Gunther "over the moon" after Maserati's maiden Formula E win in Jakarta
Maximilian Gunther said he was “over the moon” after scoring Maserati MSG's first Formula E victory in the Jakarta E-Prix.
The Stellantis brand had suffered a woeful start to the 2023 FE season after taking over the team from Venturi, with a lack of pace compounded by mistakes on the part of Gunther and particularly team-mate Edoardo Mortara.
But Maserati started to turn its fortunes around from Berlin onwards, with Jakarta confirming the progress team has made as Gunther outduelled Andretti’s Jake Dennis in the second part of the double header to claim an emphatic win.
It was Maserati's first victory in any world championship race since Juan Manuel Fangio's Formula 1 success in the 1957 German GP, as well as the first for Gunther since his triumph 2021 New York E-Prix with BMW.
“I'm absolutely over the moon and so proud about this achievement today,” said Gunther. “The season hasn't been as easy, especially the start of it and we really kept believing in us, working hard, working in a good direction and clearly the momentum of our season has changed a few weekends ago.
“Berlin was great and we scored good points in the last few races and yeah now the top two poles here, one win and another podium is huge. Just extremely happy.”
Maximilian Gunther, Maserati Racing, Maserati Tipo Folgore, Jake Dennis, Andretti Autosport, Porsche 99 X Electric Gen3, Mitch Evans, Jaguar Racing , Jaguar I-TYPE 6 at the start
Photo by: Gareth Harford / Motorsport Images
Gunther was unbeaten over a single lap in Indonesia, topping all three practice sessions as well both qualifying sessions in his DS-powered Maserati car.
A relative lack of efficiency and long run pace meant he slipped to third in the opening race of the weekend, behind Porsche's Pascal Wehrlein and Andretti's Jake Dennis, but Gunther bounced back on Sunday to add a fourth career win to his tally.
The German driver slipped behind Dennis during the first attack mode cycle, but surged to the front once again after overcutting the British driver at the next round of activations en route to a 2.8s win margin.
“It's great for the dynamic of the team,” said Gunther. “Today the race was pretty perfect.
“Right from the beginning we managed well, tried to save good energy compared to guys around us and we chose the right moment to go and attack.
“Saturday was not as easy and we didn't have enough to beat the two guys in front of us but clearly today was our day.”
Jakarta E-Prix: Gunther ends drought to give Maserati MSG first win
Jakarta E-Prix: Gunther ends drought to give Maserati MSG first win Jakarta E-Prix: Gunther ends drought to give Maserati MSG first win
Jakarta E-Prix: Gunther beats Dennis to claim second straight FE pole
Jakarta E-Prix: Gunther beats Dennis to claim second straight FE pole Jakarta E-Prix: Gunther beats Dennis to claim second straight FE pole
Why the Hyderabad E-Prix is only a first step in India's motorsport emergence
Why the Hyderabad E-Prix is only a first step in India's motorsport emergence Why the Hyderabad E-Prix is only a first step in India's motorsport emergence
The 10 best Formula 1 drivers ever: Hamilton, Schumacher & more
The 10 best Formula 1 drivers ever: Hamilton, Schumacher & more The 10 best Formula 1 drivers ever: Hamilton, Schumacher & more
Autosport Podcast: F1 Spanish GP review
Autosport Podcast: F1 Spanish GP review Autosport Podcast: F1 Spanish GP review
Gunther "over the moon" after Maserati's maiden Formula E win in Jakarta
Gunther "over the moon" after Maserati's maiden Formula E win in Jakarta Gunther "over the moon" after Maserati's maiden Formula E win in Jakarta
Video: The Mercedes' breakthrough at F1 Spanish GP
Video: The Mercedes' breakthrough at F1 Spanish GP Video: The Mercedes' breakthrough at F1 Spanish GP
How Cassidy earned 'Big Cat' bragging rights in tight Monaco duel
How Cassidy earned 'Big Cat' bragging rights in tight Monaco duel How Cassidy earned 'Big Cat' bragging rights in tight Monaco duel
How Kiwis stormed Berlin to put Porsche under pressure
How Kiwis stormed Berlin to put Porsche under pressure How Kiwis stormed Berlin to put Porsche under pressure
How Evans pounced for Jaguar in a Sao Paulo slipstreaming chess match
How Evans pounced for Jaguar in a Sao Paulo slipstreaming chess match How Evans pounced for Jaguar in a Sao Paulo slipstreaming chess match
The fumble that inadvertently aided da Costa in Formula E's Cape Town classic
The fumble that inadvertently aided da Costa in Formula E's Cape Town classic The fumble that inadvertently aided da Costa in Formula E's Cape Town classic
How Vergne kept his cool to triumph in spicy Indian Formula E encounter
How Vergne kept his cool to triumph in spicy Indian Formula E encounter How Vergne kept his cool to triumph in spicy Indian Formula E encounter
Why the Hyderabad E-Prix is only a first step in India's motorsport emergence
Why the Hyderabad E-Prix is only a first step in India's motorsport emergence Why the Hyderabad E-Prix is only a first step in India's motorsport emergence
The key factors behind Porsche's strong start to Formula E's new era
The key factors behind Porsche's strong start to Formula E's new era The key factors behind Porsche's strong start to Formula E's new era
How Wehrlein's Diriyah double reveals Formula E's form book shake-up
How Wehrlein's Diriyah double reveals Formula E's form book shake-up How Wehrlein's Diriyah double reveals Formula E's form book shake-up
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.