Maximilian Günther took Maserati to victory in the Tokyo ePrix, the fifth round of the Formula E season. The debut of the Japanese capital on the calendar was also marked by António Félix da Costa’s best result this year so far, in fourth place.
Oliver Rowland (Nissan) started from pole position and took advantage of the position. The British driver led for much of the race, although Edoardo Mortara (Mahindra) pressured him in the beginning after overtaking Günther. On the tenth lap, Günther attacked Mortara, and the defense the Swiss driver had to make allowed Rowland to use the first Attack Mode thanks to the gap that was created. In the same lap, Mortara activated his Attack Mode.
Three laps later, Rowland activated the second Attack Mode, and Günther seized the opportunity to take the lead – which he soon lost when he also used the extra boost. The German dropped to third, but quickly overtook Mortara. He then attacked the leader, taking advantage of a moment when Rowland had to slow down to save energy in order to complete the pass on the 25th lap.
Günther snatches the lead from Rowland! 🏎️💨
— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) March 30, 2024
No resistance from the @NISMO driver on this move. Günther is now pushing to extend the gap in front.#TokyoEPrix pic.twitter.com/EamAptUGot
Once in the lead, Günther never relinquished it in the remaining ten laps. He also set the fastest lap among the top ten, but finished the race with just a 0.755s lead over Rowland. Jake Dennis (Andretti/Porsche) completed the podium. To do so, he overtook Félix da Costa (TAG Heuer Porsche) three laps from the end, when the Portuguese driver failed to pass Rowland and lost momentum. Pascal Wehrlein (TAG Heuer Porsche) rounded out the top five.
Another UNBELIEVABLE final lap 🤯
— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) March 30, 2024
This clash with @oliverrowland1 cost @afelixdacosta his spot on the podium, with @JakeDennis19 claiming P3 at the end! #TokyoEPrix pic.twitter.com/InuB5Z8s87
After fighting for the podium, Mortara dropped to sixth when he used the last Attack Mode, but would be disqualified after the race for overuse of energy. Sam Bird (NEOM McLaren/Nissan) set the fastest lap, but as he was forced to retire right at the end, he did not score the extra point for the fastest lap in the top ten.
After five rounds, Wehrlein leads Formula E with 63 points, two more than Nick Cassidy (Jaguar TCS Racing). Rowland is in third place nine points off the top, followed by Dennis and Günther. Félix da Costa is in 11th place with 20 points.
A look at the first EVER #TokyoEPrix results 🇯🇵🙌
— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) March 30, 2024
Note: @edomortara has been disqualified post-race and @NatoNorman‘s penalty has been overturned.#FormulaE #Motorsport #Racing
