DS Penske have brought in Maximilian Gunther to partner two-time Formula E champion Jean-Eric Vergne for the 2024/25 season.
The team had Season Eight champion Stoffel Vandoorne alongside Vergne last season, with the duo leading the team to third in the Teams’ Championship with 200 points.
Neither driver managed a victory in Season 10, but Vergne scored three podium to finish fifth in the drivers’ standings. Vandoorne managed just one with third at Monaco as he finished 10th.
For Season 11, the Belgian will move to Maserati alongside Jake Hughes. Vandoorne stressed that staying with the Stellantis group was important in his decision to leave DS Penske.
As the Gen3 Evo era comes to Formula E, the team have done a straight swap with Maserati as Gunther leaves the Monegasque team after two seasons to link up with Vergne for the 2024/25 season.
Phil Charles is ‘super excited’ to see ‘the professor’ Maximilian Gunther at DS Penske
The German will be heading into his seventh season in the all-electric series this year. Gunther – who is the youngest race winner in FE with his victory at the 2020 Santiago ePrix – has grabbed five wins and nine podiums across his FE career so far, achieving a best finish of seventh in 2022/23.
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Speaking during pre-season testing at the Jarama Circuit in Madrid, Phil Charles – who joined DS Penske from Jaguar in March as their deputy team principal – explained the origin behind ‘the professor’ nickname that he is already calling Gunther.
Charles is ;’super excited’ to get the German in the car, with his ‘amazing talent’ being a ‘big motivator’ in wanting to do just that.
“What we have with Max, as you know, the youngest FE winner. So, a bright talent,” he said.
“Young guy came in with the most amazing talent and we wanted to see that deliver and we’re really keen to see that in the car. Super excited to do that, that’s one of the big motivators to get him into the car.
“But when you get hold of him, I have this real tendency to give nicknames to the drivers. I worked with Jean-Eric Vergne in the past and he was always the lion. When he’s in the car he comes alive, he’s a race day animal, he became the lion for me.
“What you get with Max is he’s the professor of the sport. That’s what I’ve nicknamed him, he studies, he works hard, does this most amazing approach to how he goes racing.”
How will Maximilian Gunther fair at DS Penske?
Gunther finished Season 10 in eighth in the standings with 73 points, marking his second best finish and points tally in his FE career.
The 27-year-old started the season strong with points finishes in the first six races, including a win in Tokyo and third in the first ePrix at Misano.
But the German was let down by five retirements in the last eight races of the season, including at both the double-headers in Berlin and London.
Gunther finished 49 points behind Jake Dennis in seventh. Now heading into a team that can regularly compete at the front for podiums and wins, the German has a great opportunity to showcase his talent and put himself in the hunt for the title.