With the paddock long since abuzz with what Penske and DS might do in the future, it is perhaps easy to overlook the foundations it has built with its two drivers. Jean-Eric Vergne’s connections to DS go back to 2015 and he feels like something of a lifer with Stellantis at present.
Maximilian Guenther is perhaps his natural heir in terms of a long-term structure within the team, but more on the Penske. It was Jay Penske who gave him his Formula E chance back in 2018. While that was a tough baptism (remember him being bizarrely stood down for a dislocated Felipe Nasr experiment that went wrong?) the relationship has matured in to a very strong one.
It says a lot when you think of Jeddah EPrix winner Guenther in black and gold as a permanent fixture now, and also one that feels like it is seasons, not races, old.
“Thanks for saying this, and actually, that’s exactly how it feels as well for me,” Guenther tells Formula E Notebook in Tokyo.
“It’s a really good sign and a good feeling because, for sure, it’s never easy when you need to acclimatize to a new team because there is this advantage of when you can keep building over years with a team that you just have this sort of base.
“I’ve spent a lot of time with the team in the off season before the first race. And we are building a very, very good base from the start of the year. Already, from Sao Paulo onwards, we were right up there and we had really good pace from the very first race.
“I really feel great in my new environment, and it’s going really well with the team. Weekend after weekend we keep building, and it feels even more smooth with the operations and since Jeddah we have our new race engineer with Rico (Ricardo Santos), he’s great and we’ve got a very good connection, the two of us.
What Guenther especially likes is “the mindset of the team” as it is “very much performance driven, and at the same time, it makes you feel at home and comfortable. So, it’s a great, great mixture.”
On that permanent feel, whatever Penske decides to do for the Gen4 period, Guenther feels like a driver secure in his environment. Although he obviously won’t talk at length of his deal, it is believed to be for at least two, probably three seasons, which would make him an integral part of the Gen4 development phase should Penske, as many are tipping, go it alone as a manufacturer.
“This (stability) has been the goal from the moment we made agreement and I definitely see myself here long-term in this project,” he adds.
“I really see this strong vision here with what Jay and Phil are forming, and there have been already amazing people coming on board for last year and this year.
“I certainly think there is more to come, and it’s exciting to be a part of this project. I absolutely see myself here for a long time.”
