Team narrowly misses out on points in Brazil

Maserati MSG Racing fell short of the top 10 in São Paulo

The Race In Numbers

Edoardo Mortara
Free Practice One // P14
Free Practice Two // P17
Qualifying // P4 [1:12.109, Semi-Final A]
Race // DNF
Fastest Lap // 1:16.891
Championship Position // P19 [3 points]

Maximilian Günther
Free Practice One // P8
Free Practice Two // P2
Qualifying // P9 [1:12.189, Quarter-Final C]
Race // P11
Fastest Lap // 1:13.995
Championship Position // P20 [0 points]

Maserati MSG Racing
Championship Position // P10 [3 points]

In Detail

Maserati MSG Racing narrowly fell short of the top 10 at the 2023 São Paulo E-Prix following a frenetic, hard-fought maiden outing for Formula E in Brazil.

After seeing promising signs in practice, the team extracted every ounce of pace in qualifying, with Edoardo Mortara and Maximilian Günther both progressing to the duel stages.

Although Max was pipped in the Quarter-Finals, Edo advanced to the penultimate stage by defeating Envision Racing's Nick Cassidy in the first head-to-head.

The Swiss-Italian was unfortunately pipped by Stoffel Vandoorne in the Semi-Finals, but with a 1:12.109 lap time, Edo started from fourth, with Max ninth due to a grid penalty from Cape Town.

Both drivers secured a good start when the race got underway, but Edo sustained front wing damage immediately after running into the back of Mitch Evans amidst a bunch up in Turn One.

While Max maintained his starting spot, Edo boxed for repairs, however, given the nature of the circuit - and the power of the slipstream - the 31-lap affair quickly turned into a high-speed game of chess.

By running a carefully managed opening phase, Max battled to a high of eighth before the Safety Car was deployed on lap eight when Nissan's Sacha Fenestraz stopped on track.

With the pack bunched up, the neutralisation provided a fresh opportunity for Edo who sliced through the field to 14th before a second Safety Car on lap 16, this time for Jake Dennis.

Edo overtook Sergio Sette Camara for 13th after the second restart but was forced to retire on lap 21 after being spun into the barriers by Abt's Nico Müller, which left Max as the team's sole runner.

The German battled for a place inside the top 10 for the remainder of the race but was overtaken by Sebastien Buemi on lap 28 to take the chequered flag in 11th.

Formula E's ninth season will continue in Berlin, Germany, on 22-23 April for the second double-header event of the current campaign.

In Their Words

James Rossiter, Team Principal, Maserati MSG Racing
"The team deserved better today, especially after all of their hard work since Cape Town. We pulled together and delivered a fast car, that much is clear from qualifying. But with the mistakes, the results we're achieving don't reflect what we know we're capable of. We need to look at what happened and address some significant changes ahead of Berlin. Despite the disappointment, I'm incredibly proud of everyone in the team. We know what we can do, and we know we'll get there - and when we do, it'll be the result of an extreme amount of hard work."

Edoardo Mortara, Driver, Maserati MSG Racing
"It's been a difficult weekend from my side. After struggling for a bit of pace in practice, we executed a strong qualifying to start the race from fourth. Unfortunately, I lost my front wing on the first lap and had to pit for repairs, but the Safety Car on lap eight brought me back into the race. The team executed an intelligent recovery strategy, but I was spun into the barriers after the second Safety Car which meant I had to retire. Berlin is up next and it's a circuit that we know well after winning there last year."

Maximilian Günther, Driver, Maserati MSG Racing
"A disappointing race today, and it's frustrating to miss out on points with P11. The car was feeling great as soon as the weekend got underway and qualifying put us in a strong position, despite the grid penalty. The race wasn't easy for us right from the beginning. Some good areas, but over the whole stint we didn't achieve our target. We will regroup from this and try to make a better race next time. Berlin is my home race, and is a circuit that holds some special memories for me and there, my only goal will be to score some good points."

Giovanni Sgro, Head of Maserati Corse
"Our first FE race in São Paulo started off well with both drivers making it to the duels and then qualifying fourth and ninth. Unfortunately motorsport is always unpredictable, as Edo got bumped from behind to DNF and Max finished 11th after an exciting race. We continue to push with an enormous amount of resilience as we head to Berlin."

Maserati MSG Racing
Maserati MSG Racing is one of the founding teams of the FIA Formula E World Championship and in December 2013, became the first manufacturer to join motorsport's premier fully-electric category. As one of only a handful of constant participants since the series' inaugural 2014/15 season, MSG Racing has moved from strength to strength and in 2021, tasted vice World Championship success with Edoardo Mortara before completing its most successful season to date in 2022, finishing the season as the vice World Teams' Champions.

Led by Chairman & Managing Partner, Scott Swid, and Team Principal, James Rossiter, the Monegasque marque is Formula E's most gender-diverse team and is at the forefront of sustainability, EDI, technical innovation and excellence. For further information please visit our website. For media hub access and rights free content, please register here.
Maserati MSG Racing Media Contact:
Liz Brooks - Director of Strategic Communications
[email protected]
Tel. +44 7887 846 177

Maserati S.p.A.
Maserati produces a complete range of unique cars, immediately recognisable for their extraordinary personality. Thanks to their style, technology and innately exclusive character, they delight the most discerning, demanding tastes and have always been a benchmark for the global automotive industry. A tradition of successful cars, each of them redefining what makes an Italian sports car in terms of design, performance, comfort, elegance and safety, currently available in more than seventy markets internationally. The ambassadors of this heritage are the Quattroporte flagship, the Ghibli sports sedan, the Levante - the first SUV made by Maserati, and the Grecale, the all-new "everyday exceptional" SUV, all models characterised by the use of the highest quality materials and excellent technical solutions. Ghibli, Grecale and Levante are also available in hybrid versions. A complete range, equipped with 4-cylinder hybrid powertrains, V6 petrol and V8 petrol, with rear-wheel and four-wheel drive, embodying the performance DNA of the Trident Brand. The top of the range is made up of the MC20 super sports car and the MC20 Cielo spyder, powered by the ground-breaking Nettuno V6 engine, incorporating F1-derived technologies available in the power unit of a standard production car for the first time. The sporty New GranTurismo models - available with both high-performance petrol engines and a 100% battery electric powertrain - take the House of the Trident forward into the future: the first car in the electric range, the Maserati Folgore. By 2025, all Maserati models will come in a full-electric version, and the entire Maserati range will run on electricity alone by 2030.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
MASERATI NORTH AMERICA
Matt Rindone - PR & Communications, Maserati Americas - [email protected]

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