- ARAB NEWS
- 05 May 2024
Since 1975
TOKYO: Maserati MSG Racing’s Maximilian Guenther emerged victorious in the inaugural Tokyo E-Prix on Saturday, triumphing over Nissan Formula E Team polesitter Oliver Rowland.
The German driver’s win marked an historic moment as Formula E added yet another race winner to its already too-close-to-call line-up for Season 10.
In a thrilling display of skill and strategy, Guenther clinched victory after moving to the front on Lap 24, making it his team’s first triumph since Jakarta in Season 9 and his fifth career win in the series.
Guenther’s path to victory was not without its challenges, however, as he faced stiff competition from Rowland, defending in front of a home crowd for Nissan Formula E Team.
Guenther, 26, expertly positioned himself in British driver Rowland’s slipstream, preserving energy for a decisive push toward the end of the race. Despite Rowland’s best efforts to reclaim the lead, Guenther successfully defended his position, thwarting three attempts on the final lap.
The Tokyo E-Prix also saw a continuation of the season’s trend, with five different race winners representing five different teams in the opening five races of Season 10. The level of competition has intensified the championship race, with the top three runners often separated by less than one second and the entire pack within 10 seconds of each other.
Reigning Drivers’ Champion, Jake Dennis, of Andretti Formula E Team crossed the line in third, ahead of Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team duo Antonio Felix da Costa and Pascal Wehrlein, the latter now in the lead of the Drivers’ World Championship.
Nico Mueller of ABT CUPRA Formula E Team secured sixth place, while Nick Cassidy finished seventh, having climbed through the pack from 19th on the grid. Edo Mortara initially finished seventh but was later disqualified for energy overuse.
Following Round 5, the Tokyo E-Prix, Jaguar TCS Racing leads the Teams’ World Championship with 100 points, followed by TAG Heuer Porsche with 83 points. Wehrlein heads to Misano two points clear of Cassidy in the Drivers’ Championship table.
Guenther said: “It’s amazing that we’ve raced here. It’s such a nice city and such a nice country. I love the culture, and we’ve felt very welcomed here.
“It’s a great track, it’s very challenging and very technical and then to win the first ever Tokyo E-Prix — it’s a huge feeling. I think in general we can be really proud of what we’ve done this weekend; being in the top three in all the sessions, always up there, and then to walk away with the winning trophy is great.
“I think we executed the race pretty well, the strategy was good, and I pulled off a few good moves to move up and then we defended against Ollie right up until the last lap. It was pretty tight. It definitely wasn’t easy; I think I just surprised him in Turn 10.”
The next race in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is the 2024 Misano E-Prix double-header on April 13 and 14.
