A strong fourth place with further points potential

The first London E-Prix was a race of two halves, with a strong points haul
but misfortune robbing a potential double points finish.

NUMBERS

Stoffel Vandoorne
Free Practice One // P10
Free Practice Two // P6
Qualifying // P7 [1:07.775, Duels, Quarter Finals]
Race // P4
Positions Gained // 3
Fastest Lap // 1:09.275
Championship Position // P14 [62 points]

Jake Hughes
Free Practice One // P14
Free Practice Two // P5
Qualifying // P8 [1:07.843, Duels, Quarter Finals]
Race // DNF
Positions Gained // -17
Fastest Lap // N/A
Championship Position // P16 [39 points]

Maserati MSG Racing
Championship Position // P8 [101 points]

It was a mixed day for Maserati MSG Racing as Stoffel Vandoorne put in a mega performance to secure fourth in the penultimate race of the season. Jake Hughes was unlucky to be unable to capitalise on a great qualifying after early contact took him out of the race.

Both Stoffel and Jake got into the grove of qualifying, clocking up great laps to progress into the duels. Having both taken part in Group B, they took P3/P4 with Stoffel ahead of Jake. Jake went up against Jaguar’s Mitch Evans in the quarter final, with Stoffel racing against Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein. Neither were able to progress into the semi-finals, but their lap times gave them solid starting positions of seventh and eighth on the grid.

The plan of the race quickly went out the window for Jake who was tangled in a first lap incident. Pushed into the tight walls of the London ExCeL, what seemed to be light contact resulted in damage to Jake’s front suspension, ending his race before it had even begun.

The teams focus pooled on Stoffel. The timing of his Attack Modes and Pit Boost would be crucial to bringing home a strong result. The strategy was decided that the first Attack Mode would not be taken until the Pit Boost was complete, pairing the two to gain positions potentially lost in the stop. It worked well, with Stoffel coming out high in the group of early stoppers and lining himself up for a net P4.

Another late safety car came out, following the one that opened the race due to the incident Jake was involved in, threatening to undo the strategy work Maserati MSG Racing had done with Stoffel. He’d just activated his second four minutes of Attack Mode when the safety period was deployed, losing the last two minutes in the caution period. But Stoffel had done enough to fend off any attack Andretti’s Jake Dennis might have had in the dying moment to protect his fourth place. The shame of it was that he didn’t have a chance to push for the podium, but it was a solid drive from team and driver to bring home some well-deserved points.

The team and drivers are buoyed by the strong qualifying performance today, especially since it has been a weak point this season and is so important to a good result at the London ExCeL. With one race of Season 11 to go, they’ll be looking to repeat that performance tomorrow, keep Jake out of mid-pack incidents, and hopefully end the year with a podium finish.

QUOTES

Jake Hughes, Driver, Maserati MSG Racing: “It’s not becoming a reoccurring theme, it’s just the theme of the season now. Unfortunately, whether it’s a good day or bad day for pace, which today was a great day for pace, the bad luck seems to find me. Out of the race, no fault of my own, lap one, turn one. I can’t do anything about that, it is what it is. Just got one last day where hopefully all my back luck of the season can be turned off and I can get some good luck and finish at the front.”

Stoffel Vandoorne, Driver, Maserati MSG Racing: “On my side of the garage, it was a pretty good day. Qualifying went reasonably well with P7/8 for both cars. It was important to qualify at the front here to have a chance to fight for anything with the Pit Boost race. We managed the race quite well; the start almost went wrong, kind of got sandwiched between two cars and it was a bit scrappy in the first two corners. We recovered well, managed to save a bit of energy in the beginning and deployed it during the pit window. We were one of the earlier cars to pit and really deploy all the pace that we had, which was good because we were quite fast at that point. After the pit sequence, we found ourselves in fourth, and from then on it was just managing our own pace. There wasn’t really anything more to play for as guys in front were a little bit too far and behind there was no real threat. We just brought it home.”

