Maximilian Günther might have dominated the stat sheet at the first race of the Jeddah E-Prix—claiming pole position, fastest lap, and the race win—but the result was far from straightforward. It took a last-lap pass on Oliver Rowland to seal his victory, marking the first time in 17 races that a Formula E polesitter has converted their P1 start into a race win.
Despite the perfect statistical day, Günther had serious doubts about his chances after emerging from his 30-second Pit Boost fast charge all the way down in eighth place.
“I wasn’t amused, but I still knew I’ve got the two Attack Modes remaining, and I knew a few cars were pushing a lot or took Attack Mode,” Günther admitted.
“At the end, we just did our race, and I saw it’s possible to recover pretty well.”
While Rowland led most of the race, his early Attack Mode use and the need to conserve energy in the final laps left him exposed. Günther, with more power available, began to chip away at the gap, keeping an eye on a potential podium finish—until he realized victory was within reach.
“At the end, I was thinking, ‘Okay, podium is realistic today,’ but then I saw I was able to close the gap to Oli, and I tried it until the end.”
Rowland defended hard, making his Nissan as wide as possible, but the race boiled down to a final-corner showdown.
“He was defending so well that it was just about if he gets the cut or not for the last corner, because he did everything right. He made himself very wide, but obviously I knew if he had to lift early, then I’ve got the chance, and I took it at the end.”
First Victory for DS Penske
Günther’s victory marked his sixth career Formula E win but, more importantly, his first triumph for DS Penske since making the off-season move to the American outfit.
“It means a lot to me,” Günther said. “I think we’ve had a very good start of the season, actually, always performing well on the first three weekends. Unlucky in São Paulo, solid last time out in Mexico, and here a perfect day with pole, fastest lap, and the race win.”
“The race was actually really difficult. I think Oli did an amazing job until the end, defending so well. We just stayed patient, and we had more energy at the end, so I was able to get him, but it was hard work.”
Günther Stays Grounded Ahead of Race 2
While Saturday’s race was a breakthrough for Günther and DS Penske, the 24-year-old remains cautious about his chances of back-to-back wins.
“If you want to win a race in Formula E, really all the stars have to be aligned,” he explained.
“I think this was the case today. Tomorrow, everybody is starting from zero. The competition here is so incredibly tight, and you always have to stay with both feet on the ground. We’ll do our homework tomorrow. I like the track; so far it’s going well, and yeah, I’ll give my very best tomorrow again.”
With momentum on his side, Günther will look to double up in the second Jeddah E-Prix race—but as Formula E history has shown, nothing is ever guaranteed.
