Maximilian Günther heads into Formula E Season 10 on the back of a “great off-season”, leaving him full of confidence ahead of this weekend’s season-opening Mexico City E-Prix.
The German driver heads to the Mexican capital on the back of an extraordinary second half of Season 9, which saw him claim four podiums – including a race win – across seven races. On top of this, he looked brilliant during last October’s pre-season test in Valencia, where he completed 245 laps of the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, with his best time putting him fifth.
Following the strong off-season, Günther admits that “the spirit within the team is strong”, although the 26-year-old will remember how badly Season 9 started in Mexico City 12 months ago for himself and Maserati MSG Racing.
After looking exceptionally fast in testing ahead of the inaugural Gen3 race – Günther topped all but one session – everything went wrong for the German and Maserati. Günther was tipped by most to win in Mexico City last season, only for him to qualify 17th and finish 11th.
If this wasn’t bad enough given their high expectations, Günther failed to score a point until the seventh round in 2023. As a result, lessons have been learnt from what went so wrong last year, to ensure it doesn’t happen again come the first race of the year this Saturday.
In actual fact, Günther looks stronger than ever before and is seen by some (including myself), as a genuine underdog for the Drivers’ Championship. This all depends, though, on a positive start to the season.
“I’m very much looking forward to kicking off the season in Mexico City,” said Günther. “We’ve had a great off-season, made some good steps forwards and the spirit within the team is strong.
“The track in Mexico City is a challenge that I enjoy a lot, the layout is fast, and we have this amazing section through the Foro Sol stadium where you really feel the passion and the energy of the fans.
“The difference in altitude plays a role as well. I’m looking forward to the fantastic welcome that we always receive from the Mexican fans, and we will try to begin our season with a good weekend.”
