Maximilian Günther ends Season 11 with top 10 finish
Maximilian Günther recovers from early setback in London to end 2024/25 Formula E season inside the top 10
Maximilian Günther ended Season 11 of the FIA Formula E World Championship with a seventh place finish at the London E-Prix, with the DS PENSKE driver scoring six points despite facing a compromised strategy following a mid-race Safety Car at the ExCeL Circuit.
Max entered the season finale with high hopes after a promising but ultimately unfulfilled home race in Berlin, and sported a new helmet, designed by luxury watchmaker, Bianchet, across the weekend in the British capital.
From Friday, the 28-year-old made progress in practice and took further steps forward in Qualifying for Round 15 by advancing to the session’s duel stages.
As the second-fastest driver in Group A, Max went head-to-head against Nyck De Vries and was unfortunate to miss out on the next stage, falling just 0.177 seconds short to start the penultimate race of the season from sixth.
After making a strong start from the third row of the grid, Max’s race on Saturday ended before it truly began when he was forced to retire with suspension damage after being pushed into the barriers on the first lap.
With evident speed, he entered Sunday with a refreshed mindset and again advanced to the Qualifying duels where he defeated Pascal Wehrlein to progress to the Semi-Finals. Max’s 1:07.331 run put him in third, but due to a grid penalty for Dan Ticktum, he started the season finale from second place.
Max took advantage of his grid position by immediately putting pressure on fellow front row-starter, Nick Cassidy, into Turn 1 and settled into a comfortable rhythm over the opening laps before activating his first Attack Mode on lap eight.
With the advantage of extra power, Max fought forward from eighth to sixth before a Full Course Yellow, caused by an incident between Norman Nato and Taylor Barnard, eliminated his advantage on lap 10.
When the race was resumed, Max took his second Attack Mode on lap 15 which again coincided with another accident, this time between Oliver Rowland and Nico Müller which caused a Safety Car, and again, removed Max’s edge.
Despite being at a strategic disadvantage for the remainder of the race, Max held on to take a hard-fought seventh place finish to end his seventh season in Formula E in the points.
After 16 races, Max ends the 2024/25 Formula E season in 10th in the World Drivers’ Championship with 85 points, two wins and two pole positions, while DS PENSKE ranked fifth in the World Teams’ Standings.
Maximilian Günther, DS PENSKE Driver
“My first race in London was very short; definitely not the one we were hoping for. Qualifying had gone really well. After a tough start to free practice, we bounced back with sixth on the grid, which was great. I really believed we had a strong shot at a top result from that third row. And then… what can I say? On the first lap, in Turn 2, I was hit the first time and nearly spun. I managed to keep going, but only briefly. By Turn 5, another driver pushed me into the wall. The suspension broke, and that was it… but I guess that’s racing!
“Sunday started really well with second place on the grid. Unfortunately, two things compromised our race. Firstly, I had to battle with understeer, which was affecting me a lot. I tried everything to correct it, but there was nothing to be done. When the car isn’t perfectly balanced, not only do you go slower, but you also lose more energy. Then, having my two Attack Modes ruined by the pair of neutralisations really complicated matters. I did everything I could, finishing in seventh place and scoring points, but we were clearly hoping to do much better to conclude the season.”
2025 London E-Prix Results
Free Practice 1: P18
Free Practice 2: P11
Qualifying 1: P6
Race 1: DNF
Free Practice 3: P12
Qualifying 2: P3
Race 2: P7
Championship Position: P10 [85 points]