"Hard to put into words" - Günther misses first WRC points through no fault of his own, Mortara finishes 10th despite crash

Max Günther also failed to score points in the fourth Formula E race of the season in India - but under the most unfortunate circumstances. On the way to a possible double-digit points result, the German was taken out of the race through no fault of his own. Nevertheless, the form curve of Maserati at the Hyderabad E-Prix clearly pointed upwards.

.

In qualifying, things still looked good for Günther. In the battle for the best starting positions, the Allgäuer reached the knockout stage for the first time this season with his "Maserati Tipo Folgore" and started the race from fifth place. Things were still going well for him in the first third of the Hyderabad E-Prix. He was able to hold his own in the leading group. Then disaster took its course.

On lap 11, Günther initially missed the activation of the attack mode and lost a position. But it got worse when, two laps later, the two Jaguar drivers collided immediately in front of him. Günther drove through the attack zone again at this moment of all times and was unable to find a way back onto the track because Mitch Evans and Sam Bird blocked the way back into turn 3. As a result, he dropped back to 16th place and had to settle for 13th in the end.

The @JaguarRacing crash was unfortunate in every sense but spare a thought for @maxg_official. ?

He'd decided to go through the attack zone just as the accident happend. Had he stayed on line, he likely wouldn't have been caught up in the melee. #FormulaE #HyderabadEPrix pic.twitter.com/BdlpNfPPLy

- Tobi Bluhm (@TobiTweetings) February 11, 2023

"I find it hard to put into words how unfortunate the race was," Günther said. "I got off to a good start and managed to manage my energy. The moment I tried to activate attack mode, three cars crashed in front of me. I felt completely powerless because the cars were blocking the track. That's extremely bitter, because a lot of things were possible in the race."

Günther was nevertheless satisfied with his pace in India and speaks of a "good weekend" for Maserati: "Despite the new track, as well as the challenge it presented, we were able to put ourselves in a good position as a team. We had both the pace and the energy management fully under control. We are moving in the right direction, even if luck is not yet on our side."

Mortara inherits point despite early wing damage

.

For teammate Edo Mortara, the race went only slightly better. The Swiss collided with Nick Cassidy at the start and sustained damage to his front wing. He lost the part a little later and came into the pits for a nose change on lap 4. As a result, he dropped back to 22nd place.

Also because several drivers ahead of him retired, Mortara finished 11th and benefited from a retrospective penalty against Sebastien Buemi, which earned him 10th place and a championship point.

"Over one lap we were definitely faster (than last), but the race was difficult to assess because I was impaired after contact at the start of the race," Mortara explained. "I lost my front wing, and the car didn't feel very good after the repairs."

?️ @edomortara #HyderabadEPrix | @MaseratiCorse pic.twitter.com/904eqVixbK

- Maserati MSG Racing (@maseratimsg) February 11, 2023

"But we somehow managed to finish in the top 10," the 36-year-old said. "It's clear we need to be more competitive, but with a clean performance I know we can finish in the points. From my point of view, it's been a weekend of ups and downs, but our performance is improving all the time."

It has to, because with a meager three WRC points, Maserati still occupies the penultimate WRC spot in the team standings. Mortara occupies 18th place, and Günther is the only driver apart from the three ABT drivers who have not yet scored anything worthwhile this season. The fifth round of the 2023 Formula E season will take place on February 25, 2023, in Cape Town (South Africa)

.