Formula E Jeddah – Maximilian Gunther claims first Penske victory in final corner

1. Maximilian Gunther

2. Oliver Rowland

3. Taylor Barnard

4. Nyck de Vries

5. Jake Hughes

6. Jean-Eric Vergne

7. Edoardo Mortara

8. Sam Bird

9. Antonio Felix da Costa

10. Stoffel Vandoorne

Maximilian Gunther claimed his first victory with his new team DS Penske in a chaotic Jeddah race that introduced the all-new 'Pit Boost' feature.

Gunther got off to a great start, launching ahead of the reigning champion Pascal Wehrlein but an early shunt took him out of the fight.

Oliver Rowland fought his way into the picture by snatching Gunther's lead mid-race, and the Nissan driver led until the final chicane.

'Pit Boosts' proved to be a game-changer as it brought Gunther back into the fight for victory after an untimely pit exit left him in the midfield.

NEOM McLaren driver Taylor Barnard found himself in third place after eagerly inserting himself in the fight for podium positions.

Nissan driver Oliver Rowland almost tasted victory in Jeddah after a fierce fight with Maximilian Gunther, but the German driver's overtake at the final chicane was too late to recover from.

Rowland's second-place finish has launched Nissan to the top of the teams' standings as well as earned him the new championship lead.

Rowland said: "We had a plan for the race to execute it pretty well.

"I'm a little disappointed, because I think I had such a gap.

"I did not have enough, enough of a last lap energy to defend from him, but nevertheless we got some great points.

"I didn't have enough energy at the end, we made a cut and once you make a cut you can't lift any further.

"The race wasn't like a Formula E race, we were much quicker and much more spread out - I actually quite enjoyed it."

Despite losing the lead mid-race, Maximilian Gunther powered through a chaotic Jeddah ePrix and stunned with a late overtake on Nissan driver Oliver Rowland.

After securing his first victory with DS Penske, Gunther said: "That means everything to me, really, first win with my new team, DS Penske.

"Was a lot of hard work. Big race, obviously, amazing outcome for us. We lost quite a few places around the pit window.

"We just stayed calm. We did our race, and I didn't expect to come back all the way as well.

"Obviously I didn't want to leave it to the last spot, but there was no option."

Maximilian Gunther recovered his pole position in a chaotic Jeddah race that saw the introduction of the all-new 'Pit Boost' feature. The new feature coaxed drivers into making mandatory 34-second pit stops worth it, promising a 30% energy increase.

The German's untimely exit from the pit stop left him in the midfield while rival Oliver Rowland cruised around in the lead. However, the new feature catapulted Gunther back up to the race lead and with a final-lap push he claimed victory.

Gunther's victory marks his first win with his new team, DS Penske. Rowland brings success for Nissan too, launching the team ahead of Porsche in the standings. Despite settling for second place, Rowland took the championship lead from the absent Porsche drivers.

The gap was cut shorter and shorter until there was absolutely none left. Maximilian Gunther attempted a move down the inside of the Briton, but Oliver Rowland shut the door on Guenther with a wide sweep about the chicane.

Gunther tailed close behind Rowland on the starting straight but a slipstream brought Taylor Barnard directly into the picture. Rowland covered the line against Gunther into the middle sector once again, but it was not enough for the Nissan driver.

The young German driver forced his way around Rowland in the final chicane and followed through to the starting straight again. From pole to a long-winded victory, Gunther claimed his very first win for his new team DS Penske in Jeddah.

By Lap 25, a majority of the grid still had at least four minutes of Attack Mode left. This forced half the grid to deploy Attack Mode in the final few laps, including the race leader Oliver Rowland who boasts a 4.5s lead to Mahindra Racing's Nyck de Vries on Lap 26.

Polesitter Maximilian Guenther pulled a quick overtake on de Vries for second place, snatching the position around the inside of Turn 8. Ramping up the pace, Guenther uses his two minutes of Attack Mode to cut the gap down to the Nissan driver. In a fierce drive to what could be victory, Guenther managed to cut Rowland's lead down to 1.4s by Lap 27.

However, Guenther is set to run out of Attack Mode before the race leader Rowland who has almost two minutes more than the German. Rowland does seem to be struggling with speed despite having a bigger chunk of Attack Mode left.

