It is my pleasure to welcome a new series to the Patriot Press spotlight: Formula E! Formula E is the world’s pinnacle of electric car racing, with its first season being run in 2014-15. The first-ever championship was won by former F1 and NASCAR driver, Nelson Piquet, Jr. Season 10 was the most recent Formula E campaign, won by former F1 driver Pascal Wehrlein. This is a series that a lot of former F1 and F1 development drivers resort to if they don’t think that they will be able to continue their journey any further. Let’s take a look at all the new changes for the new Formula E season!
Andretti Formula E has a new face in their lineup. Partnering Season 9 champion Jake Dennis is Swiss driver Nico Müller. Nico will be making the move from ABT, where he finished 19th and 12th in two seasons with the organization. He will be looking for his first podium in the series, as the sports car standout is now a member of a powerhouse.
Maximilian Günther and Stoffel Vandoorne have essentially completed a trade on this year’s grid. Günther, a German driver who formerly competed in F2, will be moving to DS Penske. Belgian driver Vandoorne, who is a former champion, will be taking Günther’s former job at Maserati MSG Racing; Monaco’s flagship team. Vandoorne is the 2016 GP2 Series champion who raced for the McLaren F1 Team from 2017-2018. Günther finished 8th last season, while Vandoorne placed 10th. The latter has not won a race since his title in Season 8 and has only claimed one podium since.
ERT has undergone an American rebrand to Cupra Kiro for the new season. In addition, the team will be gaining a new driver. One former F2 driver will replace another, as Brazil’s Sérgio Sette Câmara is out, and Germany’s David Beckmann is in. Beckmann will be partnering with British fourth-year fellow F2 alum Dan Ticktum. He spent the previous season as the reserve driver for Jaguar TCS Racing. Beckmann has one F2 runner-up race finish to his name in 2021, despite never contesting a full season. He is one of three rookies on the grid.
Another team that went through a rebranding process during the offseason is ABT Cupra. They will now compete under the Lola Yamaha ABT banner. It is Lola’s first season in high-level motorsport competition since its disastrous 1997 Formula 1 season. Former series champion Lucas di Grassi of Brazil and former Barbadian F2 driver Zane Maloney will make up the lineup for the British outfit. Di Grassi finished an abysmal 23rd in points the previous season, while the “Boy from Barbados” won two F2 races with Rodin Motorsport. The Brazilian is a former Formula 1 competitor, competing in the 2010 edition. Maloney also served as Andretti’s test/reserve driver for two seasons, as well as an F1 reserve gig with Sauber.
Along with Vandoorne, Maserati has also added a new driver to its lineup: veteran British driver Jake Hughes. Another former F2 competitor, Hughes previously competed with NEOM McLaren, finishing 12th and 14th in two seasons. He is yet to score a win but he finished 2nd in Shanghai last season. Scoring that victory is certainly a high expectation for his squad. Hughes replaces former Indian F2 driver and Red Bull Academy alum, Jehan Daruvala.
Replacing Hughes at NEOM McLaren is yet another F2 dropout. British driver Taylor Barnard contested most of his 2024 F2 campaign before dropping out to focus on a switch to Formula E. Barnard won a race at Monaco back in May with AIX Racing. Partnering Sam Bird in an all-British lineup, he also spent 2023-24 as a reserve driver for the team. Furthermore, Barnard subbed for Bird after he suffered an injury during the previous season. He is the last of three drivers running for Rookie of the Year.
Our final silly season move comes from Japan’s sole Formula E team, Nissan. They are also cleaning some houses. They have let one Frenchman go for another, as Sacha Fenestraz will be leaving in favor of one-time ePrix winner Norman Nato. Nato comes from Andretti, with whom he finished 15th last season. He also tallied one podium on the year. His teammate will be his former competitor in GP2/F2, the British Oliver Rowland.
When it’s all said and done, this Season 11’s Formula E grid is set, and the season is ready to kick off on Saturday, December 7 for the São Paulo ePrix in Brazil. Can Wehrlein defend his title? Will we have a new champion? Will a past champion win another title? Additionally, which driver change will prove to be the most effective? We will not conclude until the sun sets in London, England on July 27.
