FE | Gunther: “Maserati can fight with Porsche and Jaguar”

The German driver comes to the two races in Saudi Arabia after taking fourth place in the season-opening Mexico City ePrix earlier this month, where he was the only driver not powered by a Jaguar or Porsche engine to finish in the top five.

Having always remained in the leading group after starting from third place, Gunther hopes to be able to continue on this path, continuing to demonstrate good competitiveness for the rest of the season, starting with this weekend's round in Saudi Arabia .

“We're definitely not coming here as the favourites, as the Jaguars and Porsches certainly are,” said Guenther, who finished Thursday's FP1 session in ninth place, still in the same league as the leading teams.

“Based on Mexico we have closed the gap a bit and we are able to fight against them, compete with them. We were very strong in qualifying and the race was competitive [in Messico]. It was just one race, so we need to continue to focus on getting the most out of our package. The track here is very different and I think we will see a trend in terms of performance after a few races.”

Last season Gunther and Maserati suffered a disappointing start to the championship, not so much from the point of view of performances in qualifying, where the German had often achieved the top ten, but in the race. In fact, in the first six races, no points were achieved, but from mid-season there was a clear change of pace, which led to the victory in Jakarta and three more podiums.

From his point of view, the winter break was a good opportunity to reset ahead of the new season, allowing Maserati MSG to work to close the gap with the top teams, as demonstrated in Mexico.

“I think we worked very well during the break and arrived in Mexico with a very good package. Mexico and Saudi Arabia were [appuntamenti] very difficult for us last year, so for us to start the season well [2024] represents a turning point. Let's see what we can do here.”

“I have a good feeling in the car, the team has shown good momentum since the second half of last season and now with this good start in Mexico. Consistency is the key in general in racing, but especially in this championship, which is extremely competitive. What you want is to always get points.”

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

A spare wing in the Maserati garage

Gunther's considerations on consistency in terms of results were also echoed by team principal Cyril Blais, who underlined this aspect if the objective is to face Porsche and Jaguar.

“We hope we can compete with them. The most important thing for us is consistency. It sounds a bit cliché, but it's true, especially in Formula E. For us last year the highs were very high, but the lows very low”.

“Those boys [Porsche e Jaguar] they have been so strong because they don't have a negative circuit, they have never been outside the top 10. This is our goal. That's what we're aiming for this year.”