2021 Formula E Günther Misses Podium in Monaco
Round 7 of the Formula E season took place on the streets of Monte Carlo, where BMW i Andretti Motorsport narrowly missed out on a podium result.
Maximilian Günther was looking strong in qualifying for Round 7 of the Formula E season in Monaco. The German driver finished third to reach Super Pole where he secured fifth position on the starting grid ahead of the race. Teammate, and winner of the previous round, Jake Dennis, was less fortune in qualifying though. The Briton's first race in Monaco did not go according to plan – he would start the race from 14th on the grid.
Günther moved up as high as third place as he battled on the Formula 1 circuit in the principality, taking part in some close-fought duels as he sought his first podium finish of the season. However, as the drivers tactically used their Attack Mode to best effect, Günther fell back to fifth place, though wise energy management gave him the opportunity to make up some ground towards the end of the race. Despite this, it wasn't meant to be – a minor collision saw Günther’s chance of a podium finish disappear when Oliver Rowland's Nissan clipped him from behind in the port chicane.
Things were far worse for Dennis, he was involved in an accident on the very first lap and subsequently dropped to the back of the field. Compounding his misery, he also received a drive-through penalty for excessive energy use and finished the race in 16th place.
Günther said: “First of all P5 was a good start position for us. The race itself was very spectacular and very strategic. When do you take the Attack Mode, when do you use energy? Every overtaking move was right on the edge. At one point I was running in P3 but then after the Attack Modes I ended up in P5 fighting with Jean-Éric Vergne. He slightly touched me in turn six and then had the better run through the tunnel to overtake me. To sum it up, a bit of a shame to have missed the podium here, but we had a good race and scored good points. That was important for everybody. All-in-all it was a positive day in Monaco.”
Dennis commented: “My race was a bit unfortunate. I was in the middle of the pack and there was a backlog into turn seven. As I got hit, the car flipped into reverse gear and I lost a lot of time. After that we managed the race and hoped for a safety car. It came out towards the end but it just wasn’t enough to gain a lot of positions. The biggest thing we can take away from here is that we learned the track in Monaco. The performance wasn’t that bad. It is what it is and we move on now.” Rounds eight and nine of the 2021 championship take place in Mexico.