Typically, in February we are reaching the quarter post of the Formula E season with a season that began before Christmas and spent the better part of winter traveling the Southern Hemisphere. After the events of the last 12 months, February is when this new Formula E season will begin.
Twelve teams and 24 drivers are set for the 2021 championship in a year that will be turning point for the championship.
Schedule
The pandemic continues to play havoc on international series and Formula E is not immune. The original calendar has been tossed and we are living with a provisional schedule. We have part of it, but even that is subject to change.
As of now, we know the season will start with a doubleheader in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia on February 26 and February 27 with both races taking place at night. The next round will not be until April 10, the day before Easter, in Rome. Two weeks later, Formula E will make its debut at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia. The permanent track has played host to Formula E testing with the series using the perimeter configuration.
Monaco is scheduled for a return on May 8 before heading to Marrakesh on May 22. Santiago is the final scheduled round for now with the Chilean capital set to host a doubleheader on June 5-6.
Formula E hopes to have 15 races this season and there are six locations that were on the original schedule that could still host a race in 2021. Berlin's Tempelhof Airport will likely host a round. Last year, London was supposed to return to the calendar with a race at the ExCeL London convention center and fingers are crossed 2021 see that race take place. Regular North American stops Mexico City and Brooklyn are tentative hosts and Sanya and Seoul could each be Asian rounds of the 2021 championship.
Paris is the only scheduled 2021 race that has been cancelled.
Teams:
DS Techeetah
António Félix da Costa: #13 DS E-TENSE FE20
What did he do last season: Da Costa won the championship with 158 points, clinching the championship with two races remaining. He had three victories, one at Marrakesh and a sweep of the first Berlin doubleheader, and three runner-up finishes with points scored in nine of 11 races. Outside of Formula E, he was third in the FIA World Endurance Championship's Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Drivers with a runner-up finish in LMP2 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
What did he do last season: Da Costa won the championship with 158 points, clinching the championship with two races remaining. He had three victories, one at Marrakesh and a sweep of the first Berlin doubleheader, and three runner-up finishes with points scored in nine of 11 races. Outside of Formula E, he was third in the FIA World Endurance Championship's Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Drivers with a runner-up finish in LMP2 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
What to expect this season: More of the same. Techeetah will be at the front and da Costa will put up an honorable title defense. He was fourth in testing. He should win two or three races. Though the six Berlin races were held on three different configurations, I am curious about how Techeetah will run in different environments. Da Costa was in good form before Germany and this was after the team had a slow start. I don't think he will have a slow start again. If he doesn't win the championship, he will be in the top five.
Jean-Éric Vergne: #25 DS E-TENSE FE20
What did he do last season: Vergne was third in the championship, 72 points off his teammate. Vergne won the fourth Berlin race, his only victory of the season. He had two other podium finishes, a third in the third Berlin race and a third in Marrakesh. His only other top five finish was a fourth in Mexico City.
What to expect in this season: Vergne will be there, as he has been in his four previous seasons with Techeetah. He will win a few races and pole positions. The two Techeetah drivers complement each other but are each other's biggest rivals. They will take points off of each other. They both should be in the top five of the championship, but they both could fall short of the championship because one doesn't have a clear upper hand.
Team Notes:
Teechetah has won a race in each of the last four seasons. Last season was the first time both Techeetah drivers won a race in a season.
Teechetah aims to joins Renault e.dams as the only teams to win three consecutive teams' championships.
The team has never won one of the first three races in a season.
Nissan e.dams
Oliver Rowland: #22 Nissan IM02
What did he do last season: Rowland was fifth in the championship on 83 points, 75 points behind the champion da Costa. Rowland scored his first Formula E victory in the penultimate race of the 2019-20 season from pole position in Berlin. He scored points in eight of 11 races, but his victory was his only podium finish of the season.
What did he do last season: Rowland was fifth in the championship on 83 points, 75 points behind the champion da Costa. Rowland scored his first Formula E victory in the penultimate race of the 2019-20 season from pole position in Berlin. He scored points in eight of 11 races, but his victory was his only podium finish of the season.
What to expect in this season: The biggest problem for Rowland is his teammate because when you are paired with one of the best drivers in Formula E history it is going to be tough to stand out. Rowland started on the right foot in testing, ending up seventh while Sébastien Buemi was 14th. Buemi has had a teammate beat him in the championship. I don't expect that to change, but I think 2021 will be a lot like last season and Rowland will not be far off Buemi.
Sébastien Buemi: #23 Nissan IM02
What did he do last season: Buemi was fourth in the championship on 84 points, but for the second time in three seasons he did not win a race. He did have four podium finishes, three of which came in the six Berlin races. After opening the season with no points from the first three events, he finished in the points in seven of the final eight races. In the World Endurance Championship, he was runner-up in the World Endurance Drivers' Championship with two victories and six runner-up finishes.
What to expect in this season: Buemi is there every season. He will be there again in 2021. I think he will get off the snide and win two or three races. I think he will be a championship threat and push the Techeetah drivers.
Teams Notes:
After winning 15 of the first 32 races, the Renault/Nissan e.dams team has won just two of the last 36 races. In the last two seasons, it has not won until the final race weekend of the season.
Buemi has had at least four podium finishes in every Formula e season.
The team has not put both cars on the podium since Mexico City 2016 when Buemi was second and Nicolas Prost was third. In fact, that is the only race e.dams has had both cars on the podium.
Mercedes-Benz EQ Formula E Team
Stoffel Vandoorne: #5 Mercedes-Benz EQ Silver Arrows 02
What did he do last season: Vandoorne was vice-champion on 87 points and he ended his sophomore season with a victory in the Berlin finale from pole position. He opened the season with a pair of third-place finishes, and he scored points from seven of 11 races.
