DS PENSKE have confirmed rising star, Taylor Barnard will race for the team in the 2025/26 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship alongside seasoned race winner Maximilian Guenther.
Brit, Barnard is fresh off the back of one of the best rookie season in Formula E history. He stood in for an injured Sam Bird at NEOM McLaren for his debut in Monaco and Berlin, Season 10, where he became the youngest-ever points scorer in the series’ history.
In his first full campaign, he became the youngest driver to make the podium in Sao Paulo to open Season 11, before adding youngest polesitter to his list in Jeddah.
The 21 year old has established himself as one of the hottest talents in motorsport, and team boss Jay Penske is more than happy with his capture.
The team also confirmed that they will be retaining the services of Formula E’s youngest-ever race winner – Maximilian Guenther.
The German driver is now an experienced head and multiple race winner – not least in Jeddah and Shanghai this year, the latter seeing Guenther head home an emotional DS one-two – the perfect complement to Barnard’s raw talent.
I am thrilled to welcome Taylor to DS PENSKE. At just 21-years-old, he has already demonstrated remarkable speed, composure, and race craft, rewriting the record books and establishing himself as the most successful rookie in Formula E history. His talent, determination, and maturity make him one of the most exciting prospects in motorsport today. Penske on signing Barnard.
I’m buzzing to be joining DS PENSKE for season 12. The team has a fantastic history in Formula E, and I an excited to work alongside Max to push for strong results. Formula E is such a unique challenge, and I feel ready to keep building on what I have achieved so far and fight at the front of the grid. Barnard on the news.
Wehrlein flew away from the second row of the grid to sweep around the outside of poleistter Guenther and P2 Barnard at the long, tightening right hander at Turn 1. Standings leader Rowland, meanwhile made up five spots on Lap 1 to find himself second, ahead of Guenther.
The leaders squabbled hard with positions swapping through Lap 2 before it all got a bit too close through the chicane with Cassidy coming off worst – spat out into a half spin and down to the back of the field – Rowland, Guenther and Hughes somehow unscathed amid the crunching carbon fibre to lead the pack on Lap 4.
Vandoorne was first to jump for the initial of his two 50kW four-wheel driver Attack Mode boosts and clambered up to the front of the field come Lap 6, taking advantage of some minor contact between Hughes and Rowland which saw both stumble.
Positions cycled as energy usage came to the fore through the first third of the race, and Attack Mode started to come into play. De Vries led di Grassi, Rowland, Guenther, Buemi, Vandoorne the top six on Lap 9 – while reigning champion Wehrlein slipped as far as 12th through the first round of Attack.
The Porsche driver made it back up to P5 come the end of his first 50kw boost, with Rowland and Guenther still to activate.
Rowland looked to be employing the same strategy as he did in Jeddah, during the first PIT BOOST race – going later for his first Attack to get to clear air out front before pitting, with leader de Vries covering that strategy off and matching the Brit up.
Mueller’s early leap for PIT BOOST left him well placed as he fired in the quick laps to go gain enough time on those yet to stop to leave him the net race lead as it stood. Rowland and Guenther had to put their foot down to counter, and they duly did – doing just enough on Lap 18 to emerge from their stops out front.
A lap later, and Wehrlein, who had put pressure on the leaders prior to his PIT BOOST stop, then split Guenther and Rowland to emerge P2.
On lap 19, Robin Frijns, who’d quietly found his way through the pack to fourth, made a move on Rowland for third, as it stood – 13 places gained.
Those yet to use their final Attack Mode, and had energy in-hand then chose to leap. Barnard jumped the lead group to slice by the front-runners through the final chicane and away from the pack to the tune of almost two seconds on Lap 21 the NEOM McLaren driver dropping Guenther, de Vries and Wehrlein.
Guenther had half a minute of Attack over Rowland himself, and pressured the Nissan through the final laps before making a move count on Lap 26 over the start/finish.
On lap 27, Barnard produced a storming move on Rowland for second – hanging it around the outside of Rowland to steal up the inside of the Nissan into the chicane, with Ticktum following in the melee to clamber onto the final step on the podium.
On the final lap, Guenther was home and dry out front but behind it was all kicking off. Ticktum pressured Barnard, with a dive into Turn 1 followed a move at the chicane. He leapt outside of Barnard while Vergne jumped inside the McLaren to bypass Ticktum in the process into second.
The full top 10 are- P1: Guenther, P2: Vergne, P3: Barnard, P4: Ticktum, P5: Rowland, P6: Nato, P7: Bird, P8: De Vries, P9: Buemi and P10: Frijns.
