The 2023-24 FIA Formula E World Championship officially kicks off tomorrow in Mexico City at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Ahead of the start of the season, however, the Maserati MSG Racing team held a roundtable discussion to discuss its new driver lineup, its goals for the year, and how it plans to embed lessons learned on track into the carmaker’s upcoming line of electric road cars.
The team’s new driver lineup was the first and arguably the most important topic of discussion. It was announced in September of last year that Edoardo Mortara would depart the team after six consecutive seasons. For this upcoming season, Jehan Daruvala switched from Formula 2 to replace Mortara ahead of Formula E’s 10th season. Maximilian Günther, the youngest person ever to win a Formula E race, returns for his second season with the team.
MSG’s driver lineup wasn’t the only aspect of the team shaken up ahead of the new season, as only a few months ago, it was announced that team principal James Rossiter would depart as well. During the round table discussions, Head of Maserati Corse Giovanni Sgro confirmed that José M Aznar Botella, Maserati MSG Racing’s Managing Partner, would fill in as team principal until a suitable replacement for Rossiter is found. However, it was also mentioned that Aznar couldn’t fulfill the role in the long term due to business obligations.
Aside from Maserati’s Formula E involvement highlighting the carmaker’s return to motorsport, it also promotes the brand’s upcoming lineup of electric road cars. When asked how the team’s experience on track could serve road car development, Sgro stated that the data collected from the racing cars provides valuable insights into improving the road car’s battery consumption and regenerative braking systems.
As the team makes crucial decisions ahead of the upcoming season, it’s looking to replicate the success it saw in Jakarta in June of last year, with hopefully more podiums to come. For now, it all kicks off this Saturday in Mexico City.