Maserati MSG Racing endured a difficult start to Formula E’s 11th season opener in São Paulo over the weekend, with setbacks for both newcomer Jake Hughes and veteran Stoffel Vandoorne, despite some promising moments.
The 2024/25 Formula E season officially kicked off on 7th December at São Paulo’s Sambadrome with a turbulent race filled with thrills, spills, and numerous mishaps. Only 14 of the 22 drivers managed to finish, highlighting the event’s chaos and challenges.
Jake Hughes, making his debut for the Monaco-based Maserati MSG Racing team, struggled during qualifying, finishing ninth in Group A. He ultimately started 18th on the grid. Teammate Stoffel Vandoorne fared better, narrowly missing a place in the duels from Group B by just 0.074 seconds, and secured a P9 start.
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Despite these qualifying results, the team entered the race with cautious optimism.
Hughes out early
Hughes’ race came to an abrupt end on Lap 2 after a collision involving multiple drivers. A chain reaction at the Turn 5/6 chicane left him pinned against the wall.
“There was a bit of a traffic jam ahead, with three or four cars involved in someone else’s accident,” he explained after the race. “I could see what was coming, so I was actually trying to avoid the crash. Unfortunately, one of the other drivers squeezed the driver I was trying to avoid, and he hit the inside wall, bouncing me into the outside wall. There’s not much you can do about that kind of incident.”
Vandoorne’s struggles
With Hughes out, the team’s hopes rested on Vandoorne. Starting from ninth, he quickly climbed to third, but a red flag caused by Jake Dennis’ stranded car disrupted his strategy. Vandoorne lost the final two minutes of his Attack Mode boost, leaving him vulnerable to rivals who still had energy reserves.
“It was a dynamic race; anything is possible in Formula E,” Vandoorne said in his post-race comments. “We decided to attack early and spend energy because of battery concerns, which got us into third place. But from then on, our race started to spiral downwards.”
Following the restart, Vandoorne dropped to seventh and struggled with energy management and defending his position.
He held on to P10—within the points—until a second red flag was brought out after an incident involving DS PENSKE’s Max Guenther, Jaguar TCS Racing’s Nick Cassidy, and Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein. On the restart, Envision’s Sébastien Buemi stormed through, leaving Vandoorne to finish in P11, just outside the points.
“Red flags hurt us a lot in terms of energy targets,” Vandoorne reflected. “In the end, it was just about surviving and bringing the car home.”
The São Paulo E-Prix was won by Jaguar’s Mitch Evans, with Antonio Felix da Costa of Porsche in second and Taylor Barnard of NEOM McLaren completing the podium.
The next E-Prix will take place on 11th January 2025 in Mexico City.
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Cyril Blais appointed as Maserati MSG Racing’s new Team Principal ahead of Season 11
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Photo source: Maserati MSG Racing