In Part 2 of this preview we’ll be looking more in-depth at the drivers and teams involved. For fans of most single-seater categories there will be some recognisable faces, although dubbed by many as an ‘F1 reject’ series, FE boasts some youthful talent in its ranks as well.
The front runners:
Photo credits: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images
DS Techeetah (CHN)
Drivers: #13: António Félix da Costa (PRT) & #25: Jean-Éric Vergne (FRA)
Techeetah are back to back Team’s Champions and have powered Jean-Éric Vergne to two Driver’s titles in Seasons 4 and 5, whilst António Félix da Costa dominated Season 6 in his first season at the team with five consecutive podiums including three wins at Marrakech and the first two rounds of the Berlin finale. Since teaming up with the Chinese team in Season 5, it is clear that DS have the superior powertrains in terms of reliability and energy efficiency. However, the teams’ Achilles tendon is their tendency to make slow starts to the season. After the Ad Diriyah double-header last season, the team only scored 7 points and whilst the team only have to run their Season 6 powertrain for one race weekend, any issues with their new powertrain when it’s introduced in Rome could make it an uphill struggle for the rest of the season. Both da Costa and Vergne return this season and I fully expect both to challenge for the title, although they had a few clashes last season that could make the atmosphere particularly volatile.
Nissan e.dams (JPN)
Drivers: #22: Oliver Rowland (GBR) & #23: Sébastien Buemi (SUI)
Nissan e.dams had another solid yet unspectacular season in Formula E with five podiums overall, including a victory in the penultimate race of the season. Although they finished second in the Team’s Championship, they were still 77 points behind Techeetah. The team retains the services of Oliver Rowland for a third season, whilst Sébastien Buemi continues with the outfit he joined for the very first race back in 2014. The duo are consistent points scorers with Buemi finishing 4th last season, just 1 point ahead of Rowland, but they have never been in a position to fight for the Championship. They could be in for a similar season, but risk being swallowed up by the chasing pack if they make mistakes.
Mercedes-Benz EQ Formula E Team (GER)
Drivers: #5: Stoffel Vandoorne (BEL) & #17: Nyck de Vries (NLD)
This was their first season as a manufactures and Mercedes should be proud of their achievements. Both Stoffel and Nyck made it into Super Pole in the team’s first race in Ad Diriyah with Vandoorne coming away from Saudi Arabia with a pair of third-place finishes. The Belgian driver won the final race of the season on home soil to finish runner up in the Driver’s Championship, which summarises how far both Vandoorne and the team have come in such a short space. Nyck also had a strong debut season finishing 11th overall, his best finish was 2nd in the final race at Berlin which ensured that Mercedes became only the third team to take a 1-2 finish in FE. The team have retained their line up for Season 7 and will have a fresh new powertrain ahead of this season. In my opinion, Mercedes are the team to look out for this season.
Envision Virgin Racing-Audi (GBR)
Drivers: #4: Robin Frijns (NLD) & #37: Nick Cassidy (NZL)
Season 6 started so well for Envision Virgin, Sam Bird won the first race and Robin Frijns finished 5th after a difficult qualifying, the second race at Ad Diriyah summarised the rest of their season as both drivers crashed out. The team only scored a further two podiums with Bird and Frijns finishing down in 10th and 12th in the Driver’s Championship, although the team outscored the Audi team which is some consolation. Robin stays with the team for a third season but Bird has now departed the team after six seasons. He is replaced by New Zealand driver Nick Cassidy, a talented and quick driver who has previously plied his trade in Japan. The 26-year-old won the SUPER GT Championship in 2017 and the Super Formula Championship in 2019, and also topped the Rookie’s Test for Virgin in Marrakesh in February 2020. With Audi leaving the Championship at the end of this season, there are question marks on how much effort they have put in with their powertrain, but Virgin have enjoyed some significant testing despite being a privateer so I expect a more consistent season for the team.
