Official: Maximilian Günther to race for DS Penske from the 2024/25 Formula E season

Now it's official: Formula E team DS Penske has announced the signing of German racing driver Maximilian Günther. The 27-year-old joins from sister team Maserati MSG Racing, has been given a "multi-year" contract and will drive alongside Jean-Eric Vergne from the eleventh season of the electric series.

This brings us full circle: Günther made his Formula E debut at the Gen2 season opener at the end of 2018, driving for Jay Penske's team - then still under the name Geox Dragon. After various commitments with BMW i Andretti, Nissan and most recently Maserati, the man from the Allgäu region is now returning to Penske as a seasoned Formula E great.

"This is obviously a very special feeling because I started my Formula E career in Jay's team," explained Günther exclusively to e-Formula.news. "I was 20 years old in season 5 and he gave me the chance to prove myself. Since then, I've gained experience in the series, won races and now want to take the next step in my career."

Günther's objective is clear: "I want to fight for championships," he says and is convinced: "We have a really strong project and I like the vision. I'm really excited and it makes me proud to be part of it."

Long-term project with new race engineer

He also hints that DS Penske may continue in the Gen4 era - manufacturer Stellantis has not yet commented on whether DS will continue its Formula E programme after the next two years. "I've been given an insight into what the vision is for the next few years. We now have the Gen3 Evo upgrade, and then of course the Gen4 era is on the horizon," says Günther. "It's a long-term project, and I simply have the best feeling about my future here."

He is also looking forward to seeing some familiar faces in the team: "There are still a few people from back then, especially within the mechanics. I still know a lot of faces from my first season. Nicolas Mauduit is still part of the team, as are a few other engineers. But of course the team is different today: DS Penske is now one of the big players in Formula E."

By the way, Günther is not bringing his race engineer with him from Maserati. "It's a new one that I don't know yet."

"We'll be able to challenge the reigning champions"

Günther's Formula E career to date is impressive: He has won five of his 83 races to date, stood on the podium ten times and claimed two pole positions. "He is an ambitious and committed driver who can bring us both podium finishes and many championship points," says Eugenio Franzetti, Director of DS Performance. "I am sure that the collaboration with Jean-Eric Vergne will be very efficient."

In fact, DS Penske is likely to take a step forward in terms of the driver line-up, as both Vergne and Günther have recently been the points scorers in their respective teams. In a direct comparison with Stoffel Vandoorne, who took over the cockpit from Günther at Maserati, the German came out on top in terms of points in season 10 (73:61) and was also able to set a highlight with his victory in Tokyo.

"We will be in a position to challenge the reigning champions and perform even better in the 11th season that is about to begin," says Franzetti confidently. No easy task, given that his team finished third last season, well behind the works teams from Jaguar and Porsche.

His hopes are probably also pinned on the new Stellantis powertrain, as a car upgrade for all manufacturers will reshuffle the cards for the first time in two seasons. DS Penske expects an initial assessment of the situation from 4 to 7 November at the collective pre-season test in Valencia. The season will finally start on 7 December in Mexico City.