After Mahindra’s announcement in the last few hours of its lineup for the 2024 season, Maserati has also officially revealed what the line-up will be for the next championship. Alongside the confirmed Max Gunther, who has renewed his agreement with the Trident brand, there will be Jehan Daruvala, who will thus have the opportunity to make his debut in Formula E.
However, this is not an absolute first for the Indian driver, given that over the last few years he has held the role of official reserve and simulator driver at Mahindra. Furthermore, Daruvala has already had the opportunity to test a Gen 3 car, having participated in the rookie tests in Berlin and the rookie test session in Rome.
Alongside his testing experience in the electric category, Daruvala spent four seasons in Formula 2, the last of which was with MP Motorsport, achieving four victories. The Indian driver will take the seat vacated by Edoardo Mortara, who will join Mahindra next to Nyck de Vries.
Before joining Maserati, Jehan Daruvala held the reserve role at Mahindra
Photo by: Mahindra Racing
“I’ve always wanted to get on the track as a driver. You don’t want to stand on the sidelines, you want to be in the car and actually drive,” said the 24-year-old referring to his role as a test driver and the simulator, which saw him in action more in the factory than in track, although I believe I have learned a lot given the complexity of the electric series.
“Formula E is very different to what I have done in the past in all the other preparatory formulas, so I had a lot to learn. So, actually, staying on the sidelines for a season [come pilota di riserva] I think it was very positive. I learned a lot behind the scenes,” Daruvala explained.
“I think everyone thought that, being Mahindra’s reserve, I would go there, but I have always been a driver who wanted the best for himself. My managers want the best for me and we had this opportunity thanks to Maserati. It was a huge opportunity for me, it’s a huge brand. There is a great heritage and I can’t wait to represent the Trident.”
The Indian driver will then join Gunther, with the 26-year-old German driver remaining with Maserati MSG for a second season. In his first year with the colors of the Trident, Gunther finished in seventh place in the drivers’ standings with a victory and three podiums: the most important aspect, however, is the growth shown during the world championship, not only at team level, but also on a personal level, which has led him to be the reference driver in Maserati on which to continue to focus for the future.
Maximilian Gunther, Maserati Racing, Maserati Tipo Folgore
Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images
“I’m very proud of the way we turned our first season around halfway and what we achieved in the second half,” said Gunther, referring to how the Trident brand was able to turn its debut Formula E season around after a complex start, so much so that they managed to compete for the top positions with more consistency.
“We have always been very strong, competitive and continually improving. I believe that with this pace that we have, both from a technical point of view and as a team, as a group of people, I think we have a great basis to do much more.”
With the announcement by Maserati there are now only two Formula E teams that have not yet confirmed their lineup for the 2023-2024 season, namely DS Penske, from which we expect an announcement soon, and ABT. Pre-season testing in Valencia will start on 23 October.
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