by Linus O'Howell
After over 5 months away, ABB FIA Formula E returns with it’s anniversary season! If you’re a big fan of Formula E or want to get into the all electric series, this article is for you! Now, let’s start with the teams and drivers!
The Teams and Drivers
ABT CUPRA
We start with the team that finished last in the Teams’ Championship last season, ABT CUPRA. ABT have been a part of Formula E for 8 seasons (7 with Audi, 1 with CUPRA), and during that time, they’ve achieved 14 wins, 6 poles, and 47 podiums.
In terms of their best Championship finish, that came in Season 4 (2018) when they won the Teams’ Championship whilst Lucas di Grassi won the Drivers’ Championship with them in Season 3. When it comes to their drivers, ABT CUPRA have rehired Lucas di Grassi whilst they’ve also retained Nico Muller. Di Grassi had by far his worst season in FE last year as he finished 15th in the Championship, but it is worth mentioning that Lucas is a 13-time E-Prix winner and a former Champion so you would expect him to bounce back now he’s returned to a team he spent 7 years with.
📸 The returning Lucas Di Grassi.
As for his teammate, Nico Muller will be hoping for a better second year with CUPRA (in Formula E) after only finishing 19th in the Standings last year (just 15 points). Still, Muller showed progress towards the end of the year and he is a former Formula E Podium sitter so he might have a much stronger season.
📸 ABT have retained Müller.
Overall, ABT CUPRA will be hoping for a much stronger season this year, but it’s not going to be easy!
Andretti Global
Reigning World Champion Jake Dennis has new teammate Norman Nato for company as Andretti Global look to go after both Championship Titles! Andretti have appeared in every season of Formula E, and during that time, they’ve achieved 10 wins, 12 poles, and 32 podiums.
In terms of their best Championship finish, that came in Season 9 (2023) when they finished 3rd in the Standings whilst Dennis won the Drivers’ Championship in the process.
When it comes to their drivers, Andretti Global have retained Jake Dennis whilst they’ve brought in French driver Norman Nato. Dennis enters 2024 as the reigning Formula E World Champion and he’ll be looking to not only add to his 5 E-Prix victories, but he’ll also look to retain his crown with a team he very much calls home.
📸 The current Formula E title holder, Jake Dennis.
As for his teammate, Norman Nato positive season at Nissan has rightly earnt him a spot in a top team. Nato finished 10th in the Championship last year with 63 points to his name, and the fact that the former Formula E race winner was dropped by his former team is not only a joke, but it could also prove to be a blessing in disguise for the 31-year-old.
📸 Andretti's new signing, Norman Nato.
Overall, Andretti Global are a very strong team and with the lineup of Jake and Norman, there’s no reason why they can’t win both titles in 2024!
DS Penske
DS Penske will be looking for a lot more in 2024! The DS Penske team has been involved in every season of Formula E (under plenty of different names), and during that time, they’ve achieved 3 wins, 4 poles, and 13 podiums.
In terms of their best Championship finish, that actually came in Season 1 (2015) when they finished 2nd in the Standings.
When it comes to their drivers, DS have retained both Stoffel Vandoorne and Jean-Eric Vergne for another year.
After winning the World Championship in Season 8 with Mercedes, Stoffel Vandoorne struggled in his first year with DS Penske, finishing only 11th in the Championship without a single podium finish to his name. Despite that, I do expect Vandoorne to have a good 2024 campaign.
📸 'Stoff'.
As for his teammate, Jean-Eric Vergne did well to finish 5th in the Standings last year, but the only 2-time Champion in the series history will be hoping for more in Season 10.
📸 Ex-Toro Rosso driver 'JEV'.
Overall, DS Penske will be hoping for more victories as well as finishing higher than 5th in the Teams’ Championship in 2024, and I think they’ve certainly got the ability to achieve that goal.
Envision Racing
It’s now time for the reigning Teams’ Champions to enter the fray! Envision Racing have competed in every season of ABB FIA Formula E (under both the Envision and Virgin name), and during that time, they’ve achieved 16 wins, 15 poles, and 48 podiums!
In terms of their best Championship finish, that came last year in Season 9 when they won the Teams’ Championship after a splendid season. When it comes to their drivers, Envision have retained Sebastian Buemi whilst Robin Frijns has returned to the team in place of the outgoing Nick Cassidy.
Sebastian Buemi sort of found his form again in 2023, scoring 2 pole positions, 1 podium, and an overall finish of 6th in the Championship. The Season 2 Champion will now be looking to build this year now he’s mostly Envision’s new team leaders.
📸 Sebastian Buemi.
