Maximilian Guenther is set to race for the Envision Racing team next Formula E season.

Talks between Guenther and the Chinese-owned team are believed by The Race to have recently concluded with an agreement reached earlier this month.

The seven-time E-Prix winner, who has raced for the past two campaigns for DS Penske, is to link up with a squad that recently confirmed continuation of its customer status with Jaguar.

Guenther is known to have initially had conversations with the Penske organisation about his future there, which could have stretched to a third season. But ambiguity on Penske's plans for the Gen4 period, after the withdrawal of DS and no concrete details yet on what car it will run, are believed to have been defining factors in his decision to join the Envision project.

Guenther's seven wins in the series have come with BMW i Andretti, Maserati MSG and DS Penske, his first arriving at the 2020 Santiago E-Prix.

This season has seen Guenther endure one of his toughest campaigns so far via generally poor powertrain efficiency and suboptimal strategic outcomes compromising his results.

Envision has been in a holding pattern of sorts with regard to its drivers lately. This is largely due to the clashes between two E-Prix events and the FIA World Endurance Championship calendar, which has led to a confused picture as to whether Sebastien Buemi could continue with the team. 

Recently, though, the prospect of the Monaco E-Prix being likely brought forward a few weeks next May has emerged as a key positive for whether Buemi extends his Formula E career into a fourth rules set.

Buemi’s team-mate this season, Joel Eriksson, has had an impressive re-introduction to the all-electric world championship after a three-and-a-half-year gap from his last appearance with Penske in 2022.

His podium at the Shanghai E-Prix earlier this month was his best result to date, but it remains unclear whether it will be the Swede or Buemi who will ultimately make way for Guenther.

Both Envision and DS Penske would not comment on the matter of Guenther’s future when contacted by The Race this week.

Penske’s Gen4 plans baffle paddock

Guenther’s exit from Penske at the end of the present season was not on anyone’s radar until very recently - precisely when it became clear that Penske was still to firm up a Gen4 deal, which as of today is believed to still be the case.

The lateness in the American-owned/British-based team's plans has baffled the paddock because it has been known for over six months that Penske would have to either seek a new manufacturer partner or strike out on its own.

Penske has long since also entered into discussions with several manufacturers about the possibility of a customer supply at the start of the present year.

Phil Charles, Penske deputy team principal, would not comment when approached by The Race in Tokyo last week about the direction of the team's plans, saying only that the team is “gearing up for the Gen4 period and will be on the grid”.