Maximilian Günther, who qualified sixth on the grid, was targeting a podium finish after winning on the Corniche circuit in 2025. But the events that unfolded during the race did not give him that opportunity. From the very first lap, the German lost six positions and found himself stuck in the middle of the pack. The opening part of the race was very tactical, with most competitors conserving as much energy as possible. Under these circumstances, Maximilian prioritised efficiency with the aim of launching his attack at the end of the race. He began his fightback from 15th place at the midway point, activating his second Attack Mode in the final laps. Although he gained several places, he eventually had to settle for 11th at the finish: exactly like the day before.

Taylor Barnard endured a very difficult qualifying session that would compromise his entire day. Having to deal with tyres that gave him no confidence, the young Briton chose to head out in qualifying on another set. With rubber that was more worn than that of his direct rivals, he could do no better than 17th on the grid.

The 21-year-old driver quickly worked his way up towards his team mate Maximilian Günther in the race and adopted a very similar strategy. The two DS E-TENSE FE25 cars ran wheel to wheel for almost the entire distance, with Taylor eventually taking 10th position, just ahead of his team-mate. In another carbon copy of the day before, he scored one point in the drivers’ standings, while the DS PENSKE team squad racked up a similar score in the teams’ classification.

The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will resume on 21 March in Spain. The first European race of the year will take place on the Jarama circuit, near Madrid. After a season start that did not meet the expectations of the French manufacturer, this will be an opportunity for DS Automobiles and its partner PENSKE AUTOSPORT to make a fresh start to capitalise on all the opportunities presented throughout the second third of Season 12.

Taylor Barnard:

“The double header in Jeddah didn’t allow us to deliver the results we were looking for. In the end we just scored two points despite coming here with big ambitions. We know we have a competitive car, while last year’s excellent results – both for the team and for me personally – gave us confidence. So the end conclusion is a disappointing one, but I also think that some of the reasons for our underperformance are external elements that are out of our control. And that makes it even harder to swallow.”

Maximilian Günther:

“This race was disappointing, with another 11th place that left me just outside the points once more. I didn’t feel comfortable on the first lap, with a lot of understeer, and I lost several places. I then decided to bet everything on the end of the race by saving energy. I was planning to push hard in the final laps, but didn’t gain as many places as I had hoped. And this is clearly not what we deserved. We were fast on both days and very strong in qualifying, with a second and a sixth place on the grid, but in the end the results didn’t follow. That’s obviously disappointing for the whole team, but I am sure that we will analyse everything and come back even stronger at the next race, in five weeks in Madrid.”