As for his teammate, Robin Frijns had by far his worst season in the sport last year, finishing 22nd in the standings with just 6 points to his name. The fact that Frijns broke his wrist on the opening lap of the season in Mexico City didn’t help and I do expect him to have a better year with a team he’s gone very well with in the past.
📸 Robin Frijns.
Overall, it’s not going to be easy for Envision Racing to hold onto the Teams’ Championship, but there’s no reason why the pairing of Frijns and Buemi can’t make it happen.
ERT Formula E Team
NIO 333 Racing are no more as in comes the rebranded ERT Formula E Team! ERT have competed in every year of Formula E (mainly as NIO), and during that time, they’ve achieved 2 wins, 2 poles, and 6 podiums.
In terms of their best Championship finish, that came in Season 1 (2015) as China Racing when they finished 4th in the Teams’ Championship.
Since then, it’s been a bit of a struggle for this team, especially in the NIO era. When it comes to their drivers, ERT have retained the services of Dan Ticktum and Sergio Sette Camara for another season. Dan Ticktum is a pretty “controversial” character to say the least, but there’s no doubt that Ticktum’s got pace and he showed that last year (especially in the final 3 races of the year).
📸 Dan Ticktum.
As for his teammate, Sergio Sette Camara hasn’t had the most splendid of Formula E careers, but he’ll be hoping that will change in 2024.
📸 Sergio Sette Camara.
Overall, ERT are a fun underdog team, but I’d honestly be surprised if they moved up the grid much over the course of Season 10.
Jaguar TCS Racing
I think it’s fair to say that Jaguar TCS Racing enter Season 10 as the favourites to win it all! Jaguar have been in Formula E since Season 3, and during that time, they’ve achieved 12 wins, 7 poles, and 32 podiums.
In terms of their best Championship finish, that came in both Season 7 (2021) and Season 9 (2023) when they finished 2nd in the Team’s Championship. It’s worth mentioning that Jaguar were only 4 points off the title in 2021 whilst they were just 12 points back last year.
When it comes to their drivers, Mitch Evans is once again sticking around whilst Nick Cassidy arrives to make it an all-Kiwi lineup. Mitch Evans has been with Jaguar since the start and the fact that he’s got 10 wins and 25 podiums just shows how quick a driver he truly is. Also, it’s worth mentioning that Evans has come super close to becoming Champion in each of the last three seasons of FE.
📸 Mitch Evans is now something of a Formula E veteran over the short history of the series.
As for his teammate, Nick Cassidy decision to leave Envision Racing despite finishing as the runner-up last year shows real intent and desire and there’s no reason why Cassidy can’t end the year as Champion if a little bit of luck goes his way. Overall, Jaguar TCS Racing are definetly favourites for a reason, but it’s always going to be tricky to get over the Championship line for the first time.
📸 Nick Cassidy.
Mahindra Racing
Mahindra Racing will be hoping to be a lot more competitive in Season 10 after a disappointing 2023 campaign. Mahindra have competed in every season of Formula E, and during that time, they’ve achieved 5 wins, 10 poles, and 24 podiums. In terms of their best Championship finish, that came in Season 3 (2017) when they finished 3rd in the Teams’ Championship.
However, since Season 6, Mahindra haven’t finished any higher than 8th in the Standings.
When it comes to their drivers, Mahindra Racing have a brand new lineup in the form of Edoardo Mortara and Nyck de Vries! Edo Mortara had a pretty horrendous 2023 with Maserati MSG, but the former 6-time E-Prix winner is a former runner-up in this Championship so Mortara’s definetly got the ability to have a good season.
📸 'Edo' Mortara.
As for his teammate, Nyck de Vries returns to Formula E after a difficult F1 stint, and the inaugural FE World Champion will be looking to remind everyone just how good he truly is.
📸 De Vries is looking to reboot his career after a disappointing F1 spell.
Overall, Mahindra Racing could have another poor season if things go wrong, but if Mortara and de Vries hit the ground running, Mahindra could be in for their best season in a while.
Maserati MSG Racing
Maserati MSG Racing will be hoping that their mid-season form in Season 9 appears throughout the entirety of Season 10. Maserati MSG have competed in every season in Formula E (mostly under the names Venturi and Rokit Venturi), and during that time, they’ve achieved 9 wins, 5 poles, and 25 podiums.
In terms of their best Championship finish, that came in Season 8 (2022) as their final year as Rokit Venturi when they finished 2nd in the Teams’ Championship. Their one and only year as Maserati (so far) saw them finish 6th in the standings.