Formula E’s most recent race winner continued his strong pace and topped the timesheets for FP1 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Nissan’s, Oliver Rowland was quickest in the Free Practice session in Jeddah, with his teammate Norman Nato taking second. It’s a promising start for the Nissan powertrains, especially with McLaren’s Sam Bird finishing the season in fourth.
There was early drama between Pascal Wehrlein and Oliver Rowland as the two came close to contact as they scoped out the circuit.
Jake Hughes set a great lap halfway into the session, going over a second and a half quicker than Rowland who was in P1 before the Maserati MSG Racing driver knocked him off the top spot.
Zane Maloney and Lucas di Grassi received a drop of 20 grid positions for breaking the seal on their respective MGUS after Lola Yamaha ABT sought permission to perform checks and resolve a technical issue post round 2.
FP2-
TAG Heuer Porsche’s Antonio Felix da Costa was quickest in the Free Practice 2 in Jeddah, as the grid prepared for the first qualifying session at the new Saudi Arabian circuit. Maximilian Guenther finished second for DS PENSKE and Maserati MSG Racing’s Jake Hughes third.
Just under 10 minutes in, and it was Lola Yamaha ABT’s Lucas di Grassi who was top of the timesheets with a 1m17.150s. However, the session was brought to a brief halt after Robin Frijns was forced to come to a stop at Turn 13. The Dutchman mentioned troubles with rear brakes on team radio with yellow flags deployed for his Envision, which became a red flag.
Once the session got going again, it was Maximilian Guenther and his DS PENSKE who was quickest, taking a second a half out of di Grassi’s previous lap.
With 10 minutes to go, da Costa had set the benchmark with a 1m15.470s. His time wasn’t beaten after another red flag was deployed in the final minutes of the session due to a clash with Mahindra’s Nyck de Vries and Maserati’s Stoffel Vandoorne coming together. The former teammates had a misunderstanding on track, with de Vries on a faster lap clipping Vandoorne’s car and ending up in the barrier.
Qualifying-
Maximilian Guenther achieved his first Julius Baer Pole Position since singing for his new team DS PENSKE, as he lined up alongside TAG Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein.
Taylor Barnard had a fantastic session for NEOM McLaren as he started on the second row of the grid next to Nissan’s Oliver Rowland.
The full top 10 are- Pole: Guenther, P2: Wehrlein, P3: Rowland, P4: Barnard, P5: Evans, P6: De Vries, P7: Hughes, P8: Ticktum, P9: Cassidy and P10: Vergne.
Mahindra Racing’s Edoardo Mortara failed to set a time after a technical failure, so he had a lot of work to do in the race, apart from that there wasn’t too much drama in the qualifying session.
Round 3-
Polesitter Guenther led the field away through the tight left right of Turns 1 & 2 while Rowland edged by Wehlrein at Turn 4 with the Porsche slipping wide of the apex.
Things would go from bad to worse soon afterwards for the reigning champion as the front wing of Mitch Evans’ Jaguar came into contact with Wehrlein’s rear tyre.
With the debut of PIT BOOST and the 10% additional energy that brings, the field spaced out – Guenther racing to a two second lead come Lap 4 over Rowland.
Guenther started to save energy as he brought the four behind him into play, all running in a pack with a gap back to Vergne in 6th. However, on Lap 8, the safety car bunched everyone back up together again.
The German led the field away again on Lap 9 as things were. De Vries made moves for third at Turn 14 on Taylor Barnard on Lap 10. A lap later and Guenther ceded the race lead on track to Rowland at the same corner – the DS PENSKE driver looking to save up some energy having led from the front.
Lap 14 brought about the first ever PIT BOOST stops. Hughes, Barnard and da Costa were the first to make the leap – looking to undercut with some flat out laps under ATTACK MODE following their 10% energy boosts.
Rowland headed the way by some four seconds in had with less than 10 laps to go, from de Vries, Guenther, Hughes, Barnard, Mortara, Vergne, da Costa, Dennis and Buemi.
De Vries drew that gap to Rowland down to two seconds by Lap 26, though as the leaders set about their second and final 50kW ATTACK MODE boosts and it was Guenther that leapt into second to spearhead the charge after the lead Nissan.
From there, it was four lap duel to the chequered flag for the win but Barnard joined the fun on the final tour having dispatched de Vries a lap earlier.
