FORMULA E: THE PRESEASON TEST PREVIEW
Formula E, every motorsport fan’s favourite all electric street racing series, is back for its sixth visit to the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia for pre-season testing between the 29th of November and the 2nd of December. No doubt, the sport is entering its testing with a great deal of turmoil with important absences from the grid. It is safe to say that Formula E is suffering its first major teething issues since its inception in 2014, although regulation shakeups and the coming of the GEN3 car next season may put an end to that. Of course, this means the GEN2 car will be in its final season, although not without pushing the specification to its limits. This season, there will be a further 20kW upgrade, increased from 200kW to 220kW from last season. In Attack Mode, this shall mean another increase to a staggering 250kW – the most power Formula E has seen. The teams will want to tap into this speed during testing and estimate the longevity of their power units and collect all the data required for managing power during the race. Preseason testing will certainly be an interesting watch as the teams navigate into the last GEN2 season with all the previous experience behind them.
Who is missing from the grid?
The most obvious and most important absence from this year’s grid is the Audi Sport entrant. The team’s reasons for leaving have never been specific, but they have indicated a focus on the bigger picture in its transition away from internal combustion engines. Questions have arisen over the presence of Porsche in the sport, both teams being under the umbrella of the VW Group, although such suppositions are merely speculation. The team will surely be missed regardless, with one constructor’s championship in 2017-18 and drivers’ championship with Lucas di Grassi in 2016-17. The departure of Audi has coincided with a not too unexpected departure from Rene Rast. The German three-time DTM champion has made a career as somewhat of an Audi factory driver and is set to return to DTM full time next year, presumably as an Audi entrant.
Also missing is the BMW brand. Formerly the title sponsor and joint manufacturer of the Andretti entrant between 2018 and 2021, as well as power unit provider, the team never really managed to advance up the grid in spectacular fashion. However, taking the team’s first win on debut and posing a consistent title contention with rookie Jake Dennis this year, BMW can leave the sport with its head held high. BMW will, however, continue to provide the power unit for 2022.
On top of this, the acquisition of the entire Envision Virgin team by Envision has meant that Virgin shall be leaving Formula E. Akin to Audi, Virgin has been in the sport since the first season and was always a considerable team due to Sam Bird’s consistency across seasons. The team will be unlikely to change drastically with Virgin’s absence, as they were only a minor partner in recent seasons, but no doubt the missing name will be noticed by Formula E fans.
Now onto drivers. A few drivers have been replaced and others not yet confirmed for 2022 at the time of writing, so it is still unclear if some of these drivers will be returning except, though Rast and now Lynn are confirmed elsewhere. Joel Eriksson is the least likely to return. Admittedly, the young Swede was thrust into the Dragon/Penske seat after exit of Nico Muller, but he failed to make any impact and was largely forgettable during the season. With the incoming Antonio Giovinazzi, Erikson’s seat has already been occupied so he will certainly not be retained. Alongside Eriksson is Tom Blomqvist who has not been reconfirmed by NIO as of writing. Blomqvist only had his first full season in Formula E for 2020-21 but never made any strides as well. It is unknown if he will be retained or if NIO are looking elsewhere for 2022.
Norman Nato is another driver who has been replaced. Despite a win in the final race of the season, Nato spent most of the year at the back of the grid. Seizing on the opportunity of having a champion free agent, Venturi dropped Nato to sign Lucas di Grassi (certainly an upgrade) leaving Nato seatless as of writing.
Last, but not least, is Alex Lynn. Lynn will be moving on from Formula E to commit full time to IMSA next year. As reported by Autosport, Lynn is looking to further his career and was citied as saying he wished to “write your [sic] name in history” in sportscars. Alex Lynn will certainly be missed from the Formula E grid, taking his first win last season in London, and Everything F1 wishes him all the best in his career move.
