Max voted ‘Germany’s Motorsport Young Talent of 2016’

The path to a successful career in motor racing is now open. Maximilian Günther has been voted ‘Germany’s Motorsport Young Talent of 2016’. The 19-year-old secured victory overall at the Deutsche Post Speed Academy. This was Günther’s second victory on Germany’s most successful motor racing sponsorship programme after his win in 2014. He booked second place last year on the junior programme which has produced Formula 1 drivers such as Nico Hülkenberg and Adrian Sutil as well as DTM stars like Timo Glock and Marco Wittmann.

Günther is the twelfth overall winner in the long-running success story that is the Deutsche Post Speed Academy. The Formula 3 European championship runner-up beat off competition from his six fellow competitors with wins in three assessment periods. In addition to the award, Günther receives sponsorship to the tune of 65,000 euros to further his racing career.

“This second win at the German Post Speed Academy means just as much to me as my first one,” said Günther. “My success in my first year at the Speed Academy in 2014 was a surprise. My latest overall win shows that I’ve been able to consistently improve in my motor racing endeavours and build on my achievements, despite the fact that the level of competition has steadily increased. The Speed Academy was always there for me on my way to taking the runner’s-up position in the Formula 3 European Championship. I would probably have not managed to get so far without their help. I would like to thank the jury and all those concerned for three great, very informative years.”

In his three years at the Deutsche Post Speed Academy, Günther has been able to develop on and off track en route to becoming a professional racing driver thanks to numerous workshops. During the whole time, his every move was closely followed by a jury composed of well-known names, whose job it was to assess the performance of the German top young talents in question. BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt, former Mercedes-Benz Head of Motorsport Norbert Haug, DTM star Timo Glock, former DTM champion and Le Mans winner Manuel Reuter and RTL star reporter Kai Ebel are on the panel of nine.

Günther accepted his award on Friday 25th November 2016 during a ceremony held at the traditional Race Night by AUTO BILD MOTORSPORT and AUTO BILD SPORTSCARS at the Essen Motor Show. As several hundred guests from business, media and the world of motor racing watched on, a number of people were honoured on this special evening, including Formula 1 driver Nico Rosberg and ex-Formula 1 racing driver Alex Zanardi, who earned a lifetime achievement award.

Being voted ‘Germany’s Motorsport Young Talent of 2016’ rounded off Günther’s most successful season to date. He was also recently named ‘ADAC Junior Motorsport Athlete of the Year’. Günther won the title of European championship runner-up in only his second season in Formula 3. His impressive record for 2016 in the racing series which acts as a springboard into Formula 1: Four wins, seven pole positions and 13 podium places from 30 races this season.

The 2016 motor racing season is not yet over for Günther. He will represent the Mercedes-AMG DTM Team next week in the official Young Driver Test. DTM testing is set to take place in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, from 29th November to 2nd December 2016. With the support of Mercedes-Benz, this will be Günther’s first outing in a Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM racing car.