Guenther jumped Rowland on the way into the final chicane, energy in had with Rowland having to back off. The lead four fired to the line which was led by the German for his first win since Tokyo last season.
The full top 10 are- P1: Guenther, P2: Rowland, P3: Barnard, P4: De Vries, P5: Hughes, P6: Vergne, P7: Mortara, P8: Bird, P9: Da Costa and P10: Vandoorne.
DS PENSKE have confirmed that Maximilian Guenther will drive for the team from Season 11 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
The German driver joins DS PENSKE’s double champion Jean-Eric Vergne driving for the team through the 2024/25 campaign.
Guenther first joined the team in Season 4, when team owner Jay Penske offered him a debut seat in the championship.
Since then, the 27 year old has gone on to secure five wins and 10 podiums across 83 races since, representing the likes of BMW Andretti and Maserati along the way.
Guenther’s teammate Vergne holds a number of records – including for most points scored in Formula E history, the Frenchman having been a part of 130 of 132 races since Season 1.
The team sealed four podiums and third place in the 2023/24 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, improving two berths on Season 9’s result.
I’m very happy to be joining DS PENSKE. A powerhouse in the championship and a project with strong vision. We share the same ambitions and are all driven to be at the top of Formula E. Representing DS Performance, a manufacturer which has won several championships already is a real privilege. Same for being teammate with a champion like Jean-Eric Vergne, it’s something I really look forward to. A very special element for me is to drive for Jay’s team again, he brought me into the championship when I was 20 years old. I’m proud to be part of the team and excited of what we will build together in the future. Guenther on the news.
Having Max on the team feels right. His calm under the pressure and make bold moves on the track will be a huge asset to the team. We share a common goal to push the team to the top of the standings. With our combined skills and determination, I am looking forward to a thrilling season ahead! Vergne on Guenther joining the team.
I am very excited to welcome Max back to DS PENSKE. His undeniable talent makes him a perfect fit for our ambitious objectives this season. His race craft is extraordinary, he combines a cool, strategic mindset with a fierce determination on track. Competing alongside Jean-Eric Vergne, the talented driver with most front-row positions last season, we are more driven than ever to achieve our championship goals. PENSKE AUTOSPORT concluded Season 10 of Formula E with a solid third place in the Teams’ championship. The Team is eager to build on past successes and continue their pursuit of excellence in the series’. Penske on the news.
Maximilian Guenther and Jehan Daruvala are to leave Maserati MSG Racing, the team confirmed.
Guenther joined Maserati MSG Racing at the start of Formula E’s GEN3 era and made history by becoming the first driver since Juan Manuel Fangio in 1957 to win a World Championship single-seater race for the Trident.
Alongside a further victory at the inaugural Tokyo E- earlier in 2024, the German represented the team on Formula E podium on six occasions, while also claiming two pole positions across 32 races.
Daruvala who became the first Indian racing driver to compete in World Championship motorsport since 2012 in Season 10. He joined Maserati MSG Racing for Formula E’s most recent campaign and showed continual progression to secure two top 10 finishes in his time with the team.
I’d like to thank Max and Jehan personally and on behalf of the Maserati Family for all their commitment and all the work they have done. Both made contributions to the team’s achievements and did their best in every race to put both of the Maserati Tipo Folgore in the best possible positions. Max brought us so much excitement, taking the Trident back to the podium several times, whereas Jehan – the only rookie on the track in Season 10 – did an amazing job with his growth and had no hesitation in facing leading drivers with determination and passion. We’re proud to have had Max and Jehan with us, to have worked together and to have shared so much that will stay with us forever as part of Maserati’s history in Formula E. I’d like to wish them both a great future in motorsports. Giovanni Sgro, Head of Maserati Corse.
On behalf of the team I would like to sincerely thank Max and Jehan for the work they have put in over the course of Season 10. Since joining the team in 2022, Max has played a critical role in our development and has been responsible for some of our biggest achievements in Formula E’s Gen3 era so far. Being a rookie in this championship is not easy however Jehan showed his speed over one lap right from the second round in Saudi Arabia. He was consistently quick in qualifying and towards the second half of the season he was regularly challenging for points. It has been a pleasure to watch Max and Jehan grow as part of our team, and we wish them nothing but the best for the future. Jose M Aznar, Team Principal & Managing Partner, Maserati MSG Racing.
Envision Racing’s Robin Frijns headed the way in an eventful FP1 session on Formula E’s first visit to Tokyo.
