Günther, Beckmann, Wehrlein: the German Formula E trio's chances of success

Three German racing drivers - Pascal Wehrlein, David Beckmann and Maximilian Günther - will be on the grid at the start of the 2024/25 Formula E season. The trio are starting the new motorsport year with different omens. What are their prospects of success, and how decisive will team-internal duels be? An analysis.

When Pascal Wehrlein crossed the finish line at the season finale in London in the summer, he held his clenched fist out of the car. It had taken him five seasons and 80 races to achieve this goal: World Champion in Formula E! After an eventful and at times emotional season, he dedicated the title to his daughter Soleya over the team radio with exuberant joy.

Wehrlein's Formula E success is, as he repeatedly reported afterwards, one of the greatest of his career. So it's no surprise that the 30-year-old wants to give it another go with the Porsche works team. One crucial difference compared to his championship-winning season: this time, Wehrlein will be the target. To use a somewhat hackneyed image, he has gone from being the hunter to the hunted.

Porsche wants to make Wehrlein the title favourite

The pre-season test for Wehrlein was quite unremarkable, although he was 3rd fastest. Once again, the Porsche works team, which has invested huge resources in the development of the new all-wheel drive system in recent months, appears to be very well positioned for the season. There have hardly been any breaks since London, team principal Florian Modlinger recently reported at our microphone. His team is focussing everything on competing for the drivers', teams' and manufacturers' world championship titles once again. This puts Wehrlein in a position where he has to be counted among the title favourites.

In the constructors' championship, the team from Weissach near Stuttgart has found a new sparring partner from 2024/25. The US-based Andretti team will no longer be the only team to use Porsche's powertrains. Cupra Kiro, the successor to ERT, is now also relying on Porsche. And on Porsche's driver squad.

Beckmann must seize his chance

The fact that David Beckmann has become a Formula E full-time driver is also thanks to his connection to Porsche. The official statement is that Kiro actively approached their development driver Beckmann as part of the deal with Porsche. The 24-year-old won't care about the circumstances of his new job: He first expressed an interest in the championship to e-Formula.news in 2017. Now he has got the seat he was hoping for.

During the pre-season test drives in Jarama, Beckmann proved to be quite competitive and was able to hold his own against his experienced and lightning-fast team-mate Dan Ticktum. The Brit is likely to become Beckmann's most important rival. If he beats him, Beckmann could even dream of a works cockpit at Porsche in the medium term. His development will certainly be followed with great interest by Modlinger and Co. Beckmann should seize this opportunity and, given Kiro's pace in the Spanish tests, will be hoping for a place in the top half of the standings.

"Before a new season, it's important to have modest expectations, but in a series as wild as this one, there are open opportunities in every single round," believes Beckmann. "After a promising pre-season test, I'm confident that we can translate this attitude into regular top 10 finishes. Kiro Race Co. is hungry, ambitious and ready to make a mark in Formula E, and that's exactly the kind of environment I thrive in as a racing driver."

Internal DS duel will be crucial for Günther

Maximilian Günther will certainly also be looking eagerly into the other half of the garage. The man from Oberstdorf has long been a fixture in Formula E - after stints at Dragon, BMW, Nissan and Maserati, it is hard to imagine a season without him. He has been signed by DS Penske for 2024/25 as team-mate to Jean-Eric Vergne.

Nominally, the black and gold therefore have one of the strongest driver duos in the paddock. However, the excellent pairing also harbours potential for conflict. With Günther and Vergne, team owner Jay Penske has brought two "number 1" drivers on board. Only one of them will come out on top in the end.

Several racing teams have already dared to experiment with two "kings" in the past. Nyck de Vries and Stoffel Vandoorne got on well together at Mercedes, Günther and Jake Dennis less so at BMW. At Jaguar, Sam Bird buckled spectacularly under pressure from Mitch Evans in 2023. Now, with Günther and Vergne at DS Penske, two racers who are hungry for success and ice-cold on the racetrack will meet again.

The real race for Günther will not just be the one for a few podiums (although these prospects seem quite realistic), but the one against his team-mate Vergne. So there is also a lot at stake for the third German driver. The first serious test awaits Günther, Beckmann and Wehrlein this weekend at the season opener in Sao Paulo. They will certainly be hoping to make a good start to the new Formula E year there with a clenched fist.