Written by Jacob Awcock, Edited by Rohan Brown
Following his victory in the opening round at Jeddah, Maximilian Günther spoke about how he loved having the experience of Daniil Kvyat in the garage across the weekend, and how the Russian driver played an important role in understanding the features of the brand-new track.
The first rookie test of Season 11 landed on the inaugural Jeddah E-Prix race weekend, and teams rushed to secure the signings of individual drivers to compete in the 40-minute session for them.
While some opted for youth and inexperience, others went the other way and chose a veteran of the sport.
In the case of DS Penske, they opted for the latter and chose the experience of 30-year-old Daniil Kvyat, the ex-F1 driver who would get his first taste of GEN3 Formula E machinery having taken part in rookie tests previously.
“It was really cool to have Daniil around for the whole weekend, it was nice to get his support and view on the whole picture as well.”
Kvyat ended the session fifth overall, just over a second off the pace of first-place Kush Maini.
Günther himself would go on to claim a dominant victory in the opening race, topping the final free practice session and claiming pole position, two tenths ahead of Pascal Wehrlein in second.
Despite losing the lead early on and having a chaotic first taste of the brand-new Pit Boost system, losing position to multiple drivers and ending up in net sixth, the German managed his energy expertly, placing him in the prime position come the end of the race.
Using his attack mode to good use, the 27-year-old found himself in second as the race entered its closing stages.
Right behind Oliver Rowland and with an extra 1% energy the German pulled off a spectacular move for the lead on the last lap at the final corner, crossing the line eight tenths ahead of Rowland in second.
“He’s a great guy and we see each other sometimes around Monaco,” said Max, about Daniil and the feedback he provided.
“It was great to have him in the car and to get his first impression about the new track and the car. I think this is how every team used the session, to get learnings from these FP sessions as well.”
Formula E now faces another long break, before they return to Miami for the first time since Season 1. Günther and DS Penske will look to build on their impressive opening pace here and cement their position as a championship contender.
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