Pole position, victory, and fastest lap: Max Guenther delivered a stunning grand slam for DS Penske in the first race of the Jeddah E-Prix.
For the first time, Formula E took to the Jeddah Formula 1 circuit, set along the shores of the Red Sea. "First times" seem to be a good omen for DS Penske, whose last victory dated back to February 11, 2023, in Hyderabad (India), on an unknown and temporary street circuit. In Jeddah, the action began as early as Thursday with a rookie test, followed by the first free practice session. It was a cautious start, with teams focusing on tire management and electronic systems. But by Friday morning, the intensity ramped up. Under relatively mild afternoon temperatures, the second practice session allowed teams to fine-tune their setups ahead of qualifying. In this game of precision, Max Guenther quickly emerged as a serious contender, clocking the second-fastest time of the session, while Jean-Éric Vergne missed out on the quarter-finals by a mere four-thousandths of a second.
Guenther Dominates
In his first duel, the German driver and his DS E-TENSE FE25 faced off against Mahindra's Nyck de Vries, with a statistical "chance" of 75% to win. The numbers didn't lie—Guenther advanced easily to the semi-finals, where he met 20-year-old British driver Taylor Barnard. This time, experience made the difference, and Guenther reached his first qualifying final with DS Penske. His opponent? Pascal Wehrlein, the reigning world champion. But Guenther delivered a flawless lap, crossing the line nearly three-tenths of a second ahead. It was his first pole position with DS Penske and also the team’s first of the season.
"We did a great job as a team, and I want to thank DS Penske for providing me with such a great car," Guenther said immediately after the session. "I felt comfortable in every sector, and this pole position came at the perfect time. Now, we need to carry this performance into the race." Little did he know just how well things would go!
A Winning Strategy
As the lights went out, Guenther immediately set a strong pace, holding onto the lead. Jean-Éric Vergne, starting from 10th, gained four positions within just three laps. After several incidents, a safety car was deployed, briefly neutralizing the race.
Then came the moment to test this season’s biggest innovation: the PitBoost, allowing drivers to regain 3.85 kW of battery power with a mandatory 34-second pit stop. Combined with Attack Mode—which grants additional power for a total of eight minutes—this made race strategy a real puzzle! But in this complex scenario, DS Penske played their cards perfectly.
In the second half of the race, Guenther, running in sixth place, activated his first Attack Mode at the ideal moment, allowing him to gradually climb the ranks. With less than ten minutes remaining, he was up to third, perfectly positioned for an opportunity. His second and final Attack Mode, activated simultaneously with Taylor Barnard, gave him the edge he needed.
In the closing laps, Guenther spotted an opening against Oliver Rowland’s Nissan. The German had managed his energy flawlessly, while Rowland’s reserves were depleting dangerously. In the final lap, the Nissan had only 0.4% of its battery left, compared to 1% for the DS Penske. That was the moment Guenther launched his decisive attack, sealing a commanding victory and securing the fastest lap of the race.
The triumph was further sweetened by Jean-Éric Vergne’s solid performance, bringing home valuable points with a sixth-place finish for DS Penske.
The second Jeddah race is set for Saturday night at the same time. One thing is certain: the DS Penske cars will be the ones to watch!
