Potential wasted: DS drivers Günther & Vergne involved in accidents at Formula E race in Jakarta

The two DS Penske drivers Jean-Eric Vergne and Max Günther actually had the potential to fight for podium places at Formula E's Jakarta E-Prix. However, accidents for each of them meant that the US team came away empty-handed in the end.

Max Günther set by far the fastest lap of the weekend in the first free practice session on Friday and - as with his two pole positions and his victory two years ago - was one of the favourites. However, he failed to qualify for the duel stage in qualifying and had to settle for 12th place on the grid.

"We had it in our own hands in qualifying, but we didn't do a few things right and left a few things out", Günther explains exclusively to e-Formula.news. "We clearly had the performance in the car - we've shown it in FP1."

The race was not to go much better. A furious Oliver Rowland had already gained several positions and was now also attacking Günther. The Nissan driver pulled alongside the German late on the inside lane and forced him off the racing line - where it was extremely slippery due to the dust. Günther hit the wall and had to retire from the race with damage.

Disaster for DS Penske 😅

Günther gets shunted into the wall, he's now dropped to the bottom of the order#JakartaEPrix pic.twitter.com/styrVzsRmr

- Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) June 21, 2025

Nissan lodges protest against Rowland penalty

"Oli sent me into the wall at Turn 13," explains Günther. "My suspension broke, and of course that was the end of my race. Unfortunately, Formula E was against us today. I felt very good in the car all weekend. But today was a used day, which hurts us."

Rowland received a time penalty for the accident, which ultimately dropped him from seventh to tenth place. Nissan lodged a protest against the penalty after the race - presumably with a view to the close duel with Porsche in the teams' and manufacturers' standings.

"We will see in the next few days what the outcome of the investigation will be", says Nissan team principal Tommaso Volpe, who is hopeful of gaining an extra five championship points. Rowland himself did not comment directly on the accident with Günther.

Vergne: "A very difficult race for us"

Just before Günther's retirement, the other DS driver had already messed up his race early: Vergne was the first driver to activate his Attack Mode, but then braked far too late and crashed into the back of Mitch Evans. Not only did he damage his car, but he also incurred a 5-second time penalty. In the end, it was only 15th place for the Frenchman, who would otherwise have been in with a chance of a podium finish.

A moment for JEV 😬

Vergne runs into the back of Evans at Turn 13 #JakartaEPrix pic.twitter.com/4b89mdwF6i

- Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) June 21, 2025

"I damaged my front wing early in the race, which forced me into the pits for a repair," explains "JEV". "From that moment on, our chances of a good result were compromised as we had lost too much time. It was a very difficult race for us."

The bottom line is that much more would have been possible for DS Penske in Jakarta. However, Günther is confident that the team is in a very good position for the next race weekend in Berlin (12/13 July).