Maximilian Gunther: From Oberstdorf Karting to Seven Formula E Wins

Maximilian Gunther has moved from karting and the Formula 3 ladder into Formula E, where he has won seven races. He won his first Formula E race at Santiago in the 2019-20 season, when he was 22. He has since raced for five teams and signed a multi-year deal with Envision Racing for the 2026-27 season.

How did Gunther start out in karting and open-wheel racing?

Gunther began karting in 2007 and was runner-up in two ADAC kart events that season. He stayed in karting until 2010 without winning a title. In 2011 he moved into open-wheel racing with the Formula BMW Talent Cup, where he won once at the Algarve International Circuit.

Born on 2 July 1997 in Oberstdorf, he holds German and Austrian nationality. He speaks German, English, French and Spanish.

That single Talent Cup win was enough to make him runner-up in the standings. He finished behind Stefan Wackerbauer, who was the only other driver to win a race that year.

He skipped the 2012 season before returning in 2013 with the ADAC Formel Masters, racing for ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg.

From karting in Oberstdorf to seven Formula E victories, built through junior titles, a Formula 3 runner-up year and a long run in the electric series.

How did his ADAC Formel Masters seasons build up?

In 2013 Gunther finished second in the ADAC Formel Masters with 240 points, and his first victories came at the Lausitzring. In 2014 he won three of the opening three rounds but was runner-up again, this time behind Mikkel Jensen.

In 2013 he built a title challenge through several podiums in the first half of the season. He then won at the Lausitzring, which gave him his only victories of that year, and he added nine other podiums across the campaign.

In 2014 he went three rounds without a win while Jensen built a sizeable lead. He returned to the top step at the Sachsenring, and he finished the year with two more wins but one fewer podium than in the year before.

What was his Formula 3 European Championship record?

Gunther joined Mucke Motorsport for the 2015 FIA Formula 3 European Championship and scored points in his first race at Silverstone. He won his maiden race at the Norisring that season and finished eighth overall with 152 points, after joining Prema Powerteam for the finale.

In 2015 he also took his first podium at the Pau Grand Prix in round three. After a parting of ways with Mucke ahead of the Nurburgring round, he joined Prema Powerteam for the Hockenheim finale, where he scored points in all three races.

In 2016 he stayed with Prema and took a double pole at the Paul Ricard opener. He won the final race there despite contact with his teammate Nick Cassidy in the closing laps, and he repeated the double pole at Monza.

He won again at Zandvoort from pole and claimed a fourth victory at the Nurburgring. Lance Stroll took the title race lead during the year, but Gunther finished runner-up with 320 points, four victories and thirteen podiums.

His Macau Grand Prix debut came at the end of 2016, with Prema. A broken suspension after contact with a rival ended that race early.

Gunther remained at Prema for 2017, where his team-mates included Callum Ilott, Guanyu Zhou and Mick Schumacher, among others. He won five times, took sixteen podiums and scored 383 points, but finished third in the standings, five points behind the runner-up Joel Eriksson. He returned to the Macau Grand Prix that year and finished fifth in the main race.

How did his Formula 2 spell with BWT Arden go?

In 2018 he moved up to Formula 2, driving for BWT Arden alongside Nirei Fukuzumi, who had come through GP3. He won his first Formula 2 race in the Silverstone sprint, and he finished 14th in the championship with 41 points. He then left his seat for the Yas Marina finale, where Dan Ticktum replaced him.

The Bahrain opener brought a ninth-place feature finish and his first Formula 2 podium in the sprint. He waited until the fourth round at Monaco for another points finish, which came with sixth in the sprint.

His final points finish of 2018 came at Spa-Francorchamps, where he finished ninth in the feature race. That result closed a season that had produced one win.

The Yas Marina change came after he signed with GEOX Dragon in Formula E, a move that effectively ended his time with BWT Arden.

When did Gunther make his Formula E debut?

Gunther made his Formula E debut at the Marrakesh rookie test in January 2018, and he made his race debut at the 2018 Ad Diriyah ePrix. Felipe Nasr took over his seat after the Santiago ePrix that season, though he returned for the Rome race to finish the year with the team.

He was appointed test and reserve driver for Dragon Racing during the 2017-18 season, before being promoted to a race seat when Jerome d'Ambrosio left for Mahindra Racing. Three races with the team produced a best finish of 12th.

He first scored points with fifth at the Paris ePrix, and he finished fifth again at the Swiss ePrix. His rookie season ended 17th in the championship with 20 points.

What did the BMW i Andretti years bring?

Gunther joined BMW i Andretti Motorsport for 2019-20 and took his first podium at Diriyah. At Santiago he claimed his maiden Formula E victory, becoming the youngest winner in the series at 22, and he took a Berlin win later in the year. He finished ninth with 69 points.

At Diriyah he finished second, but he was demoted to 11th for passing Lucas di Grassi under safety-car conditions. At Mexico City he finished 11th, and at Marrakesh he returned to the podium in second place after starting in the same position.

At Berlin he was disqualified from the first race for exceeding the energy limit. He then won the third race in Berlin after starting second, in a battle for the lead with Jean-Eric Vergne. He scored no points in the final three races after two retirements.

In 2020-21 he partnered Jake Dennis at BMW, taking a sole win at New York City. He ended the championship 16th on 66 points, 33 behind the champion.

How did his seasons with Nissan and Maserati go?

Gunther moved to Nissan e.dams for 2021-22 and finished 19th with six points. He partnered Sebastien Buemi, the 2015-16 Formula E champion, and his first team points came at Mexico City. At Monaco he ran eighth for most of the race before running out of energy and dropping to 17th. He switched to Maserati MSG Racing for 2022-23, finishing seventh with 101 points, and he stayed with Maserati for 2023-24, when he finished eighth with 81 points.

At Jakarta in 2022-23 he took pole for both races, finished third on Saturday and won on Sunday. The Sunday victory was Maserati's first single-seater win since the 1957 German Grand Prix.

In 2023-24 he partnered Jehan Daruvala. At the 2024 Tokyo ePrix he fought Oliver Rowland for the lead from the front row and won, his first victory of that season.

His second half of 2023-24 was harder. He finished eighth at Shanghai and Portland, but he had a double retirement at Berlin and another in London, and he left Maserati at the end of the season.

What were his years at DS Penske like?

Gunther joined DS Penske for 2024-25, partnering Jean-Eric Vergne. He won at Jeddah and at Shanghai, and he finished tenth in the drivers' championship, 13 points behind Vergne. He stayed with the team for 2025-26 before leaving at the end of that season.

At Jeddah he took pole for the pit boost race and won it after a last-lap overtake on Oliver Rowland. The next day he crashed into Antonio Felix da Costa, which ended both drivers' races and earned him a five-place grid penalty.

In Shanghai he claimed pole for race one and won by saving his second attack mode activation for the closing laps. He retired from race two with a technical issue.

For 2025-26 he was joined by Taylor Barnard, and the pair finished the season together before Gunther moved on. He ended 2024-25 with a seventh-place finish in race two, having started second on the grid.

Where does his career go next?

Gunther signed a multi-year contract with Envision Racing for 2026-27, taking him into the Gen4 era of Formula E. Before that he had tested in DTM, Super Formula and the FIA World Endurance Championship, though none of those led to a race entry.

He was named the test and reserve driver for Mercedes in DTM for 2017, after a young driver test at Jerez. December 2017 brought a Super Formula test for Team LeMans at Suzuka.

In 2022 he drove the Peugeot 9X8 Le Mans Hypercar in a post-season test at Bahrain, and he said the experience was fantastic.

What were his main results by series?