Formula E is back this weekend after a month’s break since the last ePrix in Jakarta. EverythingF1 is looking back at the season so far, and forwards to what may come from the tight championship battle this weekend.
Formula E is set for another titanic battle in Marrakesh this weekend, with four main championship contenders still in a tight hunt for the Formula E World Championship of 2021-2022. The parade returns to Marrakesh this year, after the event was cancelled during last year’s Covid-19 plagued season. Morocco is standing in for Vancouver, after the city of Vancouver postponed and eventually lost its licence to host an event after permit issues plagued this year’s potential host.
The Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan has played host to every Marrakesh ePrix so far, with the last outing being won by eventual 2019-2022 World Champion (and recent LMP2 class Le Mans winner), Antonio Felix da Costa. The 2.971 km circuit contains 12 turns, one slow speed hairpin and a high average speed throughout. The drivers will have to watch their energy consumption, as three straights and a long, fast flowing section between turns one and three mean this ePrix may well be decided by battery life and conservation. No doubt though, the slower turns will certainly provide the many overtaking opportunities that is indicative of Formula E.
The 2021 Marrakesh ePrix was cancelled due to the Covid Pandemic, but has returned to the Formula E calendar for 2022 at the Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan.
The Title Fight
After taking victory in Jakarta by battling the Teechetahs, Mitch Evans remains in the title fight with Jaguar despite some disappointing early results this season. His three wins are the most of any driver so far, ahead of Nyck de Vries and Edoardo Mortara with two a piece and Pascal Wehrlein and Stoffel Vandoorne with one each. Vandoorne’s consistency this season, with five podiums and points to his name every race bar one, mean he leads the championship by five points of Jean-Eric Vergne, his 121 points to JEV’s 116. Mortara follows closely behind with 114 points and Evans bringing up the rear with 109. The gap back to Robin Frijns, is some 28 points; and an extra 16 more back to Nyck de Vries in 6th. With more than half the season gone, certainly the top four are the main contenders left in this championship. And yet, the top half cannot truly be ruled out just now. Formula E is always able to throw up surprises, and some solid pace and consistency in the final half of the championship may yet decide the title fight.
Mercedes EQ, recently annoucing it’s acquision by McLaren for 2022-2023, currently leads its final season in Formula E with 186 points. That is some 16 and 17 ahead of closest rivals DS Techeetah and ROKiT Venturi respectively. Certainly, these three outfits have led the way in 2021-2022, despite Techeetah not yet taking a victory all year. The inconsistency of the Jaguar means it sits in fourth, with Sam Bird unable to mount a meaningful campaign due to sporadic finishes and retirements to boot.
Looking Forward
In time for this weekend’s action, the ABB Formula E championship unveiled its 2022-2023 calendar this week. The timetable is set to expand next year, with an additional two races on the calendar – up from 16 this year, to 18 next year. The season opener is set for January 2023, in Mexico City, marking the first time the GEN 3 cars will be raced competitively. The calendar is incomplete, however, with three events yet unannounced. Sao Paolo and Hyderabad will play host to an ePrix each, with Paris set to return and Cape Town set to join though neither are officially on the calendar thus far. Elsewhere, Berlin will be scaled back to one race, where it had been the host of two races a year for the past three seasons, at the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit. No doubt, however, the expanding circuit is a good sign for the future of Formula E – which will see an extended grid with Maserati featuring for the first time, and Audi returning under its ABT Sportsline brand.
Elsewhere, Andre Lotterer is set to depart the Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E team at the end of the 2021-2022 season – opting instead to take up one of the seats in the German manufacturer’s LMDh entry in the World Endurance Championship next year. Lotterer will leave Formula E with a certain 8 podiums to his name, and over sixty starts. The one time Formula 1 GP starter, however, has yet to score a victory in Formula E, and may leave winless.
The Marrakesh ePrix gets underway at 17:00 local time (the same as UTC+1 and BST) on Friday, July 1st, with Free Practice 1. Free Practice 2 starts at 7:30 on Saturday, July 2nd, with Qualifying starting at 9:40, and the race starting at 17:00 the same evening. In the UK, as always, the race will appear on Channel 4, with every event covered by the Channel 4 Sport Youtube channel. Qualifying and the race is also avaliable on Eurosport 2 and the Eurosport Player.