A Formula E superteam that could change the fortunes of its previously embattled platform almost overnight. It's a classic Formula E turnaround story.
Maserati MSG has been through hell and back season or two recently, yet remarkably its future looks as bright as any. On track at least.
Even off it the positivity is back to a degree. Maserati MSG will become Citroen MSG from next month onwards and it will run Nick Cassidy and Jean-Eric Vergne. If that isn’t a driver line-up to terrify the opposition then what is?
The roots of these plans stretch back to the spring and a collapsed takeover of Maserati's Formula E team which was uncovered by The Race.
Maserati is part of the Stellantis group of brands which also includes Peugeot, Opel and of course Citroen.
The collapsed Maserati takeover along with Stellantis looking at how it could mix its brands up for the future combined and crystallised into a powerful idea and philosophy which was nurtured by Stellantis motorsport bosses Jean-Marc Finot and Leo Thomas.
Finot is a well-known and well-established Stellantis exec. Thomas however isn’t as widely known but is definitely one of the most visionary in the paddock. It was under his technical watch that Vergne completed his heroic back-to-back title achievements between 2017 and 2019 at DS Techeetah.
From relatively humble origins as a junior engineer for the Peugeot Sport LMP1 programme between 2008 and 2011, Thomas then headed up the Sebastien Loeb Racing organisation for four years managing the World Touring Car Championship, LMP2 and GT3 programmes.
Soon after that he invested his time in founding the well-known RS Simulation business in Monaco, which still thrives today.
But it was the success with Techeetah and then DS Techeetah where Thomas’s sharp mind was rewarded so publicly. This led to a senior role at Stellantis Motorsport where he became the Formula E programme director in January 2024.
Realising that there was no future in co-existing with current DS partner team Penske, which has a variety of ambitions to be much more technically independent, Stellantis had to stir-fry a multitude of strategic challenges in the run up to the Gen4 period.
Most notable of these was firstly its commitment to Formula E as a whole. The automotive landscape was getting scarred and plenty of Stellantis’ brands were hurting. Maserati was one of these and it became clear very quickly throughout 2024 and 2025 that there was no future for it.
How MSG's fortunes changed
Citroen and Opel were identified as two brands that fit in much neater to the Formula E ethos but they each needed a driver. On track, it was Thomas, from a performance point of view, who identified Cassidy and started pulling strings.
The then-Jaguar driver was still hurting from a fraught end to the 2024 campaign which erupted so spectacularly at London ExCeL. But more than that, Cassidy also identified certain future technical and operational benefits of a switch from Jaguar to Stellantis - despite Jaguar's strong form up to now.
But Cassidy is a master of the bigger picture. Ironically, around the time of the Homestead race in April he also had a sizeable offer from Penske.
Although neither have gone public about why those plans couldn’t be executed, the strong suspicion is that Cassidy baulked at the lack of clarity within Penske’s specific Gen4 plans. This opaque status continues to stand, at least publicly anyway.
At around this time, when Cassidy and his management team (GP Sports Management) informed Penske he would not take its offer, Phil Charles, the dynamic technical leader behind Penske, got wind of McLaren’s difficulties. He acted quickly, swooping for Taylor Barnard. What the FE Lord takes with one hand, he gives with the other!
While Cassidy was signed and sealed, Vergne’s transition from DS to Citroen brand was another mini-saga, and one that officially isn’t resolved.
Privately it is.
Vergne will race for Citroen MSG next season and probably in Gen4 too. His relationship with Stellantis and Thomas in particular and the fact he is the highest profile and most winning Formula E driver also helps. And of course, he is French.
Personally, Vergne and Cassidy have had their difficulties before. Misano in 2024 was one such encounter where the two clashed at a chicane and then went wheel-banging down the following straight. Recriminations were swift.
At the following race in Monaco though their feud cooled and actually they became pretty friendly, which is just as well considering they are now team-mates.
For Stellantis it is the best possible combination. Packed with experience and talent and with its own destiny much more in its control it can start to function with more stability.
The Race understands that the team is likely to at least start the season at its current Monaco headquarters but could be centralised more at Stellantis’ Satory (south of Paris) headquarters for Gen4.
A fresh start of sorts for all concerned, especially MSG, which has been rung tightly through the mill several times over the last few years. A testament to its mental fortitude, especially team principal Cyril Blais, it will come out of it much stronger.
Blais is expected to remain in the same or a slightly modified senior position at the team for next season which makes all kinds of sense. But clearly the team has to straddle the thorny position of also recruiting while in a delicate financial position still.
The resources, both financial and technical, need rebuilding big time. The morale needs patching up. Time will be needed to rebuild properly too.
But with a new, vibrant and relevant brand, two world class drivers and a future to hold on to, Citroen MSG or whatever its official title will be, can finally look to a future and see it clearly.
What about its existing drivers?
Stoffel Vandoorne and Jake Hughes paired up at Maserati MSG last season with each on Stellantis deals.
Vandoorne is contracted until the end of 2026 but is believed to be in negotiations about an early exit. Racing exclusively in the World Endurance Championship with another manufacturer next year is among his options, although he remains a desired option for some Formula E teams.
Hughes has recently been released from his deal and is talking to Cupra Kiro and Andretti about a drive for the 2025-26 campaign.
