The driver market has started to heat up in recent weeks with Nico Mueller’s farewell to ABT at the end of the London ePrix that closed Season 10 of Formula E. The Swiss seems to be heading towards Porsche, more precisely with the customer team Andretti, but Mueller’s is only the first step in a driver market that seems about to reveal some big surprises.
Formula E teams DS Penske and Maserati MSG have confirmed the departures of Stoffel Vandoorne and Maximilian Guenther respectively, although the Belgian’s departure had been mentioned by the driver himself even before taking part in the final round in London.
Vandoorne had joined DS Penske for the 2022/23 season as defending champion, having secured his only title the previous season with Mercedes, who he was set to leave following the German marque’s decision to abandon Formula E ahead of the debut of the Gen 3 car.
Stoffel Vandoorne, DS Penske, DS E-Tense FE23
Photo by: Alastair Staley / Motorsport Images
During that time he has struggled to match the form of teammate Jean-Eric Vergne, recording just one podium in Monaco this season and taking 11th and 10th in the drivers’ championship respectively. His departure comes as no surprise: speaking to Motorsport.com over the Berlin weekend, the Belgian explained how he had struggled to integrate into his new team after so many years at Mercedes. Only in his second year did all the hard work behind the scenes seem to have started to pay off, but the choice was to follow two different paths.
“My journey with DS Penske has been an incredible experience. I am grateful to the team for its unwavering support and I look forward to new challenges,” Vandoorne explained of his farewell to the Franco-American team.
Jay Penske, DS Penske team principal, added: “We are truly grateful to Stoffel for his commitment and outstanding performance for DS Penske. We wish him the best in his future endeavors.”
While there was no update on Vandoorne’s Formula E tenure, it is likely that he will remain on the grid with Maserati, which would offer him the chance to remain within the Stellantis brand, alongside his dual WEC commitments with Peugeot.
Stoffel Vandoorne, DS Penske, DS E-Tense FE23
Photo by: DPPI
Indeed, Maserati has also confirmed that this season’s driver lineup of Maximilian Guenther and rookie Jehan Daruvala will not be carried over to the 2024/25 season, which will lead to a completely new line-up. The German has spent two seasons with the team, with two victories, the first last year in Jakarta, bringing the Trident brand back to victory, and the second this year in Tokyo.
At the start of the season, Gunther had made an excellent start to the championship, with results that had placed him among the candidates for the title chase, at least until around the Misano stage. From that moment on, a few less impressive results arrived for the team and the German driver, who thus slipped back in the standings before having a good weekend in London, albeit peppered with some reliability problems. Undoubtedly, however, Gunther has shown himself to be a talent worth banking on and it seems that he is indeed close to replacing Stoffel Vandoorne in DS.
Giovanni Sgro, Head of Maserati Corse, said: “I would like to thank Max and Jehan personally and on behalf of the Maserati family for all their commitment and all the work done.”
“Both contributed to the team’s results and did their best in every race to put both Maserati Tipo Folgores in the best possible positions.”
Maximilian Gunther, Maserati Racing, Maserati Tipo Folgore
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images
Jehan Daruvala had instead taken over at Maserati after the sudden farewell of Edoardo Mortara at the end of Season 9, becoming the only “permanent” rookie of the season. The Indian driver in his first year collected some encouraging results, but was unable to make the progress that could have earned him a reconfirmation.
“Max gave us so many emotions, bringing the Trident back to the podium several times, while Jehan – the only rookie on track in Season 10 – did an extraordinary job with his growth and did not hesitate to face the top drivers with determination and passion”, added Sgro.
“We are proud to have had Max and Jehan with us, to have worked together and to have shared so much that will remain with us forever as part of Maserati’s history in Formula E. I would like to wish them both a great future in motorsport.”
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