The top 15 runners were split by less than a second and six teams represented in the top six at the chequered flag, with the field getting their first taste of the Odaiba streets.
The sun shone down for the first Free Practice 1 session in Tokyo, a big contrast to the weather seen in the capital that morning. The heavy rain was still left around parts of the track which made it even more challenging for the drivers.
One area affected by the standing water was Turn 1 with drivers such as TAG Heuer Porsche’s Antonio Felix da Costa and ABT CUPRA’s Lucas di Grassi going wide just minutes into the session.
Red flags were shown eight minutes in when the DS Penske of Stoffel Vandoorne came to a halt at the entry into Turn 4. The Season 8 World Champion had a technical problem with his Gen3 machine.
Reigning Champion, Jake Dennis made a small but costly mistake as he nudged his Andretti into the barriers at Turn 16, with the front nose taking most of the impact.
There was also an unusual incident between Sam Bird and Sacha Fenestraz towards the end of practice. Fenestraz was whacked by Bird as they both entered the first turn and suffered significant damage to the front of his car.
FP2-
Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans set the fastest time of Free Practice 2, a 1m19.339s as the grid got grips with the new circuit.
The track will still wet after the huge downpour yesterday morning with Turn 1 still being rather slippery with standing water, which isn’t ideal.
Both Envision Racing’s Sebastien Buemi and Robin Frijns set the pace early on, with Frijns going quickest overall in Free Practice 1. However timings were soon improved by the likes of Andretti’s Jake Dennis, TAG Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein and ERT’s Dan Ticktum the top three before a red flag brought a stop to running.
The red flag was issued due to Lucas di Grassi as he clipped the front of his car near turn 12 which caused a range of debris to litter the track.
Things got going again quickly and drivers were keen to get out again, Mahindra Racing’s Edoardo Mortara has been looking rapid. His teammate Nyck de Vries lost part of his front wing on a lap towards the end of the session, having to pull into the pit lane to have some repairs.
Qualifying-
Nissan and Oliver Rowland made history in Japan, as the home team achieved the Julius Baer Pole Position for the second time this season.
Rowland was just 0.021s ahead of the Maserati MSG Racing of Maximilian Gunther in the finals, as big names like Championship leader Nick Cassidy will start in 19th due to having his lap time deleted for a technical infraction.
In Group A, Oliver Rowland went quickest with a 1m19.658s. Edoardo Mortara was just behind him by 0.020s. Nick Cassidy got through in third, but his lap time was deleted. Jake Dennis got the final sport, and was promoted to third due to Cassidy, which meant his teammate Evans moved into fourth. However, Jake Hughes and Mitch Evans were also placed under investigation for impeding.
The drama didn’t stop there, as Group B also had some. ERT’s Sergio Sette Camara made contact with the wall early on, which sent debris scattering onto the track, but he still managed to find his way to the duels. He was beaten to the top spot by Maximilian Gunther who set a 1m19.391s. Joining him in the duels was Nico Mueller and championship favourite TAG Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein. There was also a close moment between the NEOM McLaren of Sam Bird and Mahindra Racing’s Nyck de Vries who both went down an escape road near Turn 16.
The Qualifying top 10 is- Pole: Rowland, P2: Gunther, P3: Mortara, P4: Sette Camara, P5: Dennis, P6: Evans, P7: Wehrlein, P8: Muller, P9: Da Costa and P10: Frijns.
Round 5-
Rowland held fast off the line to keep the lead with Mahindra’s Mortara clambering over the back of the Nissan as he gained ground on Gunther into second. Through the opening laps, less than 10 second split the 22 car field with the lead three separated by less than a second.
On lap 3, Ticktum, Fenestraz and Buemi were the first drivers to jump for the initial of two mandatory Attack Mode. Meanwhile, Wehrlein was looking raciest in the top 10 – making it by Sette Camara for fifth at Turn 1 on the same lap, and hassling Dennis for fourth.
Wehrlein was the first of the front runners to jump for Attack Mode on lap 8, with Da Costa holding off the chasing pack to make the German’s life easier. On lap 10, Rowland led Mortara and Gunther with again no more than a second between them. Rowland jumped for attack and held the lead while Mortara followed from second – dropping down to third with Gunther profiting in the process.
Da Costa had dispatched Dennis at Turn 15 on Lap 17, and made it by his teammate Wehrlein who was shuffled to sixth and some front wing damage. A lap later, Jaguar’s 100th celebrations came to a quick end with Mitch Evans out in contact with Frijns in an overambitious overtaking manoeuvre gone wrong.
