After a qualifying session on a track that is known to be challenging to overtake on, Stoffel Vandoorne and Jake Hughes made impressive progress through the field to bring Maserati MSG Racing their first double-points finish of the season.
Tyres were the talk of qualifying, with both Jake and Stoffel struggling to keep them at optimum temperature to extract maximum performance. Stoffel also had a drying track to contend with after rain hit the circuit for the morning practice session, making the right time to go for his flying lap hit or miss.
The low qualifying positions caused some concern for Maserati MSG Racing going into the EPrix as the Mexico City circuit is notoriously limited in overtaking opportunities, but this didn’t dampen either driver or the team’s prospects going into the race. The team knew that executing the perfect strategy and having a clean race could lead to a double-points finish.
It was a good start from Jake and Stoffel, both improving on their start position off the line. At the end of lap two, the duo was running 12th and 13th, Stoffel ahead, and the team were strategizing how to use the tandem to obtain maximum points at the end of the 36 laps. Jake was lucky to not be tangled in another first lap incident as Lola Yamaha’s Zane Maloney tagged the side of his Maserati Tipo Folgore. He managed to continue racing with limited affects from the contact.
Stoffel got stuck behind Mahindra’s struggling Nyck De Vries which limited his advancement through the pack. It forced Maserati MSG Racing to reassess expectations on where they were targeting to be when the chequered flag fell.
With track advantage, Stoffel took his first Attack Mode a lap ahead of Jake, both cars activating for two minutes. They were some of the last in their pack to take the Attack, meaning that they could gain positions lost to end the first Attack period just outside of the points. The entire pack were lapping similarly and with so few overtaking opportunities there was little movement outside of the Attack Mode periods. Importantly for Maserati MSG Racing, they got a sighter into which teams they had a pace advantage on after just two races, and who their closest rivals are.
The first of two Safety Cars came out with under ten laps to go when Lola Yamaha teammates Malony and Lucas Di Grassi came together, seeing Maloney in the barriers. Unfortunately, the Safety Car came out whilst Jake had under two minutes of his final six-minute Attack Mode active, Stoffel having four minutes of his, and so lost Jake the opportunity to get comfortably in the points before his Attack expired.
Stoffel was a little luckier; with the Safety Car being relatively short he still had two and a half minutes of Attack when the track went green. Being the only one in the middle of the top ten remaining in Attack Mode, Stoffel pushed to make sure he was in a strong position to hold onto his well-earned points at the chequered flag.
Jake was P10 when the second Safety Car came out – a very similar incident but this time Jaguar’s Mitch Evans was its victim – with three of the four cars behind him still to take their last Attack Modes. With the gap he had at the time, Envision’s Robin Frijns and Jaguar’s Nick Cassidy weren’t too much concern as they only had two minutes of Attack remaining, but McLaren’s Taylor Barnard had four minutes and was a threat to Jake’s first points of the season.
It was another short Safety Car, but unfortunately there was nothing Jake could do to stop Barnard passing him just before the chequered flag, finishing P11. However, a post-race penalty for Barnard added five seconds to his race time, promoting Jake to P10 and giving Maserati MSG Racing a double points finish.
On a track that is difficult to overtake on and with both cars starting outside the top ten, it cannot be seen as anything but a good weekend to have come away with a double points finish. Maserati MSG Racing will focus on their qualifying performance ahead of the next round in Jeddah, looking to put together the last pieces and start moving up the grid.
QUOTES
Jake Hughes, Driver, Maserati MSG Racing: “Honestly, we’re very happy with the race, I think we executed a good strategy. Got a bit unlucky with timing of one of the safety cars, I think that cost us a point or two. But the car was good, I felt good on energy, I felt like I was moving through the field OK so it was really rewarding to come away with a point. Considering we started P16, that feels a very good race.”
Stoffel Vandoorne, Driver, Maserati MSG Racing: “We executed a very good race; we can all be proud of that. The day didn’t start very well with qualifying; we messed up some things, but we rebounded and had a super strong race. Bit unlucky at the start, losing some places. There was a car in front that had an issue, and I got stuck behind so lost some positions there, but we kept calm, we had good communication. The pace felt good from the start, I was able to manage my energy very well and create a buffer on some of the people in front of me. The car balance felt good which always makes your life a lot easier. We were a little bit unlucky with the safety car at the end – it could have got a top five finish which would have been awesome, but with seventh I think we did the maximum possible today.”
Cyril Blais, Team Principal, Maserati MSG Racing: “A very positive weekend. We were disappointed after qualifying because we didn’t deliver and we have to be honest with our performance. But we’re very pleased with the race execution and the pace that we showed today. I think from São Paulo we dug deep, and we’ve bounced back, coming away from Mexico with double points. Even after qualifying we keep our heads up. Now we know if we start at the front we make our lives easier and then we can fight for the big points. I’m very pleased with the work of the team and the good job of the drivers.
“We were a bit unlucky with the first Safety Car because it kept our Attack Mode time by half but at the same time there was a big gap to the pack ahead. Actually, we overtook the car that we were fighting with for position, so the Safety Car penalised us a bit in Attack Mode but it also allowed us to close the gap to the cars ahead. I think all in all we didn’t get an advantage, but we didn’t get a massive disadvantage. It was pretty fair in the end and overall I’m very happy with our first double-point finish.”
Maria Conti, Head of Maserati Corse: “It’s always exciting to race in Mexico, one of the most heartfelt and popular events of the championship, as well as the home of many motorsport legends. Maserati Corse symbolises the essence of the Maserati brand and today we honoured our racing nature on a fast and demanding circuit. The proof was how we took to the starting grid driven by our passion, with the desire to meet all Maserati enthusiasts, supporters and customers in a vibrant and electric atmosphere, right there on the same track where we made our Formula E debut two years ago. For Maserati, Formula E is a natural choice, the symbol of our commitment to electric mobility. The season is only just beginning, but we are already bringing home double points finishes. We will continue to battle to the front of the grid to showcase our competitive DNA at every round on the schedule.”
In Numbers
Stoffel Vandoorne
Free Practice One // P10
Free Practice Two // P8
Qualifying // P13 [1:16.240, P8 Group A]
Race // P7
Positions Gained // 5
Fastest Lap // 1:13.824
Championship Position // P12 [7 points]
Jake Hughes
Free Practice One // P18
Free Practice Two // P1
Qualifying // P16 [1:14.134, P9 Group B]
Race // P10
Positions Gained // 6
Fastest Lap // 1:13.995
Championship Position // P16 [1 point]
Maserati MSG Racing
Championship Position // P8 [8 points]
