Just Electric

Dragon Racing: An Unlucky Dance With Dragons

Dragon’s season did not go as expected. The high hopes of good qualifying performances were not matched on track, and the team has now to look forward to what’s to come in the series.

After two seasons full of ups and downs, American outfit Dragon – GEOX Dragon as they went like this season, was hoping Season 5 would bring the team the past successes they encountered at the beginning of the series. However, misfortunes and low performances impeded the team from going forward, finishing second to last in the standings. 

Jose Maria Lopez remained in the team from the previous season, while rookie Maximilian Guenther was appointed to their other seat. It was also announced that the German’s spell in the season would be alternated, with former F1 driver Felipe Nasr driving in Mexico, Hong Kong, and Sanya. 

While the team’s best performer was Guenther, finishing within the Top 5 twice, Dragon could have had better results had they not suffered incidents or technical failures during the race.

 

Wins 0

Poles 0

Fastest Laps (top 10 only) 0

Teams’ Championship position 10th (23 points)

Drivers’ Championship position Maximillian Guenther – 17th (20 points); Jose Maria Lopez – 21st (3 points); Felipe Nasr – 24th (0 points)

 

#6 – Maximillian Guenther

Having signed as Dragon’s Reserve Driver in Season 4, the young German made a step forward in 2018, joining the American squad as one of their drivers for their Season 5 campaign. 

It was announced that Guenther would not have a full-time seat, but rather take part in some races of the calendar. His first three races (Ad Diriyah, Marrakesh, and Santiago) were not good result-wise, even if he managed to take his car to P7 in qualifying on Chilean soil. 

In his comeback, in Rome, he put his car in SuperPole, starting from P5. His race ultimately did not finish as expected, finishing in P19, but he showed he had the potential to bring good results to the team. 

Next up, at the Paris E-Prix, his efforts paid off. Guenther started the race from P5 and finished in the same position, scoring valuable points not only for him and the team; but most importantly, proving that despite being a rookie and not having the best car on the grid, he had the skills to tame the Formula E car which had proven a challenge to other rookies. 

Monaco and Berlin did not go as expected for him, but he was back in the points in Bern, matching his Paris performance starting from P5 and finishing in the exact position. 

Despite not having the best results at the New York City double-header, Guenther gave the impression that he has the potential to achieve good results in the series. It is still unknown where he will land next season, but fans do expect the young German to stay and continue to deliver good results in the fully-electric championship. 

 

#6 – Felipe Nasr

The Brazilian came into the series at the Mexico City E-Prix, substituting Maximilian Guenther in the number six car. He finished in P19 in his first race, having started it from P14. 

He also took part in the Hong Kong and Sanya races, where he was unable to reach the Top 10 in qualifying and had to retire from both races. 

Nasr’s performance in Formula E did not go as expected, and the Brazilian left unable to score any points in the three races he took part in. There were rumours that he would come back to the series at some race of the European leg, but Guenther ended up driving the number six in that part of the season. 

 

#7 – Jose Maria Lopez

The Argentinian driver did not have an easy season. Despite having performed good qualifying sessions –started in the front row in Ad Diriyah and made it to SuperPole in Rome, in addition to other Top 10 starts, the good results did not come on track. 

He managed to score his first points in Santiago, having been through a retirement and a finish outside the points in the previous two races. A series of retirements and non-point scoring finishes plagued his season. ‘Pechito’ was not able to match his qualifying performances due to on-track incidents and issues his car suffered. 

Lopez was back in the points in Monaco, with a tenth-place finish in the streets of the Principality. From then on, he was unable to score points again, with another retirement and a disqualification in two out of the four last races of the season. 

A name that was welcomed with such praise and expectations when he joined the fully-electric championship, question marks are being raised on whether he will remain in Formula E next season or not. He has the talent and has proven so finishing on the podium in some occasions, but he is undoubtedly hunger for good results to come soon, and in the following months we will see what his future in the series will be like.

Andrea Perilli

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