When it comes to their drivers, Maserati have retained the services of Maximilian Gunther whilst they’ve given rookie Jehan Daruvala an amazing opportunity. Max Gunther had by far his best year in Formula E last year, accumulating 4 podium finishes (including a victory) with the highlight being Gunther dominating the Jakarta E-Prix weekend.
📸 Max Gunther.
As for his teammate, Jehan Daruvala steps into Season 10 as the only rookie on the grid, and I’m very intrigued to see how he gets on given the fact that Daruvala didn’t have the most stellar of junior careers.
📸 Daruvala has left the F1 ladder to join Maserati in FE.
Overall, Maserati MSG Racing are an interesting team heading into Season 10, and I very much think they can win races in 2024.
NEOM McLaren
NEOM McLaren need Season 10 to go a lot better than Season 9! The NEOM McLaren team has competed in Formula E since Season 5 (mostly as Mercedes) and during that time, they’ve achieved 7 wins, 11 poles, and 24 podiums. In terms of their best Championship finish, that came in both Season 7 (2021) and Season 8 (2022) as the then-Mercedes team won both the Teams’ and Drivers’ World Championships. However, they could only finish 8th in the Standings in their first year of McLaren which simply wasn’t good enough.
When it comes to their drivers, NEOM McLaren have retained Jake Hughes whilst they’ve also brought in an 'experienced hand' in the form of Sam Bird. Jake Hughes had a decent rookie season in FE which saw him take two pole positions, but the 29-year-old Brit will certainly be hoping for higher than 12th in the Championship by the end of Season 10.
📸 Jake Hughes will begin is second season in Formula E.
As for his teammate, Sam Bird has struggled in Formula E over the past couple of seasons, but the former 11-time E-Prix victor will be hoping for a return to form in his brand-new overalls.
📸 The experienced Sam Bird has joined McLaren's set up.
Overall, NEOM McLaren have to perform better this year, and whilst they should, I’m not super confident that they will.
Nissan Formula E Team
Nissan Formula E Team will be looking to build on a decent 2023 season. Nissan have competed in every season of ABB FIA Formula E (originally as Renault e.Dams), and during that time, they’ve achieved 17 wins, 21 poles, and 40 podiums.
In terms of their best Championship finish, that came in Season 1, 2, and 3 when they won the Teams’ Championships whilst Nissan also finished 2nd in the Standings in 2020 (Season 6).
When it comes to their drivers, Oliver Rowland has returned to partner up with Sacha Fenestraz. Oliver Rowland was 'dropped' mid-season by Mahindra last year, but Rowland will be hoping to see out the year with a team he’s tasted victory with in the past.
📸 Oliver Rowland returns to Nissan.
As for his teammate, Sacha Fenestraz showed some promising signs in his Rookie FE season last year, but the 24-year-old French-Argentine needs to beat his teammate this year if he wants to move up the grid.
📸 Sascha Fenestraz is back for more.
Overall, I’m really not that convinced that Nissan Formula E Team are going to do that well this year, especially as they got rid of a driver (in Norman Nato) who scored over two thirds of the teams’ points in Season 9.
TAG Heuer Porsche
And finally, let’s talk about TAG Heuer Porsche! Porsche have competed in Formula E since Season 6, and during that time, they’ve achieved 5 wins, 3 poles, and 14 podiums.
In terms of their best Championship finish, that came last year (Season 9) when they finished 4th in the Teams’ Championship.
When it comes to their drivers, TAG Heuer Porsche have retained the services of Pascal Wehrlein and Antonio Felix da Costa for another year. Pascal Wehrlein had by far his best year in Formula E last year as he achieved three E-Prix victories on the way to finishing 4th in the Championship.
📸 Pascal Wehrlein.
Wehrlein also finishing in the points in all but one race is a stat I like very much! As for his teammate, Antonio Felix da Costa struggled towards the end of Season 9, but the Season 6 Champion definetly has the quality to fight near the front in 2024.
📸 A Formula E legend, Antonio Felix Da Costa.
Overall, TAG Heuer Porsche are a strong team and they’ll be hoping to challenge for both Championships come London.
The Tracks/Calendar:
Round 1: Mexico City (January 13th)
Season 10 of ABB FIA Formula E kicks off with the Mexico City E-Prix! This race takes place at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez which is probably a very familiar name to fans of Formula 1. However, FE races on a shorter 2.606km (1.619 miles) circuit with 16 corners, and in total, there have been 7 Mexico City E-Prix’s with Jerome d’Ambrosio winning the inaugural race whilst Jake Dennis won here last year. In terms of repeat winners, Lucas di Grassi achieved victory in Mexico City in both 2017 (Season 3) and 2019 (Season 5).
