Maserati MSG Racing left the inaugural Portland E-Prix with “mixed emotions”, as a “small mistake” by Maximilian Günther resulted in team-mate Edoardo Mortara retiring from the race.
Both Günther and Mortara showed good pace at the Portland International Raceway and were on-track for a points finish, until the incident occurred with three laps remaining. Günther’s front wing cut Mortara’s right-rear tyre, resulting in a puncture. The Swiss driver retired as a result, robbing him of a great haul of points. He had been running in sixth at the time, costing Maserati in the Constructors’ Championship.
Günther was at least able to finish sixth to add some points to the team’s total; however, it could’ve been so much better had it not been for his collision with Mortara. It was a “deeply frustrating” incident, which meant the team weren’t fully rewarded for their “incredible strategy”.
Team Principal James Rossiter noted how Günther’s error had “points implications”, meaning Maserati left the West Coast somewhat disappointed.
“Unfortunately, we’re left to leave Portland with mixed emotions. On one hand, it was good to bring home another good haul of points, but on the other, deeply frustrating to miss out on what could have been a strong result for both of our cars. We saw the peloton style of racing reach a new level today, and our engineers pulled together an incredible strategy to put our drivers in the right position on track when it mattered.
“Unfortunately, Max made contact with Edo’s right-rear tyre to cause a puncture during the final laps – a small mistake with points implications. We’re continuing to head in a positive direction, and hopefully, we’ll be able to achieve strong results with both cars at the next race in Rome.”
