Maximilian Guenther said that the DS Penske car “ticked all the boxes” in his stunning victory in the first race of the Formula E Jeddah double-header.
The German stole victory from Nissan’s Oliver Rowland at the final corner on the final lap to deliver a hat-trick, having taken pole position and the fastest lap
The Franco-American outfit has been underwhelming for much of its time since its amalgamated entry in Season 9, but the team delivered a consistently strong package to enable Guenther to power to his first victory in FE since Tokyo last year.
Guenther, speaking to Motorsport Week, said: “Honestly I enjoyed this race so much, the track is amazing, the pit stop [Pit Boost] is amazing for the show, for us in terms of strategy.
“It really brings a great element to our races, it shows our progress in terms of technology, and I think we ticked all the boxes today, so that was really cool.”
“And I think this is really what we have seen today in the race in particular, that yes you need to have great pace, sure, but there are so many elements to it, there is efficiency, there is strategy, there is communication, how you place yourself in the pack, a lot of things, and I just think as a team we are working extremely hard.”
Guenther acknowledged that, given the Pit Boost will not feature in Race 2, but has the same amount of laps, the likelihood of a peloton-style race will rear its head again.
“Obviously we always want to do well in quali and that’s going to be our goal for tomorrow, but yeah sure, less importance [to get pole].”
Is the Phil Charles Factor now bearing fruit?
Guenther was coy on whether this result signals what now might be a more permanent upturn in fortunes for DS Penske, which has struggled to make a significant impact since the two brands merged in Season 9, having been two different outfits in Formula E beforehand.
The addition of technical whizz Phil Charles, who signed from Jaguar TCS Racing a year ago, was already seen as a coup, and many might now be wondering if the influence of the man who calls Guenther ‘The Professor’ is now starting to bear fruit.
One of the key improvements DS showed in Season 10 was over one lap, with Jean-Eric Vergne making it into the duels on several occasions, but its race pace was left wanting, the best result being two second-places for Vergne in Riyadh and Berlin.
Despite Charles’ reputation and the benefit DS is no doubt receiving with the use of his services, Guenther was quick to praise the whole team for his, and the Oxfordshire-based squad’s day.
“I think it’s an indication really of great execution actually, because in these kind of races there are so many elements that you have to get right, and if you just do a great job putting all these pieces of the puzzle together, you can make the difference.
“And I think this is really what we have seen today in the race in particular, that yes you need to have great pace, sure, but there are so many elements to it, there is efficiency, there is strategy, there is communication, how you place yourself in the pack, a lot of things, and I just think as a team we are working extremely hard.”
Regardless of the fortunes the team has in Race 2, and in the single-race weekend in Miami in April, the team has reason to now be quietly confident that, in a Pit Boost situation, it has the tools necessary to fight for victory.
READ MORE – Jeddah E-Prix: Maximilian Guenther steals victory from Oliver Rowland in Saudi thriller
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