By Lap 29, the gap was cut down even further to 0.8s as Guenther had somehow pulled an extra 1% of energy from thin air. Although Rowland had extra Attack Mode left, he failed to pull away from the Penske driver.

After a frantic first use of 'Pit Boosts' in Formula E, Oliver Rowland has emerged from the chaos as the race leader. He flies ahead of Jake Hughes who falls under pressure from Nyck de Vries. The former Formula 1 driver jumped Hughes in a fierce move around the inside in an effort to cut the nearly four-second gap to Rowland down.

Polesitter Maximilian Guenther sits in fifth place on Lap 21 as he sifts through the pack to find the lead. Guenther found himself in a sticky position after losing a number of places after leaving the pits, but his 'Pit Boost' has pushed him back up to third place by Lap 22. The energy boost has given Guenther incredible speed and power, allowing him to jump multiple drivers in one lap.

Meanwhile, Porsche is absent from this fight for the lead as Antonio Felix da Costa remains in eighth place despite his Pit Boost and Attack Mode. With just eight laps to go, his teammate Pascal Wehrlein runs in 16th place. Likely due to sustaining damage on the opening lap, the reigning champion has yet to climb back up to second place.

The top sixteen drivers have fled to the pits to use their 'Pit Boost' in a joint effort to use their mandatory pit stop and boost energy by 30%. The mandatory 34-second stop recharges the car and increases the energy of the car for a game-changing performance.

Race leader Oliver Rowland has retained his position at the front of the pack and pulled two seconds ahead of the Penske driver Maximilian Guenther. The 'Pit Boost' feature has given the rest of the pack a massive advantage on the pole sitter, who heads to the pits for his boost.

After leaving the pits, Guenther rejoined the pack in an awkward position which forced him to fight with Taylor Barnard for track position. The NEOM McLaren driver came out on top and snatched the 11th position from the polesitter.

The former race leader Rowland decided to take his 'Pit Boost' after Guenther, and rejoined the pack in eighth place behind Zane Maloney. This left David Beckmann in the lead of the race before he entered the pits for an energy boost.

Antonio Felix da Costa lunged down the inside of Nyck de Vries on Lap 10 for seventh place, but chaos unfolded behind as a pack of drivers made contact around the final hairpin. Taylor Barnard tapped the back of de Vries which caused the drivers ahead to shake a little, but all drivers made it through the final two chicanes.

At the front of the pack, Oliver Rowland snatched the lead from Maximilian Guenther who was conserving energy for the later stages of the race. Only one driver, Jake Dennis, has started to use his 'attack mode', climbing from tenth up to eighth in just one lap. The Andretti driver claimed the fastest lap on Lap 14 as he gained another position on da Costa and Jean-Eric Vergne.

The top five drivers were flying ahead of the rest of the pack when the safety car was called on Lap 7 due to debris being stuck on track at Turn 13. Unfortunately for Penske driver and race leader Maximilian Guenther, this cuts down his nearly two-second lead back to vulnerability.

His rival Oliver Rowland has been on the Penske's tail for the first act of the race, conserving energy and 'attack mode' for a fierce moment. Behind Rowland sits an eager Taylor Barnard who has managed to hold closely on to the Nissan driver.

Luckily for Guenther, he gets a great restart as Rowland fails to launch around the chicane smoothly. The pack has bunched back up as the grid saves their energy.

DS Penske new signing Maximilian Guenther has cruised to a comfortable lead ahead of Oliver Rowland despite a chaotic race start. The young driver has pulled 1.9s ahead of the rookies but they are beginning to catch the Penske.

The Porsche duo are suffering in Jeddah as Wehrlein sits in 19th place after receiving a shunt from Mitch Evans, who has been noted for investigation. Meanwhile, the championship leader Antonio Felix da Costa is stuck behind Nick Cassidy in ninth place.

Evans flees to the pits for recovery but does not use the 'Pit Boost' for a 30% increase in energy. The new feature takes up to 35 seconds to bestow energy onto the electric cars, and can dramatically change the course of the race. Evans leaves the pits in 21st place, hoping to climb the ladder once again.