Cyril Blais, Team Principal, Maserati MSG Racing: “On one side, we’re very happy with Stoffel. It was a very good execution of the race, made some good positions and got very close to the podium. That was very encouraging because the pace was decent and it was executed well  Stoffel and his team. We’re still lacking a bit of pace compared to Cassidy but that’s something we can improve for tomorrow. For Jake, it’s a real shame. Small contact at the start and his steering was off and  he was unable to continue. The run of bad luck for Jake seems to run forever, but at some point it must turn. We have one more race tomorrow, so we can still put things right. I really believe we had the pace to have both cars in the points today, so that’s what we’ll be aiming for tomorrow.”

Maria Conti, Head of Maserati Corse: “London is always an intense stage. We came to this final weekend of the season with the right mentality and brought home important points with Stoffel today. On a circuit – so technical and iconic – that it is unforgiving and put all the teams to the test. This weekend every placing and every point is important, both for the team's morale and for the final standings. In the first race of the London double-header, we confirmed our potential and strengthened the bond with our British fans ahead of Maserati's upcoming centenary in motorsport. There is the bitterness for Jake’s race, which ended far too early, but we continue to look ahead with determination and ambition. We are now focused on the final round tomorrow. It will be really exciting to lower the visor on the starting grid at the ExCeL Circuit for the last race of the year. The London crowd is fantastic and we’re excited and eager to make the best of this final act of Formula E Season 11.”

Maserati S.p.A.

Maserati produces a complete range of unique cars, immediately recognizable for their extraordinary personality. Thanks to their style, technology, and innately exclusive character, they delight the most discerning, demanding tastes and have always been a benchmark for the global automotive industry. A tradition of successful cars, each of them redefining what makes an Italian sports car in terms of design, performance, comfort, elegance, and safety, currently available in more than 70 markets internationally.

Maserati line-up includes the Grecale, the “everyday exceptional” SUV, the GranTurismo, the iconic Italian grand tourer, and the GranCabrio, the new convertible of the Trident; all models characterized by the use of the highest quality materials and excellent technical solutions. A range equipped with 4-cylinder hybrid powertrains – available for Grecale – and V6 petrol, with rear-wheel and four-wheel drive, embodying the performance DNA of the Trident brand. The top of the range is made up of the MC20 super sports car and the MC20 Cielo spyder, powered by the ground-breaking 100% Maserati Nettuno V6 engine, which incorporates F1-derived technologies into the power unit of a standard production car for the first time. The GranTurismo is available with both the high-performance V6 petrol engine, derived from the Nettuno, and a 100% electric version: the GranTurismo Folgore, the first car in the Modena-based brand’s history to adopt this solution. The full-electric range also currently includes the Grecale Folgore, Maserati’s first 100% electric SUV, and the GranCabrio Folgore. Finally, the House of the Trident's latest addition is the Maserati GT2 Stradale, the road-legal version of the GT2 that took Maserati back to the track in closed-wheel championships. The heart of the new super sports car is the V6 Nettuno engine, reaching 640 hp (471 kW) in the latter configuration. The GT2 Stradale is therefore the most powerful road-going Maserati with an internal combustion engine. The mission at Maserati is to write the future of mobility in the luxury segment, focusing on its customers’ requests. The Brand, in line with the Stellantis “Dare Forward 2030” strategic plan, is now taking Italian luxury all over the world.

For further information:

MASERATI
Roberta Marchetti – Maserati Corse Communications Manager – roberta.marchetti@maserati.com

Maserati MSG Racing

Maserati MSG Racing is one of the founding teams of the FIA Formula E World Championship and in December 2013, became the first manufacturer to join motorsport’s premier fully-electric category. As one of only a handful of constant participants since the series’ inaugural 2014/15 season, MSG Racing has moved from strength to strength and tasted vice World Championship success in 2021 before completing its most successful season to date in 2022, finishing the campaign as the vice World Teams’ Champions. 

Led by Team Principal, Cyril Blais, the Monégasque marque is at the forefront of sustainability, EDI, technical innovation, and excellence. For further information, visit our website. For media hub access and rights-free content, please register here.

Maserati MSG Racing Media Contact:
Liz Brooks – Director of Communications - lbrooks@monacosports.com- Tel. +44 7887 846177