What is next for ex-DTM champion Ayhancan Guven in 2027? A year ago, the Turkish Manthey driver sensationally claimed the DTM title, only to be promoted to Porsche factory driver and pulled from the traditional series. The plan: The 28-year-old was to use 2026 as a transition year to prepare for a switch to the Porsche factory team in Formula E.
However, following the WEC season finale, which wrapped up on Sunday in Monza, Guven is left without the necessary FIA points for a Formula E driver’s license. Meanwhile, the new season of the all-electric racing series kicks off in just over a month on December 18 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. And the official pre-season test takes place in just a week’s time in Madrid.
Porsche is now looking to secure an exemption in time. «Strictly following the standard procedure, it would not be enough,» Porsche motorsport boss Thomas Laudenbach acknowledges, well aware that on paper, Guven has too few points for the Formula E license to his name. «We nevertheless believe that ‘Can’ absolutely has this level.»
Why Guven is missing nine FIA license points
Therefore, despite the unfavorable situation on paper, it is «not completely off the table» that Guven will line up for Porsche in the upcoming Formula E season. But what exactly does the situation on paper look like?
Instead of the required 15 points from the past three years, Guven can only show for the six points his 2025 DTM title earned him. The Porsche factory driver would have needed to finish either first or second in the LMGT3 standings in 2026 with Manthey and his two teammates James Cottingham and Timur Boguslavskiy, but he only finished eighth in the overall standings.
Fifth place at the WEC finale: Guven had no luck in Monza either
Foto: Hoch Zwei/Jürgen Tap
This is a particularly bitter pill to swallow, as only the seven highest-placed drivers in the overall standings receive FIA points. For this reason, Porsche is working behind the scenes to convince the FIA to grant Guven an exemption. According to Porsche, the main reason for the missing points is that the DTM is not a racing series «sanctioned» by the FIA.
«Seeing if we can find a way to work this out with the FIA»
For context: Unlike in Formula 1, Formula E, or the WEC, for example, it is not the FIA but the DMSB (Deutscher Motor Sport Bund) that acts as the sporting authority in the DTM. And those series generally yield fewer FIA points, even if the level of competition is high.
Even a class win in the overall LMGT3 standings of the WEC, where pro-am pairings are mandatory, is rewarded with twice as many FIA points as a DTM title.
Nevertheless, Porsche is not giving up its efforts to get Guven into Formula E. «We are currently seeing if we can find a way to work this out together with the FIA anyway,» Laudenbach said during the DTM finale in Hockenheim a month ago. «The final word always rests with the FIA. But here too, I have to say: There are very reasonable people on the other side. You can talk to them.»
Laudenbach considers situation with Guven to be «unfortunate»
Is he dissatisfied with the weighting of the different series? «It is always super easy to criticize. The system has been around for a very long time — it can certainly be improved,» says Laudenbach, who describes the situation in Guven’s case as «unfortunate». «But that doesn’t mean the door isn’t still open, which is something I would very much hope for.»
Champion Guven paid the DTM a visit at the Nurburgring this year
Foto: ADAC Motorsport
Alongside his outings in the WEC, on the Nurburgring-Nordschleife, and at selected GT3 highlights, Guven has prepared intensively for Formula E this year in the simulator and during test drives in the new Gen4 car. By his own admission, he does not yet know exactly what is next in 2027.
However, a DTM comeback is considered unrealistic for the time being. «I think it will be not in the short term» he said during his DTM visit to the Nurburgring in mid-August. «I have a different plans but you never know. I’m always interested to be back. So we will see.»
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