Formula E silly season always delivers, with all but three teams having entirely new driver line-ups as we came into Season 10. Fast forward 16 rounds, eight different winners and one new World Champion and 2023/24 is now over. With contracts expiring, and the GEN3 Evo era on the horizon, several drivers are making the switch.
Here are all the moves from Season 11’s driver market discussions.
DS PENSKE
The team confirmed the departure of Stoffel Vandoorne after the London finale, leaving at least one seat going spare at the team that finished third in the Teams’ standings this season.
Two-time champion Jean-Eric Vergne will stay for Season 11 given his relationship with the team and his performances over the campaign - two podiums, three poles and fifth in the standings.
DS PENSKE confirmed that Maximilian Guenther will drive for the team from Season 11 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
The German joins Vergne driving for the team through the 2024/25 campaign.
Guenther first joined the team in Season 4 when team owner Jay Penske offered him a debut seat in the championship. From there, the 27-year-old has gone on to secure five wins and 10 podiums across 83 races since, repesenting the likes of BMW Andretti and Maserati along the way.
Andretti
We do know that Jake Dennis will be back with Andretti for Season 11, after agreeing to a long-term contract extension at the end of 2023 - his title-winning year. The 2022/23 champion had a strong first half of the season with a win in Diriyah and three other podiums, and will be back to try and make it two drivers’ titles with Andretti.
Alongside him will be Nico Mueller - someone who more than impressed in Season 9. Mueller joins alongside confirmed teammate and Season 9 World Champion Dennis.
The Swiss driver signs following Norman Nato's exit, and will pilot the Andretti Porsche 99X Electric machine in his fifth season of Formula E competition as the series enters its GEN3 Evo era.
READ MORE: Six things we learned in Season 10
“I’m very excited to join the Andretti Formula E Team," says Mueller. "It’s a team that has seen success from the very beginning of the championship, particularly in the GEN3 era in their partnership with Porsche Motorsport.
"To work with Jake, a former World Champion is an honour and I’m looking forward to the opportunity. I’m going to give it my very best to contribute to the team’s success and hopefully aim for some podiums and my first Formula E win – that's the target. I can't wait to get going.”
Maserati MSG Racing
Maserati MSG Racing will have a new pairing of Hughes and Stoffel Vandoorne for Season 11. It’s going to be a completely fresh line-up after the departure of Guenther and Jehan Daruvala, and one we’re excited to see play out over the course of GEN3 Evo.
“I’m excited to start working with the team,” Vandoorne said of his new challenge. “Although I haven’t worked directly with them before, I know the team well, both from my time at DS PENSKE but also from my time with Mercedes when we shared a powertrain with Venturi.”
For Daruvala, this leaves him with many questions over his future. The Indian completed his rookie season with Maserati MSG Racing in Season 10, and managed a best result of seventh in Berlin. It’s not yet known where he’ll end up in all the silly season drama, or if he’ll leave Formula E entirely.
The departure of Maximilian Guenther from the team has raised a few eyebrows, with the young German being hot property in the paddock. Guenther, a five-time race winner, has experience with the STELLANTIS powertrain having raced for Maserati for the past two seasons, and would certainly be a sensible hire for DS PENSKE.
ABT CUPRA
With the departure of Nico Mueller, the team will have a big task filling the void he’s left behind; he was responsible for 52 of the team’s 56 points across Season 10.
It had been rumoured that the German-based squad are keen to keep on Season 3 champion Lucas di Grassi. The Brazilian is one of the most successful drivers in the history of Formula E, with 13 wins and 40 podiums to his name across 10 seasons. He’s also a title-winner with ABT, under its prior Audi guise.
Sure enough, the team confirmed di Grassi would stay for Season 11, as the team switches to ABT Lola for GEN3 Evo.
NEOM McLaren
NEOM McLaren confirmed Sam Bird and Taylor Barnard for the 2024/25 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship as August drew to a close.
Barnard had been Reserve and Development driver at NEOM McLaren and had his first competitive experience behind the wheel of Formula E machinery for the team across the 2024 Monaco E-Prix and Berlin E-Prix, stepping in last-minute for the injured Sam Bird. Finishing those races in 14th, 10th and eighth respectively, Barnard impressed - becoming the youngest points-scorer in Formula E history at the age of 19.
Following his first season with NEOM McLaren, Bird will continue with the team for Season 11. The 37-year-old has competed in Formula E since Season 1 and is one of only five drivers to have done so. Bird is among the most successful drivers on the grid with 12 wins, 26 podiums and six Julius Baer Pole Positions to his name over the course of those 10 seasons.