Round 2 and 3: Diriyah (January 26th and 27th)
The first double round of Season 10 takes place in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. Diriyah hosts a 2.495km (1.550 miles) circuit which contains 21 corners. In total, there have been 9 Diriyah E-Prix’s with Antonio Felix da Costa winning the inaugural race whilst Pascal Wehrlein won both rounds last year. In terms of repeat winners, Sam Bird (2019 and 2022), Nyck de Vries (2021 and 2022), and Pascal Wehrlein (2023 twice) have all won in Diriyah twice!
Round 4: Sao Paulo (March 16th)
After a successful inaugural E-Prix last year, Sao Paulo returns/stays on the Formula E Calendar for Season 10. The Sao Paulo Circuit is 2.960km (1.839 miles) long and it contains a total of 14 corners. Last year’s E-Prix saw Mitch Evans take victory with the top three separated by just 5 tenths!
Round 5: Tokyo (March 30th)
For the first time ever, Formula E heads to Japan for the Tokyo E-Prix! The Tokyo Street Circuit is 2.582km (1.604 miles) long and it features 18 corners. Personally, I’m genuinely really excited to see cars on track in the land of the rising sun!
Round 6 and 7: Misano Adriatico (April 13th and 14th)
Formula E has been going to Italy for years, but this year, we have a new location as the Misano Adriatico E-Prix enters in place of Rome. Unlike the circuits that are usually used in Formula E, Misano is a permanent circuit which will hold a different sort of challenge for the cars and drivers. Unfortunately, the layout that FE will use hasn’t been announced, but I’m sure we’ll get a fun race whatever happens.
Round 8: Monaco (April 27th)
It’s now time for the race that everyone wants to win, the Monaco E-Prix! Formula E uses the traditional 3.337km (2.047 miles) layout that Formula 1 uses (they did run a modified layout before 2022) and it also contains 19 corners. In total, there have been 6 Monaco E-Prix’s with Sebastian Buemi winning the inaugural race whilst Nick Cassidy was victorious last year. In terms of repeat winners, Buemi managed to win in both 2015 (Season 1) and 2017 (Season 3).
Round 9 and 10: Berlin (May 11th and 12th)
Round 9 and 10 sees my favourite track on the Formula E calendar appear as Tempelhof Airport plays host to the Berlin E-Prix. The circuit at Tempelhof Airport is 2.375km (1.475 miles) long and the layout contains 10 corners. In total, there have been 18 Berlin E-Prix’s with Jerome d’Ambrosio winning the inaugural race whilst Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy secured victory in the two rounds last season. In terms of repeat winners, Sebastian Buemi (2016 and 2017), Lucas di Grassi (2019 and 2021), and Antonio Felix da Costa (both 2020) have all won in Berlin twice.
Round 11 and 12: Shanghai (May 25th and 26th)
After a few years away, Formula E returns to China for the Shanghai E-Prix. Formula E has previously raced in Beijing (Season 1 and 2) as well as Sanya in 2019 (Season 5), but FE is finally now able to return and interestingly, the race will take place at the Shanghai International Circuit which might be quite a familiar name to Formula 1 fans. However, the official layout for the E-Prix hasn’t yet been confirmed.
Round 13 and 14: Portland (June 29th and 30th)
When Formula E went to Portland last year, it was like nothing I’d ever seen as it was an actual racetrack with very few modifications and plenty of grass surrounding it. The Portland International Raceway is 3.221km (2.002 miles) long with 12 corners, and in it’s inaugural E-Prix, Nick Cassidy took victory in a race that played host to a 7-car wide straight at one point! A fun fact about this circuit is both IndyCar and Nascar go here, and at the end of the day, Portland will play a crucial role in this year’s Championship.
Round 15 and 16: London (July 20th and 21st)
Finally, Season 10 of ABB FIA Formula E concludes with the ExCeL Centre playing host to the London E-Prix. The circuit itself is 2.141km (1.330 miles) long and it has the weird and amazing distinction of being both in and outdoors. In total, there have been 10 London E-Prix’s with Sebastian Buemi winning the inaugural race whilst Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy won Round 1 and 2 respectively in Season 9. In terms of repeat winners, Nico Prost (both 2016) and Jake Dennis (2021 and 2022) have all won in London twice.
Overall, thanks to everyone for checking out this article and make sure to stay tuned for plenty more Formula E content throughout Season 10!
📸 Image credits: ABB FIA Formula E, ABT Cupra, Andretti Formula E, DS Penske, Envision Racing, ERT Formula E Team, Jaguar TCS, Mahindra Racing, NEOM McLaren FE, Nissan NISMO, Tag HEUER Porsche.
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