Günther on his Peugeot Rookie Test

Several young guns were out in action at last Sunday’s rookie test in Bahrain and one of the biggest names was Maximilian Günther.

The three-time Formula E race winner has carved out a strong career for himself in the all-electric world but he was making his sportscar debut of any kind with Peugeot TotalEnergies.

Having recently joined the Stellantis Motorsport family, the 25 year-old sampled the Peugeot 9X8 Hypercar alongside regular drivers Mikkel Jensen, Nico Mueller and fellow rookies Malthe Jakobsen and Yann Ehrlacher.

Günther was left delighted with the experience, calling it a“brilliant opportunity” and one he was “very grateful to Peugeot for.”

“It was a great fit for me being now in the Stellantis family as a Maserati Formula E driver and to get this opportunity to drive the Peugeot Hypercar was amazing,” he added.

Wowed by the grip levels of the 9X8, Günther said that he adapted quickly to the superior downforce levels compared to Formula E, which is deliberately designed with little aero. But that didn’t mean there weren’t any similarities at all.

“The car, in terms of technology, I actually felt that there were some similarities between Formula E and Hypercar but on the other side there are so many other things about the car that are different,” he said.

“It has got obviously much more downforce; it has a very different powerunit too. But it was great to drive a prototype for the first time in my in my career.

“It was a new car, and something you have to get used to in terms of the driving style. It was a few laps I've had in the morning on the Sunday, but already good enough to get an idea of the car, how to adapt as a driver is something I have always enjoyed.”

Elaborating on getting re-familiarised with a relatively high downforce car, Günther was quick to get in to the sportcars groove.

“Actually, downforce driving and so on, this is really what I've been used to, before I went into Formula E. I've always been driving single seaters and it definitely felt very natural from the beginning because it has several elements of a powerful single-seater.

“The Peugeot TotalEnergies team is fantastic and were brilliant to work with, so I enjoyed this experience greatly.

“I think there is an excellent group of people in terms of how much quality there is on board the team.

“The car is good, a very unique concept in prototype racing and I think the team has got a big future a bright future.”

Could that future include the German branching out into an endurance career? It sounds like he’d be more than up for it!

“For 2023 Formula E is the main programme, but if I can do both, that would be my goal for later.

“Next season obviously it is not possible as it is my first year with Maserati and I really want to use this year in order to build a strong relationship with them.

“But let’s see how everything develops. I think for 2024 and beyond then why not. It will be great if there is an opportunity for me, and for sure I would make the most of it.”