The Shanghai E-Prix brought a return to permanent circuit racing, switching the focus firmly back onto energy management. Maserati MSG Racing started the day strong and with promise but were unable to convert their race strategy to points at the chequered flag due to failures with Pit Boost.
Both practice sessions showed the potential of the Maserati Tipo Folgore, with Jake Hughes and Stoffel Vandoorne finding the pace around the Shanghai International Circuit. Albeit qualifying not generating a duels appearance, both Jake and Stoffel made a step forward to start higher up the grid compared to recent races. Jake was unlucky to miss out on a duels appearance by hundredths of a second, settling for ninth on the grid.
Both drivers made a good start, managing the first few corners well to retain position. Stoffel was on an early Attack Mode strategy, taking his first four minutes in the early stages of the race. Starting higher up, Jake focused on getting track position before looking to take his first Attack.
Following suit from Tokyo, Stoffel was one of the first into the pit lane for his Pit Boost. The top twelve, including Jake, left their Pit Boost until the second wave towards the end of the Pit Boost window. Unfortunately, it was at this point the race got away from the team as both cars suffered a Pit Boost charger failure.
Maserati MSG Racing did everything they could to regain the lost positions, but energy consumption became critical. Jake and Stoffel took their last Attack Modes in the final few laps of the race, managing to climb up the grid, but there wasn’t quite enough time left in the race for either of them to get back in the points.
Tomorrow sees the second Shanghai E-Prix, where Maserati MSG Racing will take the learnings from today to make steps forwards. The absence of Pit Boost will shift the race strategy on Sunday, and the team will focus on improving on their energy and tyre management to be in the fight for the race podium.
In Their Words
Jake Hughes, Driver, Maserati MSG Racing: “In the end, what was looking like a very strong and positive day has ended on a flat note. We looked very quick through both free practice sessions, but when we came to qualifying, we had a similar issue to what we’ve been having lately with the new tyres and just couldn’t make the most of the grip. We qualified ninth which was better than lately, but I really feel like we had the car to challenge for more today. The race was looking very strong; I was leading at one point, cycling through the top three. There were some things that weren’t perfect in the race, but the main thing was we had a Pit Boost failure for the second race in a row. That put us at the back of the pack, and we went all in on getting up the grid, leading to us running out of energy on the last lap. When you’re put in this position with the pit stop, you have nothing to lose, but we do need to understand why this happened because it’s cost us today.”
Stoffel Vandoorne, Driver, Maserati MSG Racing: “That was a difficult race. We were going pretty good after the start; took attack mode early, got to the lead of the race after a couple of laps, positioned ourselves in the right group before the Pit Boost. Unfortunately, it was the Pit Boost where it went wrong for us. We had an issue with the charger and we lost a good number of seconds. This dropped us to last, into no man’s land, and we had to completely change the strategy and approach. It was difficult to be efficient because we were alone on track and couldn’t benefit from the slip stream. I took the second Attack Mode late to try and recover some positions, finishing just outside of the points. Looking at it, we were only a couple of seconds from the podium, but the six seconds lost in the Pit Boost ultimately cost us points today.”
Cyril Blais, Team Principal, Maserati MSG Racing: “Disappointing day today overall, especially the race. We had a decent strategy for both cars, tried to push forward from qualifying. I think we were in the mix to score points with both cars, targeting top six finish, but unfortunately, we had an issue on both cars in the Pit Boost which cost us. After that it was a little bit difficult to climb back into the points. We tried our best but couldn’t do better than the edge of the points. Not our day today, but I think the potential is there which is a positive. We need to do better. Now we have our heads down and full focus on bringing home points from the race tomorrow.”
Maria Conti, Head of Maserati Corse: “We knew that the Shanghai double-header would be challenging. Racing in China, where Formula E took its first steps, still produces very intense feelings. The team are taking home from today's race a series of important lessons that make us even more aware, united and focused towards our goals for the season. With Maserati's centenary celebrations in racing on the horizon, we believe that the Shanghai double-header is an opportunity to enrich our racing history and connect with a new generation of motorsport fans. We will do our best tomorrow when we’ll be getting back on the starting grid to battle to be one of the best and to write another important chapter in the history – almost a century of it – of Maserati in racing all over the world.”
