Maximilian Guenther pulled out a last-lap move on Oliver Rowland to win Formula E Race 1 in Jeddah EPrix, with Taylor Barnard in third.
Polesitter Guenther led the field away through the tight left right of Turns 1 & 2 while Rowland edged by Wehrlein at Turn 4 with the Porsche slipping wide of the apex. Things would go from bad to worse soon afterwards for the reigning champion as the front wing of Mitch Evans’ Jaguar came into contact with Wehrlein’s rear right tyre. A puncture and a trip to the pits required for the latter and one for Evans too, who needed his front wing changing, on Lap 5.
With the debut of PIT BOOST and the 10% additional energy that brings, the field strang out – Guenther racing to a two-second lead come Lap 4 over Rowland. Barnard and de Vries – up from sixth – followed next while Hughes and Vergne rounded out the top six. Eventually, Guenther began to save a little energy – bringing the four behind him into play, all running in a pack with a gap back to Vergne in sixth behind. Lap 8 saw the Safety Car bunch everyone back together again, however, with a stray portion of da Costa’s rear wing requiring safe collection.
The German led the field away again on Lap 9 as things were. De Vries made moves for third at Turn 14 on Taylor Barnard on Lap 10 – allowing the lead pair to jump clear by a second or so. A lap later and Guenther ceded the race lead on-track to Rowland at the same corner – the DS PENSKE driver looking to save up some energy having led from the front from the outset. Jake Dennis (Andretti) was the first to jump for one of his two mandatory 50kW ATTACK MODE boosts – a four minute dose, of eight total on Lap 11.
Lap 14 brought about the first-ever PIT BOOST stops. Hughes, Barnard and da Costa were the first to make the leap – looking to undercut with some flat-out laps under ATTACK MODE following their 10% energy boost. Meanwhile, Vergne, Vandoorne, Cassidy, Buemi, Bird and Frijns elected to take the first of their ATTACK MODE boosts. Guenther pitted on Lap 16, but wound up being the big loser – jumped by Barnard and Hughes initially, though it was Rowland who ended up out front from de Vries on Lap 21.
The DS PENSKE driver went for his first ATTACK MODE activation later than that lead quartet, though. Those four had got the jump following their stops but come Lap 22, the race came back the German’s way – the gold and black DS flashing by Barnard and Hughes to see him third by the mid-point of that same tour. Rowland headed the way by some four seconds in-hand with less than 10 laps to run, from de Vries, Guenther, Hughes, Barnard, Mortara, Vergne, da Costa, Dennis and Buemi.
De Vries drew that gap to Rowland down to two seconds by Lap 26, though, as the leaders set about their second and final 50kW ATTACK MODE boosts and it was Guenther that leapt into second to spearhead the charge after the lead Nissan – setting the Fastest Lap on Lap 27 and with a percent energy in-hand on Rowland. From there, it was a four-lap duel to the chequered flag for the win but Barnard joined the fun on the final tour having dispatched de Vries a lap earlier.
Guenther jumped Rowland on the way into the final chicane, energy in-hand with Rowland having to regen – the lead four firing to the line led home by the German for his first win since Tokyo last season. Rowland followed with Barnard and de Vries in close company.
[The story is as per press release]