Pole sitter Maximilian Guenther gets off to a great start, launching off the line and immediately covering the mighty Porsche of Pascal Wehrlein. This put Wehrlein in a sticky position that forced him to defend from the flying Mitch Evans who shunted the Porsche in an attempt to climb a position. The German driver has sustained damage to his front left wing, bringing out a yellow flag while heading into the pit lane before the end of the first lap.

Pit stops are now mandatory in Formula E so Wehrlein has been forced to take his stop far earlier than he likely planned. His shunt held up the line behind him, putting Nico Mueller in the awkward position of being stuck right behind another driver. So far, two drivers have fled to the pits.

As the sun sets on the Red Sea, the drivers ready themselves for the Jeddah ePrix. In what may be wildly different conditions to their qualifying session, this night race is set to debut the game-changing 'Pit Boost'.

The drivers have filled their starting slots on the grid and are set for an evening of exciting racing around Formula E's first visit to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. DS Penske starts from pole after a feisty duel with Porsche's Pascal Wehrlein earned him his first pole position for his new team.

Porsche were the favourites coming to Jeddah, but it was Penske who pulled ahead during qualifying. Rookie Maximilian Guenther managed to beat out the reigning champion Pascal Wehrlein in the final qualifying duel, locking out an all-German front row.

Formula E has changed its qualifying format to a knockout structure similar to Speedway rather than following the Formula 1 format. Drivers are sorted into two groups before entering head-to-head duels, and then into finals. 

Guenther’s performance earned him his very first Formula E pole position since signing for his new team, DS Penske. 

Season 11 of Formula E has brought fans a new powerful electric car, the Gen3 Evo car. Following on the car that made last season a game-changer, this upgraded car boasts more power and an all-wheel drive.

Fans can see a clear difference between the old and new spec, with the new spec easily powering around corners and launching off the line seamlessly. As Formula E has progressed, their cars have become the fastest in motorsport off the line, capable of going from 0-62 mph in 1.82 seconds.

After taking part in the rookie test earlier today, Formula E driver Kush Maini shared: "The improvements we’ve made are just amazing, it was so fun to drive. 

"I just really enjoyed myself and pushing the limits. It’s always a pleasure to jump in a Formula E car, but with the upgrades compared to last year it’s just another level."

Formula E has been racing in Saudi Arabia since Season 5, but this time at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit for Valentine's Day weekend. Rounds 3 and 4 will be taking place back-to-back this weekend along the Red Sea.

The Jeddah Corniche Circuit has become a staple on the Formula 1 calendar and has now infiltrated Formula E. Drivers will race around 19 turns on the 3.001km circuit layout, featuring a long starting straight and a mixture of technical corners. 

Sector 1’s challenging chicane and hairpin feeds drivers into the speedy second sector that boasts tricky Turns 5 and 6. The final sector is long and quick, with a hairpin and two chicanes to round off the lap.

Formula E is finally ready to debut the new ‘Pit Boost’ feature this weekend in Jeddah after two long years of development. Fans will be able to witness fast-charging technology that can change the nature of the sport.

The new feature will revolutionise the mandatory pit stops during the race, gifting drivers a 10% energy boost (3.85kWh). This 34-second stop may require a driver to sacrifice their position, but it will greatly impact their performance in the end after reaping the benefits.

Pit Boost is a completely separate entity from Attack Mode, which is deployed twice in a race to increase power in short bursts. With the reintroduction of pit stops, Formula E has an entirely new field to play with.

Porsche’s Antonio Felix da Costa holds an early lead in the drivers’ standings heading into Round 3 of Season 11. The veteran driver heads into this Jeddah double-header with a 12-point lead to British rival Oliver Rowland, who equals Jaguar’s Mitch Evans tally of 25 points. Although da Costa has yet to claim a race victory this season, he has claimed two second-place finishes so far this season.

However, the competition is fierce as his teammate Pascal Wehrlein seems as hungry as ever. The reigning champion has suffered a slow start to the season with a disaster in Mexico, but the all-new ‘Pit Boost’ brings a fresh start for Wehrlein. Wehrlein qualified in second place today after taking the fight directly to DS Penske's new signing Maximilian Guenther.

As well as this, the championship leader failed to make it through to the finals during qualifying. If da Costa hopes to retain this lead at the top of the tables, he has to work twice as hard in Jeddah as the new pit-stop rules force teams to favour a driver in each race.