Barnard and Günther to race for DS Penske in Formula E's Season 12

Written by Vyas Ponnuri

DS Penske have announced a potent driver line-up for the upcoming Formula E campaign, with McLaren breakout star Taylor Barnard moving to the team in black and gold to partner Maximilian Günther in 2026.

Barnard joins forces with Günther at DS Penske for 2026 | Credit: DS Penske

The American outfit announced Barnard's signings via a creative video on their social media handles, bringing to an end the speculation surrounding the Stellantis outfit's line-up.

Both drivers will race for the team until the end of 2026, when the current Gen3 era of Formula E comes to a close. While DS Penske are yet to confirm their commitment to the upcoming Gen4 era of Formula E, there's no doubt a strong line-up of Barnard and Günther gives the black and gold outfit hope for the future.

Barnard was arguably the breakout star of Formula E's 11th season, obliterating more experienced teammate Sam Bird over the course of the season. He also broke several records along the way, taking home the award for the youngest podium finisher at São Paulo, before becoming the series' youngest pole-sitter at Jeddah.

He also took home the record for the youngest driver to set a fastest lap, at the Monaco E-Prix, on his way to fourth in the championship standings in 2025.

These records are only in addition to the record for the youngest driver to start a race, as well as being the youngest driver to score points in Formula E, feats the Briton achieved during his stand-in with McLaren for an injured Bird in 2024.

Barnard snapped up five podiums in 2024, and showcased racecraft beyond his years, battling away with Maserati's Jake Hughes to defend second in Jeddah.

However, with McLaren moving away from Formula E, Barnard's services have been snapped up by DS Penske, with deputy team principal Phil Charles keenly observing his talents during the 21-year-old's rookie season.

Günther took two victories for DS Penske in 2024 | Credit: Ryan Fleming

As for Günther, he joined forces with two-time champion Jean-Éric Vergne at the beginning of Season 11, moving over from Maserati. The young German showcased his spark, bagging pole and race victory in Jeddah and Shanghai, in a season when DS Penske experienced inconsistency that cost them valuable points.

Despite Günther's haul of 85 points and Vergne's tally of 99 points, the French-American outfit lost out on fourth in the constructors' standings to Mahindra Racing right at the flag, pipped by just two points, having started the London weekend third in the standings.

Barnard joins a long list of illustrious drivers to have raced at DS Penske, including former Formula E champions António Félix da Costa and two-time champion Vergne, 2022 Formula E champion Stoffel Vandoorne, as well as the likes of endurance veterans Jose Maria Lopez and Andre Lotterer.

With a line-up as potent as Barnard and Günther, one a potential race winner, and the other an established figure in Formula E with multiple race wins, DS Penske will certainly be raring to go all out in 2026.

However, with Barnard making his way over from McLaren, it means Formula E's most formidable partnership will come to an end, as Vergne will not be donning black and gold for the first time in a decade. The only two-time champion of the series, Vergne joined the DS outfit in Season 2, when it was called DS Virgin.

The Frenchman oversaw it's transition into DS Techeetah, the cornerstone of his success in Formula E's Gen2 era, before bringing upon the DS Penske nomenclature ahead of the Gen3 era.

Vergne is heavily rumoured to be joining Nick Cassidy at the new Citroën outfit from 2026, a move that appears to have been made all but official with the signing of Barnard at DS Penske for the upcoming season.