Maximilian Günther is expecting this weekend’s inaugural Portland E-Prix to feature an incredible amount of overtaking, similar to the recent double-header in Berlin.
The German heads into the twelfth round of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship on the back of having claimed Maserati MSG Racing‘s first win of the season in Jakarta. Günther was the king of the Indonesian capital at the start of June, as he topped every session at the double-header, with the only exception being the first race.
In the first race in Jakarta Günther had to settle for third, before he claimed victory in the second race. It staggeringly marked Maserati’s first single-seater victory since 1957, and his first since 2021 in New York. It was a weekend which Günther and the team will never forget; however, it’s “back to business” on the West Coast.
Portland will be a fascinating affair given that the race is going to take place on an actual circuit, rather than a traditional Formula E street track. As a result, the Portland International Raceway is expected to be the fastest track on the calendar, resulting in an high amount of slipstreaming. Günther is expecting the race to be very similar to Berlin, with the Maserati driver targeting “another competitive weekend”.
“The weekend in Jakarta was truly special and the victory on Sunday meant a lot to me. I took a little time to enjoy, but then it was back to business. Portland looks very fast, and the flowing track layout will shape the race strategy and the style of racing heavily. I expect to see a similar level of slipstreaming to races like Berlin, but that challenge is something that I enjoy, so I’m excited to try and execute another competitive weekend.”
“We need to keep it clean” – Edoardo Mortara
For Edoardo Mortara, Jakarta was also a positive experience, as he claimed a top ten finish in both races. The experienced Swiss driver progressed to the duels ahead of both races, before finishing them in sixth and eighth respectively.
Having endured a bit of a miserable campaign, it was a welcomed performance by Mortara, who is now looking forward to the fourth new venue of the season this weekend. Looking ahead to Portland, Mortara is expecting the venue to add a “new element” to the type of racing which has been seen so far this year, adding to the importance of avoiding trouble.
Mortara is hopeful of a good weekend but knows that himself and Maserati must “keep it clean”, something which has often been his downfall this season.
“As a driver, I always look forward to racing in a new location and experiencing something different. Looking at the circuit characteristics, it should bring a new element to the style of racing we have seen so far this season. As always, we need to keep it clean and take it session by session and from there, we’ll see what we can do.”
Credit: Maserati MSG Racing