The midfield:
Photo credits: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images
BMW i Andretti Motorsport (USA)
Drivers: #27: Jake Dennis (GBR) & #28: Maximilian Günther (GER)
BMW announced over the winter that they would be pulling the plug on their Formula E programme, the team will remain until at least the end of next season as Andretti have agreed to a deal to continue to run the BMW powertrain in a similar vein to the Red Bull/Honda deal. Last season was frustrating for the team, it started so well as they won two of the first three races with Alexander Sims triumphing in the second Ad Diriyah race, whilst Max Günther became the youngest winner in FE with a stellar drive in Santiago. In the next 8 races, the duo only amassed a further five points finishes as they fell foul of the Group 1 qualifying curse, although Günther did pick up another victory at the third Berlin race. Max stays with the team for a second season but Sims has moved across to Mahindra, he is replaced by fellow British driver Jake Dennis. One of three rookies this season, Jake has previous single-seater experience finishing 4th in the 2016 GP3 Championship, more recently he took part in DTM and GT racing. This is one team that has constantly battled inconsistency in FE and I don’t expect it to change this season, they’ll fight for wins one race and be mediocrity the next.
Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler (GER)
Drivers: #11: Lucas di Grassi (BRA) & #33: René Rast (GER)
Audi are a team in steady decline and therefore no surprise that they have also pulled the plug on their FE programme, unlike the BMW/Andretti deal it is unclear whether ABT Schaeffler will continue as a privateer having been part of the sport since the very first season. They have retained the services of Lucas di Grassi, the Season 3 Champion who has been at the team since the beginning. The Brazilian will be eager to enjoy a season where he doesn’t have to rely on recovery drives as his qualifying was particularly poor. Although he scored in all but two races, he failed to win a race in a season for the first time. Lucas will be joined by three-time DTM Champion, René Rast. The German will be making his full-season debut after being recruited to drive the six Berlin races, following the termination of Daniel Abt’s contract after *THAT* eSports controversy when the season was on hold. Rast picked up 29 points, including a 3rd and 4th place finishes in the final two races, and will be looking to continue his impressive form this season. With another DTM Championship under his belt, René could be a serious headache for di Grassi, but I don’t see Audi being amongst the Championship protagonists in their final season.
Jaguar Racing (GBR)
Drivers: #10: Sam Bird (GBR) & #20: Mitch Evans (NZL)
The team have finally got their line-up after luring Sam Bird away from Envision Virgin to replace James Calado, who had a tough rookie campaign that only yielded two points finishes. Sam is the only driver in FE to have won a race in every season and with Jaguar we should expect that record to be maintained, he is joined by Mitch Evans who may finally have a challenge to his team leader status that he has enjoyed since making his debut with the team back in Season 3. Jaguar will be the first to admit that last season didn’t go to plan, a third-place finish and victory at Santiago and Mexico City left Mitch 2nd in the Driver’s Championship before the season was halted. Unfortunately the final six races were held at a venue where Jaguar have never fared well, and this continued as they only scored 15 points in Berlin. This season, the team arguably have the most exciting line up to challenge for wins and potentially the Championship, they certainly have the talent it just relies on Jaguar bringing their A-game to every race.
Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team (GER)
Drivers: #36: André Lotterer (GER) & #99: Pascal Wehrlein (GER)
Porsche joined FE last season to expand the grid to 24 cars, and their debut season was respectable on the whole. Series veteran, André Lotterer, immediately impressed by qualifying 7th in the team’s first race at Ad Diriyah, he finished the race 2nd. The German would go on to take pole at Mexico City and a further 2nd place finish in the first Berlin race to finish 8th in the Driver’s Championship. Last season the team ran Swiss driver, Neel Jani, who had his struggles. Having just two previous FE outings for Dragon back in Season 3, Neel didn’t have much experience to rely on and took until the penultimate race of the season to score points, albeit a respectable P6. There were rumours on the grid that Jani was to be replaced by former Manor and Sauber F1 driver, Pascal Wehrlein, with the two entering negotiations whilst the season was on hold. The negotiations annoyed Pascal’s FE team, Mahindra, and they cancelled his contract with immediate effect. As such, Wehrlein hasn’t raced since February 2020 and may have a few cobwebs to claw through in the first races, but this all-German line-up certainly has exciting potential for this season.
The rear gunners:
Photo credits: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images
Mahindra Racing (IND)
Drivers: #29: Alexander Sims (GBR) & #94: Alex Lynn (GBR)
Mahindra’s boss Dilbagh Gill sets high standards for the team, but the Indian outfit has been on a steady decline since the highs of Season 3, where they finished 3rd in the Team’s Championship thanks to the 10 podiums scored by Nick Heidfeld and Felix Rosenqvist. Last season the team finished a lowly ninth with just 49 points. Their powertrain was unreliable and inefficient, which was a shame as the team had a strong line up. Pascal Wehrlein ultimately left the team before Berlin as he was in negotiations to join Porsche, whilst Jérôme d’Ambrosio has since retired to join Venturi as Deputy Team Principle, so this season is mostly a clean slate for the team. Mahindra have signed FE super-sub Alex Lynn for a full campaign after the British driver participated in the six Berlin rounds, scoring a best finish of fifth but was routinely in Super Pole sessions. Lynn has previously had stints at Envision Virgin and Jaguar but has only completed one full campaign back in Season 4. Alexander Sims joins as second driver from BMW i Andretti, he had a really strong start to last season, scoring poles in both Ad Diriyah races and winning the second race of that weekend. Again, Mahindra have a strong line up so it is down to their new powertrain to boost the team back up the grid.
