Formula E
Maserati MSG not yet "consistently fast" with Gen3 FE car – Mortara
Edoardo Mortara says the Maserati MSG outfit still has to understand how to be "consistently fast" with the Gen3 Formula E car following a difficult Mexico City E-Prix.
Jake Boxall-Legge
Published: Jan 27, 2023, 12:03 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Although Maserati MSG showed well in pre-season testing, as Maximilian Gunther was a near-permanent fixture at the top of the timesheets at the Valencia circuit, the team came back to earth with a bump in Mexico.
There, the team struggled to switch the tyres on in qualifying, and struggled to replicate its pace in December testing as it failed to trouble the scorers.
Gunther finished 11th at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, while Mortara crashed out at half-distance at Turn 1 in a challenging season opener for the Monegasque squad.
Asked if he was getting to grips with the Gen3 car with a race weekend in the books, Mortara felt that there were still unanswered questions within the team in how to unlock more pace from the new machinery.
"Obviously [it's] not enough because we were not quick enough in Mexico," Mortara said. "We still need to understand how to be consistently fast with this car.
"Mexico proved to be quite challenging for us, and we hope that we understand what we did wrong there. And hopefully, we'll be more competitive here this weekend."
Edoardo Mortara, Maserati Racing
Photo by: Andreas Beil
Ahead of the race at Diriyah in Saudi Arabia, Mortara explained that the circuit brought fond memories thanks to his victory last season, which kickstarted his ultimately unsuccessful title bid last season.
The Swiss driver added that confidence in the car was key to success around the tight and undulating course around a UNESCO World Heritage site, and hoped that the work Maserati MSG had carried out after Mexico would offer him that confidence.
"I've got some nice memories, especially last year winning this race," he said. "What is important here, as it's a city street course, where obviously as a driver you've got to be extremely precise and confident with the car.
"That was the case for me last year, and hopefully that's going to be the case with the new car this season."
Asked if his wealth of experience and success around Macau - where Mortara has amassed seven overall victories across Formula 3 and GT disciplines - had lent him that comfort at Diriyah, he replied that the Formula E car was too different to make a true comparison with the famed Guia Circuit.
"It's difficult to make this comparison, because we know the cars are not the same and the speeds also are not the same.
"Obviously, if you look at the racing track, I can see the kind of comparison that you're looking for.
"But in the end we are driving cars that are actually quite different to the ones we race in Macau. And I think that is something that has quite a big impact. You need to drive how you need to drive."
Read Also:
- Diriyah E-Prix: Ticktum tops Friday practice from Buemi
- Vergne: New Formula E tyres "like concrete", renews calls for slicks
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Diriyah E-Prix: Ticktum tops Friday practice from Buemi
Next article How Formula E's new emergency braking system will work
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Jake Boxall-Legge
Esteban Ocon responds to Haas signing Rafael Camara for F1 2027
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
15 h
Esteban Ocon responds to Haas signing Rafael Camara for F1 2027
FIA expects F1 races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi to continue as planned
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
FIA expects F1 races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi to continue as planned
More from
Edoardo Mortara
How Mahindra missed out on London win but capped its best Formula E season yet
Formula E
Formula E
London ePrix II
How Mahindra missed out on London win but capped its best Formula E season yet
Nyck de Vries defends himself after latest Formula E clash in Berlin
Formula E
Formula E
Berlin ePrix II
Nyck de Vries defends himself after latest Formula E clash in Berlin
Mahindra is a Formula E frontrunner again, but will it end its five-year victory drought?
Formula E
Formula E
Jeddah ePrix II
Mahindra is a Formula E frontrunner again, but will it end its five-year victory drought?
Latest news
Lamborghini Super Trofeo | North America, Race 2: Bamber dominates to take the win
Lamborghini Super Trofeo
LBST Lamborghini Super Trofeo
World Finals - Monza 2026
1 min
Lamborghini Super Trofeo | North America, Race 2: Bamber dominates to take the win
Belgian firm to take over Renault/Alpine engine facility in Viry
WEC
WEC WEC 30 min
Belgian firm to take over Renault/Alpine engine facility in Viry
Jorge Martin the slowest Aprilia in Australia practice: “I'm used to riding with the Ducati here”
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Australian GP
1 h
Jorge Martin the slowest Aprilia in Australia practice: “I'm used to riding with the Ducati here”
2027 Winter Series calendar: Three series across five circuits
General
Misc General 1 h
2027 Winter Series calendar: Three series across five circuits
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe