DS PENSKE SHOWCASES FRONT-RUNNING PACE IN SHANGHAI DOUBLE-HEADER

• Maximilian Günther – Strong Saturday pace for with P5 in FP2, P4 on the starting grid and valuable points scored in both races.
• Taylor Barnard – Fastest driver in FP3 and an outstanding P2 Qualifying result to secure a front-row start.
• Next stop: Tokyo double-header on July 25-26, 2026.

Shanghai, China – Returning to China just two weeks after the Sanya E-Prix, DS PENSKE tackled a very different challenge at the Shanghai International Circuit. Unlike the narrow street layout of Sanya, the 3.051-kilometre permanent circuit—home to Formula 1 in a longer configuration—offered wide, fast and technical racing, with two races heavily influenced by changing weather conditions.

Throughout the weekend, the DS PENSKE drivers demonstrated their competitiveness, with both Maximilian Günther and Taylor Barnard delivering standout qualifying performances. On Saturday, Günther confirmed the team’s pace by finishing fifth in Free Practice before securing fourth on the starting grid. On Sunday, Barnard set the fastest time in the final practice session before producing an outstanding qualifying performance to claim a front-row start in second place.

Despite the strong one-lap pace, changing weather conditions, Safety Car interventions and race incidents prevented the team from converting its qualifying speed into the results it deserved. Günther nevertheless fought back to score valuable championship points in both races, while Barnard’s weekend was compromised by a puncture in Race 12 and evolving track conditions in Race 13 after leading the early stages.

The Shanghai weekend highlighted the performance potential of the DS E-TENSE FE25 and leaves the team determined to translate that front-running pace into stronger results at the upcoming Tokyo double-header.

Maximilian Günther – DS PENSKE driver

‘We showed very good pace throughout the weekend, with strong performance in the rain during free practice. From Free Practice 2, we showed good pace with a top five result that we confirmed in qualifying with a strong fourth place Saturday. Thanks to the good work carried out with the team, our DS E-TENSE FE25 was working very well and gave me confidence. We finished in the top 10 twice this weekend and I feel that we had some solid races; it’s just unfortunate that luck was not on our side at certain key moments. But a big thanks to the team for another very good job and we certainly won’t give up as we head into the next round in Tokyo.’ 

Taylor Barnard – DS PENSKE Driver

‘The team did a great job and that showed in free practice and qualifying: Sunday, our second place on the grid was a great result for all of us! During the race, I think we maximised the package we had. But several drivers, mainly those at the back of the grid, had gone for tyre pressures more suited to a dry track, which we didn’t do. On top of that, I think we’ve been lacking a bit in efficiency over the last few races and that didn’t help us today. Having said all of that, thanks to the whole team for a great job and we’ll try to be on top form again in Tokyo.’

Team results – 2026 Shanghai E-Prix Round 12

Team results – 2026 Shanghai E-Prix Round 13