Alexandre
This weekend saw the first ePrix of season 11 of the Formula EWith expectations high for the Maserati MSG Racing team in São Paulo. After a disappointing season 10, the team was hoping to score a major coup, especially after the arrival of its prestigious driver duo: Stoffel Vandoorne, 2022 world champion, and Jake Hughes, a promising rookie. However, the reality of the competition proved more complicated.
An eventful race for Maserati
For the first ePrix, the objective was clear: to get off to a good start. However, the season got off to a difficult start. Stoffel Vandoorne, who started from 9th on the grid, failed to qualify for the qualifying duels, losing his place by just 77 thousandths of a second. Despite a good start to the race, in which he climbed back to 7th place, Vandoorne suffered a setback with the end of the race. a red flag after an incident involving Jake Dennis (Andretti) and his teammate Jake Hughes, who forced the stewards to evacuate his single-seater.
Unfortunately, after another interruption caused by an accident involving Pascal Wehrlein (Porsche), Vandoorne saw his position drop to 11th, where he eventually finished, not far from the points.
A less than ideal start to the season for Maserati
Despite the hopes placed in their duo, Maserati MSG Racing failed to score any points in the first race. With Vandoorne ranked 12th and Hughes 21st, the team finished 9th in the team rankings, without a single point. These results stand in stark contrast to the expectations of the team, who were counting on their new line and its long-term commitment to Formula E until 2030.
The stable Maserati now needs to get back to work after this first test, especially as she had pledged to deliver a solid performance this season, with the ambition of improving on the 8th place achieved the previous year. José M. Aznar, Team Principal of Maserati MSG Racing, and Giovanni Tommaso Sgro, Director of Maserati Corse, have expressed their optimism ahead of the race, but this weekend's results show that the road ahead will be full of pitfalls.
Despite this disappointment, the team has not lost sight of its long-term objectives. The championship is still long with 15 races to go. The next ePrix, in Mexico City on January 11, 2025, offers another opportunity for Maserati to bounce back and start capitalizing on the potential of Vandoorne and Hughes.