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The 2023 Gulavit Jakarta E-Prix: Yes, a driver named Max dominated, but not the one you’re thinking of.

As F1 wrapped yet another weekend with Red Bull's Max Verstappen claiming the victory, a different Max stole the show from the top step in Indonesia. 

The doubleheader Jakarta E-Prix crowned two drivers king of the streets. Between the first and second races, the standings shuffled as Pascal Wehrlein (Tag Heuer Porsche) celebrated his third win of the season followed by Jake Dennis (Avalanche Andretti) and Maximilian Günther (Maserati MSG Racing). The second stint looked slightly different as Günther took the trophy, trailed by Dennis and Mitch Evans (Jaguar TCS Racing). 

Only six points bridge the gap between the top three drivers in the Formula E Championship this year. Wehrlein’s Saturday pole sitting position knocked Nick Cassidy's (Envision Racing) championship lead to third with Dennis splitting the difference. 

Not only does Formula E shake up the standings each week resulting in an unpredictable season, but the series also hosts an atypical race weekend structure. 

The knockout-style qualifying resembles a bracket format closer to March Madness than Formula 1’s three rounds. 

Qualifying begins with the field divided in two based on their current rank in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. With a quick 10 minute run to set a fastest time, the top four from each group move on to the second round. Two drivers make a run for the best pace at a time, with the slowest of the two eliminated. The one vs. one heat continues until the starting order is set. 

The weekend’s e-prix was fast, with both the 10th and 11th race rounds featuring an uncharacteristic lack of energy conservation. Rather than rolling to a start and attacking in a final push—a strategy familiar to fans of Formula 1’s Fernando Alonso—the race was consistently quick. 

“[It was a] very, very fast race from lap one,” Dennis said in a post-race interview. “There wasn’t much energy saving going on.”

The British driver fell back two places as the first race began when Wehrlein, who qualified in third, and Stoffel Vandoorne (DS Penske) overtook him in a swift launch forward. While the front of the pack cleanly got away, some drivers inched too close to their racing counterparts. Sébastien Buemi (Envision Racing) attempted to regain his position over David Beckmann (Avalanche Andretti), resulting in a damaged front wing for the Avalanche Andretti driver. 

By lap four, Wehrlein had claimed the top podium step in a wheel-to-wheel clash with Günther. 

Wehrlein’s 25-point win pushed him to the peak of the championship with 134 points. Cassidy led the ranks until recently, winning the last two races in Monaco and Berlin. His performance waned, however, as he swerved between sixth and seventh place following contact from a late overtake. Cassidy finished in the less favorable position of seventh place.

His second race of the weekend was far worse. In 18th place and as the final driver to finish, the Envision Racing driver’s performance was a steep tumble from his previous standings. 

The spec aspect of the cars—equipped with the same chassis, aerodynamic elements, tires and battery—means the physical gap between competitors is slim, resulting in near-constant rear-ending incidents.  

Evans' spin after a rear-end hit from his teammate Sam Bird (Jaguar TCS Racing) brought out the yellow flag. Evans couldn’t have had a more contradictory two races: the first ending in the garages after a last-place retirement—the only of the grid—and the second resulting in a third podium step. 

The fight up top isn’t just close in championship points, but also directly on the track. In lap 26, a zig-zag move that had Dennis attempting to take pole from the outside and then the inside without avail welcomed a third car into the mix. Günther used the distraction to leap forward, but Wehrlein proved he could stave off two threats at once. 

The second race of the weekend promised just as much unpredictability as the first. The brawl to finish first across the checkered flag spanned all 38 laps. 

In lap four of race two, Günther lost the leading advantage, falling to third. When lap nine turned into the start of 10, he overtook Evans in a narrow sliver of the straight. His move into P1 soon followed. 

Günther’s upper hand throughout the weekend was unexpected. Jakarta only marked his fourth career win and first win since 2021. It was Maserati’s first win since 1957. His fastest time in all sessions, including practice and qualifying, showed a new direction for the German driver.

“It can change so quickly, I am just really enjoying this moment here, I know there will be tracks that suit us more, there will be tracks that suit us less,” Günther said in a press release. “We try to always maximize our package, that is what we have been doing the past few races. I am very proud.” 

Formula E heads to the States next with a race on June 24 at the Portland International Raceway and I'll be there. Stay tuned for reports from the track.