JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia Maximilian Guenther took things down to the final turn before winning the inaugural Jeddah E-Prix, round three of the Formula E championship Friday.

Driving for DS Penske, Guenther used the debut of Pit Boost to an advantage to upstage Nissans Oliver Rowland and McLarens Taylor Bernard for the victory.

The German sealed pole ahead of Round 3, his first since Jakarta 2024, and as the field flew away into the unknown with Formula Es first energy-boosting pit stops(Pit Boost) debuting here in Jeddah Guenther led early on from Rowland, Barnard and Mahindra Racings Nyck de Vries.

Through the first rounds of Pit Boost stops, it looked like a number of drivers had got the jump on Guenther with Rowland able to come out on top as the 31-lap race crossed the 20-lap mark. The Nissan driver, along with Barnard and de Vries spent their 10 percent extra energy early, unlocked by that 30-second 600kW Pit Boost jolt, right off the back of their pit stops while Guenther elected to dive through the Attack Mode activation zone and use his additional boost of energy later on.

The race looked to be coming back the way of Guenther come Lap 22 once the order began to shake out the black and gold and black DS PENSKE flashing by Barnard to see Guenther third by the mid-point of that same tour.

De Vries was busy drawing Rowlands four-second gap down into a two-second advantage out-front through the second and final 50kW power output-boosting Attack Mode activations but it was Guenther stole a march leaping into second to spearhead the charge after the lead Nissan setting the Fastest Lap on Lap 27, and with a percentage point of energy in-hand on Rowland as the laps ticked down.

From there, it was a four-lap, four-car fight to the win though Guenther was running out of corners to get a move done. With just the final chicane to hold on, Rowland looked to have things sewn up but a dive left from Guenther, as the Nissan tried to hold onto what little energy he had left, was enough to see the DS through to the checkered flag.

That marked a first victory for Guenther with DS PENSKE and his first since Tokyo last season, as well as the first time a polesitters converted the win since the opening race of Season 10, some 17 races ago.

It also meant three different drivers have now led the Drivers World Championship after Mitch Evans (Jaguar TCS Racing) post-Sao Paulo, Antonio Felix da Costa (TAG Heuer Porsche) post-Mexico City and now Nissans Rowland, who heads the way on 43 points to da Costas 39.