For the second race of the weekend, the weather proved even more challenging than the day before. Following a stormy night, the rain set in and persisted, and by 6am grey skies and heavy downpours provided the backdrop for the weekend’s third practice session.
The teams and drivers looked haggard, as the gloomy weather was compounded by humid heat that took its toll on their bodies. The teams have, in fact, equipped themselves with small portable fans and ice to try to cool down not only the cars but also the drivers. At the garage doors, the drivers inspected the track surface, and at DS Penske, Maximilian Guenther has a lengthy discussion with his engineer before zipping up his racing suit and taking his place behind the wheel of his DS E-Tense FE25. Come rain or shine, the drivers have just 30 minutes to find the right set-up for wet conditions, and as soon as the pitlane lights turn green, the track fills up.
The spray of water from the rear of the cars makes visibility difficult, and caution remains the order of the day. The drivers are testing the limits and reporting puddles of varying sizes depending on the section of the circuit. Clearly, this is a very challenging task that everyone has to tackle in the early hours of the morning, and it is here that each team’s experience will make all the difference.
During this session, the two DS Penske cars swap positions while remaining in the top 10. The ‘full wet’ set-up, which adapts the cars’ settings to the track’s precarious grip, seems to be working. Guenther and Barnard take first and seventh in the heavily rain-soaked session.
High-tension qualifying
Just an hour and a half after the practice session, the cars returned to the track for qualifying. It had stopped raining, but the track was still damp. The two DS Penske drivers were both in the first group, which halved their chances of progressing to the quarter-finals. Barnard, who had shown a fast pace from the start of the day, set the second-fastest time of the session, while Guenther finished sixth. It was therefore the British driver who progressed to the final draw, facing Pepe Marti (Cupra) in his first head-to-head.
Maximilian Guenther, DS penske
Photo by: DPPI
On a track that was drying out but still waterlogged in places, Barnard showed some flair and won the battle. In the semi-final, he faced Frenchman Norman Nato in his Nissan. Barnard started first, under the watchful eye of Jay Penske, the owner of Penske Autosport, DS Automobiles’ partner. The tension was palpable as a place in the final was at stake, and Barnard’s talent saw him cross the finish line half a second ahead.
In the final, the DS Penske driver faced Felipe Drugovitch’s Andretti, who appeared very confident heading into this final showdown.
For both young drivers, this is the moment to give it their all, with one set to secure their first pole position of the season. However, Barnard makes a tiny mistake that proves very costly, meaning he will start from second on the grid. His team-mate, meanwhile, started in 11th.
Multiple strategies
Due to intermittent rain, it’s windy, and race control has declared the track a wet, meaning several laps are completed behind the safety car before the race gets underway. While the race is one lap shorter (27 in total) than the previous day, this suggests that energy management will be less of a headache.
This time, the drivers had two Attack modes at their disposal (for a total of eight minutes), and no mandatory Pit Boost stop. With the weather a key factor (rain or a drying track), each team chose the set-up they felt offered the best chance of success. At DS Penske, while Barnard dropped three places in the opening corners to activate his first Attack mode, Guenther moved up two places and adjusted his strategy. Taking a bold move, Barnard took the lead before dropping back to fifth place, behind the four Porsche-powered cars.
DS penske fan
Photo by: DPPI
The race plan was proceeding as normal, but a breakdown involving a Zane Malony’s Lola Yamaha triggered a Full Course Yellow. An extra lap was added, the cards were reshuffled, and strategies could no longer be implemented as planned. With many drivers still having two or four minutes of Attack Mode remaining with just a few laps to go, the established order was shaken up. Barnard secured points in ninth place and Guenther crossed the finish line just two places behind him.
The next round of the Formula E world championship will take place on 25-26 July in Tokyo.
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– The Autosport.com Team
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