Jake Hughes found himself in the thick of the battle during the final laps of the Jeddah E-Prix, engaging in a heated duel with Taylor Barnard over second place. In the penultimate lap, Hughes was forced off track as Barnard aggressively shut the door on him in the first turn—an incident that initially had the Maserati MSG driver calling the move “on the edge.”
However, despite the hard-fought battle and the missed opportunity to claim second place, Hughes took the setback in stride, acknowledging that in Barnard’s position, he likely would have done the same.
“Look, it’s on the edge,” Hughes admitted post-race. “Fair play to Taylor. He did everything he needed to do. You get out the car and you think it’s a little bit on edge, but I’d probably do the same, to be honest. But in the end, I’ll take a podium.”
A Major Step for Hughes and Maserati
The third-place finish marks a significant moment for Hughes, as it is his first podium since joining Maserati during the off-season. It also represents his third career Formula E podium, following his runner-up finish in last season’s Shanghai E-Prix.
Hughes’ strong result was a continuation of his solid form, coming on the heels of a fifth-place finish on Friday. With the Maserati DS powertrains proving to be competitive, Hughes was pleased with how the team executed their race strategy.
“I’m really happy to get my first podium today,” he said. “I think we managed a really good race. We basically executed the race we wanted to beforehand. Oli [Rowland] was just a bit too good today, and I think we were good to be fighting with Taylor and McLaren.”
Maserati’s Resurgence Puts Stellantis in the Championship Fight
Hughes’ podium finish also played a crucial role in elevating Stellantis—the manufacturer behind Maserati MSG and DS Penske—to second place in the Formula E manufacturers’ championship. The team capitalized on Maximilian Guenther’s victory on Friday, keeping them within striking distance of current leaders Nissan.
“Apart from Max today, we’ve basically had all four Stellantis cars in the points in the last few races,” Hughes pointed out. “So along with the Nissan boys, I think we’re looking good—probably more so than expected.”
With a competitive package under him and momentum building, Hughes is optimistic that Maserati and Stellantis can keep the pressure on Nissan as the season progresses.
“To get these points on the board now, hopefully we can have a strong rest of the season as well.”
What’s Next? Maserati Eyes Further Success
With their strong Jeddah performance, Maserati is firmly in the title fight, and Hughes’ podium finish serves as a statement of intent for the remainder of the season. With the battle tightening at the top, all eyes will be on Hughes and Maserati to see if they can continue their upward trajectory and challenge for race wins and championship glory.