DS Penske’s Maximilian Guenther took his first Formula E pole position in two seasons for this evening’s Jeddah E-Prix, ahead of Tag Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein.
In an all-German final, Guenther expertly navigated the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, especially adapted for Formula E, the continuation of good one-lap pace from the DS package from last season prevailed against the hot favourites Porsche, but Wehrlein can still boast a 100 percent front row success rate in Season 11 so far.
Oliver Rowland was third, followed by Taylor Barnard, who produced a stunning performance to make it through to the duels.
Mitch Evans was fifth for Jaguar TCS Racing, with Nyck de Vries sixth.
Jake Hughes was seventh, with Dan Ticktum a brilliant eighth. Nick Cassidy was ninth, and the top 10 rounded-up by Jean-Eric Vergne, who was unable to match the speed of his team-mate Guenther.
How qualifying happened
GROUP A
Both Jaguars of Nick Cassidy and Evans as well as the McLaren pair of Sam Bird and Barnard were just some of those in Group A, with the Norwich youngster setting the early pace with a 1:18.200, four tenths faster than Bird.
Evans quickly jumped into third, before Cassidy went just under two tenths quicker than Barnard to go top, with da Costa placing himself in the crucial top four.
De Vries was the first to break into the 1:17.000s, with Barnard quickly leapfrogging the Mahindra to go back on top spot.
Mueller was now next to put in a good time, pushing Cassidy and da Costa into the danger zone, with both Envisions rooted to the foot of the order.
Guenther and Evans placed themselves back into the top four, with Cassidy now down in eighth.
De Vries continued to threaten the more likely, third with just under a minute to go. With the chequered flag about to fall, Cassidy took fourth, with Barnard cementing his first place with a faster time, with Guenther going second.
Da Costa could not do enough on his final run, finishing seventh and out. De Vries and Evans edged-out Cassidy.
GROUP B
The Nissans of Rowland and Nato were placed in the second group, with Wehrlein, Dennis and Vergne amongst them.
Vandoorne was the early pace-setter, before being jumped by Ticktum and Wehrlein. Rowland got off to a slow start, but then jumped into top spot with five minutes left.
The Belgian then went back into the top four, with Nato and Hughes going back in, followed very quickly by Ticktum, who went back into first.
Wehrlein then went on top, with Vergne getting in on the act, jumping into third, with Rowland and Nato on the edge of elimination.
With everyone on their last chance, Vandoorne would fail to get through, and would be joined by Nato. Dennis gave-up on his final run, taking too much kerb and sliding at the penultimate chicane.
Rowland jumped up, and went fastest right at the end with a 1:17.182, nearly three tenths quicker than Barnard’s time.
Hughes made it through at the last too, with Wehrlein third and Ticktum fourth.
QUARTER-FINALS
The first quarter-final would pit de Vries against Guenther, and in sector one, the German went two tenths up, and went a further ten up in the second. Half-a-second ahead in the third, Guenther went through with a 1:15.742, seven tenths quicker than the Dutchman.
Quarter-final number two would be Evans against Barnard, the latter going a tenth ahead in sector one, but Evans clawed-back, going ahead, setting a time of 1:15.574 but Barnard went through, just 0.014 faster than the Jaguar.
Wehrlein vs. Hughes would be the third quarter-final, and the German would be quicker in sector one but only just. He went a further two-tenths up in sector two and after a mistake by Hughes in his third sector, Wehrlein easily went into the semis with a 1:15.380, just under a whole second ahead.
The fourth duel played Ticktum against Rowland, with the Rowland a shade ahead in sector one. and then a tenth ahead in the second, and another tenth ahead in the third. Ticktum set a 1:15.754, but Rowland was eventually just under four tenths faster in the end.
SEMI-FINALS
Just like the Red Sea glistening in the Arabian sunshine by the circuit, this was new waters for Barnard, tantalisingly close to a pole position shootout, and would be up against Guenther in the first semi.
Barnard was slightly up in sector one, but Guenther edged ahead in sector two. Guenther went through with a 1:15.219, just under one tenth ahead, but regardless, a still valiant effort from the Brit.
The second semi-final put together two familiar Season 11 qualifying bedfellows in the form of Rowland and Wehrlein. The Nissan was a tenth up in sector one, and was still ahead in the second but Wehrlein clawed back some time, and went through with a 1:14.999 after a blistering final sector, making it an all-German affair in the final.
FINAL
Guenther looked smooth in sector one, but Wehrlein was a fraction quicker, and Guenther was untidy in sector two, but there was still only less than a tenth in it going into the end of the lap.
Wehrlein lost time in the final sector, and Guenther capitalised, snatching pole position by nearly three tenths with a 1:14.911, his first since Jakarta in Season 9.