ROKiT Venturi Racing-Mercedes (MCO)
Drivers: #48: Edoardo Mortara (SUI) & #71: Norman Nato (FRA)
ROKiT Venturi abandoned their manufacture status ahead of Season 6 and took on Mercedes powertrains. Considering the exploits of Envision Virgin as a privateer team, and Mercedes finishing 3rd last season, Venturi were one of the biggest disappointments of last season. Though Swiss driver Edoardo Mortara scored points on seven occasions, he could not match the two podiums scored in Season 5. Meanwhile, Felipe Massa scored a measly three points and cut his three-year deal short to exit the series. Mortara is retained by the Monegasque team for a fourth season, whilst Reserve driver Norman Nato is promoted to fill the second seat. The French driver finished 5th in the 2016 GP2 Series and was runner up in the delayed 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans. Whilst not the strongest line up on paper, the team received US investment back in December 2020 so the team have the resources to bounce back this year.
Dragon / Penske Autosport (USA)
Drivers: #6: Nico Müller (SUI) & #7: Sérgio Sette Câmara (BRA)
Dragon / Penske Autosport (DPA) are one of the strugglers in FE, just two points were scored by the team last season, by former Toro Rosso F1 driver, Brendan Hartley. The New Zealander quit the team ahead of the Berlin finale to focus on the World Endurance Championship and was replaced by Sérgio Sette Câmara, who returns full time this season. Nico Müller is the team’s other driver, who showed flashes of his talents at Mexico City by qualifying seventh but put it in the wall early in the race. However, the Swiss driver will be buoyed by a strong 2020 season in DTM, finishing second to new Audi recruit René Rast, so will hope to continue the momentum into FE. This season the team sticks with their Season 6 powertrain for the initial rounds in Ad Diriyah so Müller and Sette Câmara could very well end up at the back of the field, but will have a new powertrain from Rome. The team also has my favourite livery so would like to see them challenge for points on a more regular basis.
NIO 333 FE Team (CHN)
Drivers: #8: Oliver Turvey (GBR) & #88: Tom Blomqvist (GBR)
NIO 333 guided Nelson Piquet Jr. to the inaugural Driver’s Championship in Season 1, yet they become the first team to fail to score a point during the campaign last season, so it has been a dramatic fall from grace for the team. They have been plagued by inefficient powertrains and instability in team ownership since Season 2, but British driver Oliver Turvey has stuck by the team since his cameo at the London finale where Piquet was crowned Champion. Turvey’s tenacity and dedication has ultimately carried the team for years and the team owe him a competitive package, they have at least produced their own powertrain this season having used Penske’s Season 4 powertrain last season, which was predictably no match to the rest of the field. The team’s other driver this season is Tom Blomqvist, who has made sporadic appearances for Andretti and Jaguar over the last few seasons, having run Ma Qinghua and Daniel Abt across last season. The team look to be making progress following pre-season testing, but I don’t expect NIO 333 to be conquering the series any time soon.
Predictions:
Driver’s Champion: António Félix da Costa
Team’s Champion: Techeetah
Predicting how a season will go without a definitive calendar is a tricky task but based on how the last few seasons have gone, I expect the Techeetah duo to be the Championship protagonists, with both Jaguar drivers, Vandoorne and Gunther being the challengers this season. I don’t see the pecking order changing too much with strugglers like Dragon / Penske and NIO 333 continuing to bring up the rear of the field.
To see if my predictions come true, Formula E is broadcasted by the BBC on their Red Button and iPlayer platforms, some races may even feature on terrestrial, especially if a race in the UK happens. The opening rounds take place in Ad Diriyah, Saudi Arabia with the race starting at 5:03 pm in the UK on Friday 26th and Saturday 27th February and I do recommend tuning in, even if you’re new to the series.
