Maximilian Gunther has taken his first race win of the 2023 Formula E season as he finished a dominant weekend from Jakarta in style.
Starting from pole position and replicating his qualifying result from Saturday, Gunther held the lead off the line while his rivals behind scrapped for position. On Saturday, Gunther lost the lead early on in the race and a similar scenario unfolded this time around.
Gunther was the first in the lead pack to take his first attack mode on lap four, which dropped him to third place behind Jake Dennis and Mitch Evans.
Further back, championship challenger Pascal Wehrlein almost derailed his race when he made contact with Edoardo Mortara but managed to continue unscathed.
Up front, Dennis took his first attack mode and produced enough of a gap to move in front of Gunther, which was a net first position.
Evans now held the lead, but dropped back to third place when he took his first attack mode one lap later.
David Beckmann became the first retirement of the race starters as he made contact with the wall, resulting in damage. However, he wasn’t the only driver to find early trouble, as Sergio Sette Camara and Sam Bird both failed to take the start due to pre-race trouble.
Gunther’s quest for the win looked to be in danger when Evans then used his attack mode to take second place, while behind that pair, Edoardo Mortara progressed into fourth past Stoffel Vandoorne.
However, Gunther put up a fight and swiftly moved past Evans in one of the tightest sections of the track, completing a spectacular move.
More trouble occurred deeper in the pack as Sebastien Burmi retired following contact with Jake Hughes while Jean-Eric Vergne retired with an issue.
Gunther followed Dennis closely and began to save energy, before he was projected into the lead when Dennis took attack mode from first place.
Dennis dropped behind Evans which allowed Gunther to eke out a gap – and when he took his second attack mode on the following lap, he rejoined ahead of Dennis and in the net lead.
Evans then took his final attack mode, but was unable to challenge the leading pair.
For the remainder of the race, Gunther increased his gap over the field behind him and crossed the line almost three seconds in front of Dennis to cap off one of arguably his best weekend in Formula E.
Dennis was second, while Evans held on to third place ahead of the Nissan duo of Fenestraz and Nato who battled for position late on.
Finishing in sixth place, Pascal Wehrlein took hold of the championship lead as former leader Nick Cassidy failed to score amid an in-race mistake.
Antonio Felix da Costa was seventh, leading the second Maserati car of Mortara in eighth. Reigning championship Vandoorne was ninth while Sebastien Buemi survived his damage to take the final point on offer in 10th.
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