Maximilian Guenther has been announced as the first driver at BMW i Andretti for season 6 of the FIA Formula E Championship.
The young German started his single-seater career in 2011 with BMW’s talent promotion programme, the Formula BMW Talent Cup, before continuing to ADAC Formel Masters, Formula 3 and Formula 2. He contested 10 rounds of the Formula E 2018/2019 season for the GEOX Dragon Racing team where he caught the attention of the paddock with two Super Pole appearances and, most importantly, his two fifth place finishes in the Paris and Bern events which were the team’s best of the year.
In the press release Guenther said “It is fantastic to be part of BMW i Motorsport now. BMW i Andretti Motorsport had a strong maiden season in Formula E, won the very first race and was involved in the fight for the title down to the wire. That is why this switch is definitely a fantastic step for me. It is great to compete for BMW again. That’s where everything started for me in single-seater racing in 2011.”
While Jens Marquardt, the BMW Group Motorsport Director, commented “I am looking forward to Maximilian Guenther returning to the BMW family. We followed his performance last season very closely. Maximilian regularly managed to get the maximum out of his car package. That saw him achieve some impressive results. Having a driver with a history of BMW single-seater racing is a great fit.”
Guenther’s teammate for the coming season is as yet unknown but will be announced before October’s pre-season test in Valencia. We do however know that it will not be Antonio Felix da Costa as he has parted ways with the team after six years as a BMW works driver.
“I have always been happy and proud to be part of the BMW family,” said da Costa. “BMW Motorsport gave me the opportunity to drive many different race cars, and to learn an incredible amount. I would also like to thank BMW i Andretti Motorsport for a great and intense time together in Formula E. Although I am now moving on to face new challenges, I will always look back fondly on my time at BMW.”
Marquardt bid the Portuguese farewell saying “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Antonio very much for the good collaboration this past Formula E season and in the six years overall as a BMW works driver in the DTM, the WEC, in GT racing and in Formula E. We had a great time together but agreed that a change would be good for both parties. Now we wish him all the best on his new journey.”