The 2022 Entrants
Mercedes-EQ
Starting with the champions, Mercedes will be wanting to go into their final Formula E season with another set of trophies as a reward. The team, like most on the grid, had a chaotic season this year but never looked any less than championship contenders. Both drivers took wins, multiple podiums and they were unlucky not to take more. Despite the eventual win by de Vries, I actually think Vandoorne had the most consistent season. The Belgian was unlucky not to take a victory in London due to the fallout of the antics of di Grassi. Vandoorne had the most pole positions on the grid but was unfortunate not to convert them to more success. As of writing, neither drivers have been confirmed but it is highly likely that they shall. It is expected that both will be title contenders yet again, but I’d propose that Stoffel Vandoorne is the driver to watch in Mercedes’ ultimate season.
Jaguar TCS
Not unexpectedly, Jaguar came out of the stockade full force in 2020-21. With the incoming Sam Bird, and the ever-consistent Mitch Evans, the team finished their highest yet with multiple wins for Bird and the most podiums of any driver by Evans. Both drivers were title contenders all year, with Evans unfortunately losing out to reliability in the final round at Berlin, and no doubt they will be this year too. Jaguar will be expecting to take that extra step and go one better, but with two exceptional drivers the outfit may look more volatile than it has been before. With the stability of having finished his debut year with the team, Bird will be looking for that elusive championship with the same ferocity as always. Evans, however, is certainly not the number one at Jaguar but his long-term place at the team will not be stripped down because of Bird. It should be a great season to watch with Jaguar.
DS Techeetah
Techeetah actually had a relatively poor season in 2020-21. Having only taken one win each, Antonio Felix da Costa and Jean Eric Vergne (JEV) were considerably outperformed by other drivers across the whole season. The thing that kept them in contention with consistency shown by the team, which can certainly be the difference between the championship and the lower midfield in Formula E. Ultimately, however, DS Techeetah could not outdo their rising championship rivals and ended up third overall. As it stands, Techeetah remain the only team with two championship winning drivers, with JEV taking victory in 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 respectively (the only double champion) and da Costa in 2019-2020. This driver rivalry is sure to continue in 2022. Whether they will return to form remains to see.
Envision Racing
Robin Frijns had a really good year in 2021. He took the LMP2 title in the FIA World Endurance Championship on debut, as well as the win in the LMP2 category of the 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside Ferdinand Habsburg and Charles Milesi. In Formula E, despite going winless, he was always there and about for the Championship. As the cemented leader at Envision since the departure of Bird, Frijns has a lot of pressure on him to perform. Yet, the trend for the team seems to be downwards as it stands. This may have somewhat to do with Rookie Nick Cassidy’s debut season, but the margins in Formula E mean the difference between 1st and 7th, in the Team’s Championship, are very fine. It’s possible Frijns could replicate his success in other categories, and it’s possible Cassidy can build on his debut season, but equally its possible the Envision project could be stuck in the midfield.
Avalanche Andretti
Andretti seems to be in no man’s land right now. Jake Dennis was awesome last year, and retaining him was vital, but with the departure of BMW and Maximillian Gunther, it is difficult to assess the team. I’m actually somewhat surprised that Giovinazzi didn’t end up at Andretti rather than Dragon, though from the outside the team may look like one in decline. Despite this, they posted three wins in 2020-21 and Jake Dennis has stated that he is looking to make the next step this year. With BMW out of the picture, it’s possible the team may be the epitome of the turmoil that is facing Formula E, but alternatively Dennis could similarly carry the car to victory like he did last season. It will be very interesting to see where they stand in testing. As of writing, no second driver has been contracted. The current favourite for the seat is Oliver Askew, who does not yet have a full Indycar drive but is within the Andretti fold.
ROKiT Venturi Racing
Venturi played a masterstroke in picking up Lucas di Grassi. In fact, it’s possible they have one of the strongest driver pairings on the grid right now. Edoardo Mortara had an exceptional 2020-21, finally breaking out and capitalizing on all his potential. The Swiss driver posted a win and two podiums and will undoubtedly be looking to take more this season. The incoming di Grassi’s season could go one of two ways. This will be the first time the 2016-17 champion will be driving without Audi. He could well spend the year learning the Venturi team, reading himself for GEN3. Or he could, more expectedly I might add, come straight out of the blocks like Bird and gun for wins. The Brazilian has only had one winless season in his Formula E career, I’d hope his first with Venturi will copy the pattern.
