; it adds an additional strategic and analytical element. Today's race was a huge lesson to be transferred to our Maserati Folgore range. We look forward to being on the grid again tomorrow for what promises to be another round full of excitement and opportunity'.Maserati S.p.A.
Maserati produces a complete range of unique cars, immediately recognisable for their extraordinary personality. Thanks to their style, technology, and innately exclusive character, they delight the most discerning, demanding tastes and have always been a benchmark for the global automotive industry. A tradition of successful cars, each of them redefining what makes an Italian sports car in terms of design, performance, comfort, elegance and safety, currently available in more than 70 markets internationally.
The Maserati line-up includes the Grecale, the 'everyday exceptional' SUV, the GranTurismo, the iconic Italian grand tourer, and the GranCabrio, the Trident's new convertible; all models characterised by the use of the highest quality materials and outstanding technical solutions. A range equipped with 4-cylinder hybrid powertrains – available for Grecale – and V6 petrol, with rear-wheel and four-wheel drive, embodying the performance DNA of the Trident brand. The top of the range is made up of the MC20 super sports car and the MC20 Cielo spyder, powered by the ground-breaking 100% Maserati Nettuno V6 engine, which incorporates F1-derived technologies into the power unit of a standard production car for the first time. The GranTurismo is available with both the high-performance V6 petrol engine, derived from the Nettuno, and a 100% electric version: the GranTurismo Folgore, the first car in the Modena-based brand's history to adopt this solution. The full-electric range also currently includes the Grecale Folgore, Maserati's first 100% electric SUV, and the GranCabrio Folgore. Finally, the House of the Trident's latest addition is the Maserati GT2 Stradale, the road-legal version of the GT2 that took Maserati back to the track in closed-wheel championships. The heart of the new super sports car is the V6 Nettuno engine, reaching 640 hp (471 kW) in the latter configuration. The GT2 Stradale is therefore the most powerful road-going Maserati with an internal combustion engine.
The mission at Maserati is to write the future of mobility in the luxury segment, focusing on its customers' requests. That mission continues to this day, looking ahead to the future and taking Italian luxury all over the world, with Maserati forming part of the Stellantis 'Dare Forward 2030' strategic plan.
Photo credit: Maserati posted on conceptcarz.com