The race fired into life from there, with Nato and Frijns sixth and seventh on Lap 18, jumping for Attack Mode. Dennis was just ahead of the pair, with the Brit able to help his teammate and vice versa with track position through their attack mode activations.
Rowland gave up track position to Gunther on lap 24, with the Brit happy to save energy in the slipstream, aware that the Maserati driver was yet to take his second Attack Mode which should allow the Nissan back ahead.
However, Rowland could only hang on some 1.7 second back which meant Gunther was able to take his Attack and hold the lead. Mortara was in third, and was holding off the close attention of da Costa, Dennis, Nato and Wehrlein.
Nato took his final 50kW boost on lap 31 and in the accordian effect, Frijns unfortunately got caught up in contact and span out in 10th spot.
Da Costa spied a chance to jump onto the podium around the outside of Turn 15 however Dennis was not having any of it. Rowland did his utmost to pressure Gunther for the lead with a look around the outside of Turn 1 and the inside of Turn 3 but Gunther’s Maserati looked really wide.
The full top 10 are- P1: Gunther, P2: Rowland, P3: Dennis, P4: Da Costa, P5: Wehrlein, P6: Nato, P7: Muller, P8: Cassidy, P9: Frijns and P10: Sette Camara.
Now we have less than two weeks until the next race weekend! As we head to Misano, Italy for Round 6 and 7!
Maserati MSG Racing have confirmed the signing of Jehan Daruvala alongside the returning Maximilian Gunther for Season 10 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
Daruvala is well acquainted with Formula E, and after making two Rookie Test appearances in 2023 already, he will step up for a full time race seat next season.
A breakthrough 2019 season, which saw him emerge as a key title protagonist in FIA Formula 3, facilitated Jehan’s progression to Formula 1 feeder category, FIA Formula 2 in 2020 – where he scored four wins and 18 podiums.
The former Mahindra Racing Reserve Driver made an official outing in the team’s M9Electro at the Berlin Rookie Test – with the 24 year old Indian driver finding himself inside the top six runners at that day long two session test.
Race winner Gunther extends deal, the 26 year old is a fixture on the Formula E grid, and despite his relatively young age, he’s among the most experienced as a result.
Gunther became Formula E’s youngest race winner in just his 13th E-Prix and two Julius Baer Pole Positions, four podiums and Maserati’s first victory in World Championship single-seater motorsport since Juan Manuel Fangio won for the Italian marque in Germany 1957, means a well-earned return to the team for Season 10.
That Jakarta win followed Berlin podiums and early season pressure yielded what looked like a nailed-on seat for the German in 2023/24.
Formula E is a championship that I have admired for a long time, and after taking part in two test sessions, I’m very happy to have the opportunity to step up to a full-time race seat. From my experiences so far, the GEN3 car is completely unique to drive, but I’ve found it to be a very rewarding experience. I would like to thank James (Rossiter, Team Principal) and Maserati MSG Racing for giving me this chance and I can’t wait to learn more about the car and get to know the team better in pre-season testing, before hitting the ground running in Mexico City in January.
Daruvala on the move to Formula E.
I’m very proud to continue with Maserati MSG Racing. We had a great first season together, particular the momentum we build in the second half of the year with one win, four podiums and two poles. Continuing to build on this base is something that I‘m very much looking forward to in 2024, same as working with Jehan as my new teammate. After seeing our performance trajectory unfold this year, I‘m confident we can go on to achieve bigger and better things in the future.
Gunther on sticking with Maserati.
We’re excited about our driver lineup for Season 10, and we’re confident that the blend of Max’s experience with Jehan’s determination will prove to be a competitive combination. Max impressed us throughout the 2022/23 season, and continuing our relationship was a natural decision. He has brilliant speed, a strong understanding of Formula E’s Gen3 package, and with five seasons of experience – despite being aged only 26 – has an impressive amount of knowledge. That experience will be invaluable for Jehan, who has already shown good promise in his two rookie test outings with Mahindra earlier this year. Over the past four years, he has shown hunger and determination in Formula 2, and has clearly demonstrated that he has what it takes to win races. Now, Jehan is ready to do the work it takes to succeed in Formula E. In Season 9, we faced many highs and lows, but we learned a great deal from every scenario we faced. After making some positive performance gains over the Summer, we’re looking forward to getting Season 10 underway, and with our lineup, we’re confident that we can be in a position to fight at the front of the grid.
Jordan's Track Talk 