Tag Heuer Porsche
Porsche’s entry into Formula E has not really been inspiring. Picking up Pascal Wehrlein for 2020-21 should have been good for the all-German outfit, and Wehrlein’s consistency throughout the season certainly kept them there or there abouts, but it never really came together properly for the team. The early season was weaker for Andre Lotterer, while the mid-season was weaker for Wehrlein, while both had decent endings. If anything, Porsche goes against the grain a bit. The team were consistent but took only two podiums and no wins. Consistency has always been the key in Formula E, but their plight proves it takes a little extra to gun for the title. With both drivers retained, however, it may be the season for Porsche to take that extra step. This will be another important team to watch in testing.
Mahindra
Mahindra were the antithesis to Porsche in 2020-21. They had very little consistency, but took wins and podiums. It is very difficult that the Indian team was forced to retain Alexander Sims, and part with Lynn, although the acquisition of Oliver Rowland is a good one. Sims had a frankly dire season while Lynn was on top of the car and took a win. Rowland should, however, fill the gap Lynn has left. It was the Brit’s 2019-2020 season that got people talking about him. Unfortunately, he spent this season gone languishing in the midfield to lower midfield with Nissan e.dams, but perhaps the move to a new outfit might re-inspire that quality. Mahindra has been on a downward trajectory since moving to GEN2, it should be a season to regroup for Dillbagh Gill’s team.
Nissan e.dams
A season to forget for Nissan. It was Olly Rowland which kept the team together, which begs the question – what has happened to Sebastien Buemi? The Swiss driver has not adapted well to GEN2 at all and seems to spend his time at the back of the grid and out of the points nowadays. It’s a real waste of what we know is a talented driver, and perhaps he may bounce back, but I don’t expect us to see the Buemi of old until GEN3. The team has picked up Maximillian Gunther to replacing the departing Oliver Rowland. It’s an interesting move for the German, who is extremely quick but notably inconsistent. Gunther could easily be a top 10 driver this year if Nissan e.dams provides the car, and he’ll be looking to take a step further than spurious wins, no doubt. This season could be more of the same from Nissan however, but who knows – perhaps they will get on top of the GEN2 car just as it is phased out. Another team to watch for testing.
Dragon/Penske
Now onto the first of the two back marker teams for 2020-21. The team has had a lot of coverage last week for the extremely surprising entrance of Antonio Giovinazzi fresh from Formula One. As stated earlier, I actually think this is a surprising move for the Italian. There were better seats on the grid to choose from, but if he is seeking to pass the time until Ferrari enter their WEC Hypercar than a Formula E seat is not the worst way to start at all. Giovinazzi will be an interesting shakeup for the team. He’s a solid driver, and like most former F1 drivers in FE, he should be quick. Alongside him is Sergio Sette Camara. The Brazilian has been something of a nothing driver on Formula E, but whether anything could be expected of him in what is decisively a bad car is hard to say. Nico Muller achieved the first podium for the team since 2018 last season, while Camara barely scored points. It’s hard to read Dragon, and watching them in testing will be a top priority.
NIO 333
NIO were not decisively outperformed by Dragon last year, despite what the standings say. They were actually more consistent than their main rivals. Ultimately, however, NIO had yet another bad season in GEN2. What to do with the Chinese team, that is the question. At least they can be confident of not having another 12th place finish, with only an 11-team grid, but whether the team can make any further strides seems unlikely. Oliver Turvey has been retained, which for continuity is good. Whether NIO can take it to Dragon will depend on the quality of the second driver and perhaps a bit of luck.
Conclusion
This season of Formula E could either be another chaos-ridden entertainment fest in the same vein as the last two seasons, or it could be one of transition before GEN3. Personally, I expect the former. Formula E always performs in this way, although the new sporting regulations could tighten up the grip of the better teams and drivers. I will be sure to cover testing and offer my perspective on what we can read into the teams before we go green in Diriyah in 2022. What I do really, really hope however, is that more motorsport fans treat Formula E with more respect. Sure, it’s not the most prestigious championship, but like B Movie Pulp, it entertains as best it can with solid racing and fun gimmicks. Formula E should be great next year, despite the turmoil, and I hope some of you will follow it along with me.