What did he do last season: Vandoorne was vice-champion on 87 points and he ended his sophomore season with a victory in the Berlin finale from pole position. He opened the season with a pair of third-place finishes, and he scored points from seven of 11 races.
What to expect in this season: Vandoorne was one of the most improved drivers of the 2019-20 season. Testing was a little underwhelming considering 2019-20 went. Vandoorne was 18th and the top Mercedes. I expect him to be in the top ten again and fighting for the top five. He should probably win another race or two.
What did he do last season: De Vries was 11th in the championship on 60 points. His best finish was second in the Berlin finale, giving Mercedes-Benz its first 1-2 finish. He scored points in five races, but never finished in the points in consecutive races.
What to expect in this season: While Vandoorne was 18th, de Vries was 21st in testing. De Vries was streaky in 2019-20. It was top five or bust for him. He has to improve on that consistency. If he does, he will be up there with his teammate and perhaps Mercedes could make a push for a teams' championship. I am weary of that though, especially if Mercedes does not improve from its testing form.
Team Notes:
Vandoorne's victory in the Berlin season finale was his first victory since October 30, 2016 when he won the Super Formula season finale at Suzuka with fellow Formula E driver André Lotterer finishing second that day.
The season opener will be de Vries' 12th start. Only nine drivers in Formula E history have taken more than 12 starts to get a first victory, including Vandoorne, who took 24 races, tied for the fifth most.
Mercedes-Benz's 1-2 finish in last season's Berlin finale was the fifth 1-2 finish in Formula E history. Techeetah and Audi each have done it twice. Techeetah did it at Santiago in 2018 and in the fourth Berlin race in 2020. Jean-Éric Vergne won each with André Lotterer second in Chile and António Félix da Costa second in Germany. Audi's first 1-2 was in Berlin in 2018 with Daniel Abt ahead of Lucas di Grassi. Later that season, di Grassi won the first Brooklyn race with Abt in second.
Envision Virgin Racing
Robin Frijns: #4 Audi e-Tron FE07
What did he do last season: Frijns was 12th in the championship with 58 points and he had a pair of runner-up finishes. However, he only scored points in four races all season and missed the antepenultimate race of the season in Berlin. In the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, he was third in the championship with three victories, 11 podium finishes and 16 points finishes from 18 starts. He also won five pole positions in the DTM.
What did he do last season: Frijns was 12th in the championship with 58 points and he had a pair of runner-up finishes. However, he only scored points in four races all season and missed the antepenultimate race of the season in Berlin. In the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, he was third in the championship with three victories, 11 podium finishes and 16 points finishes from 18 starts. He also won five pole positions in the DTM.
What to expect in this season: For all the promise Frijns has shown, his championship finishes in four seasons are 12th, 13th, fourth and 12th. He has won only two races and four of his seven podium finishes came in 2018-19 season. With Sam Bird gone, Frijns has to lead Virgin, but his streakiness will cost him. He can sneak into the top ten of the championship, but I don't see getting any higher than eighth.
Nick Cassidy: #37 Audi e-Tron FE07
What did he do last season: Cassidy competed in Japan and he was eighth in the Super GT championship with a victory in the season opener from Fuji. He missed the final two Super GT races to focus on his Formula E commitments. In Super Formula, he was fourth in the championship with a victory at Sportsland SUGO and a third at Okayama.
What did he do last season: Cassidy competed in Japan and he was eighth in the Super GT championship with a victory in the season opener from Fuji. He missed the final two Super GT races to focus on his Formula E commitments. In Super Formula, he was fourth in the championship with a victory at Sportsland SUGO and a third at Okayama.
What to expect in this season: Cassidy has already admitted Formula E will force him to drive differently with more energy management and he isn't focused on results too much. It sounds like he is using this year to learn before attempting a better challenge in year two. He was 13th at the Valencia pre-season test. Virgin is a consistent team. I think he will score points and challenge for a podium finish in at least one race, but I think he will be second in this team and Virgin could be set for its worst finish in the teams' championship.
Team Notes:
Virgin Racing has finished in the top five of the teams' championship in every Formula E season.
Only two of the team's 11 victories have not come from Sam Bird. Both those came from Frijns at Paris and the second Brooklyn race in 2019.
Bird had started all 69 races with Virgin Racing.
Cassidy becomes the eighth driver in team history and only the second non-European driver joining José María López.
BMW i Andretti Autosport
Jake Dennis: #27 BMW IFE.21
What did he do last season: Dennis ran two races all of 2020. His first start was the Bathurst 12 Hour sharing an Aston Martin with Rick Kelly and Scott Dixon to a 16th-place finish. He ran in the 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in the European Le Mans Series with Jota Sport and finished eighth.
What did he do last season: Dennis ran two races all of 2020. His first start was the Bathurst 12 Hour sharing an Aston Martin with Rick Kelly and Scott Dixon to a 16th-place finish. He ran in the 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in the European Le Mans Series with Jota Sport and finished eighth.
What to expect in this season: Dennis was 11th in testing and I am going to set the bar low because BMW's results have been scattered. The team wins one week and then doesn't score points in the next three or four races. The final championship finishes end up being average for BMW and that is where I expect Dennis to be. I think he will be outside the top ten in the championship.
Maximilian Günther: #28 BMW IFE.21
What did he do last season: Günther scored two victories in his first year with the BWM i Andretti program at Santiago and the third Berlin race. However, his only other finish in the points was second at Marrakesh and he ended up ninth in the championship on 69 points.
What to expect in this season: As has become accustom for Formula E testing, BMW led the way back in December in Valencia, however, despite all of BMW's preseason success, the results have fallen relatively flat once the season starts. The team won three races last year, two at the hands of Günther, but the team failed to score points on 14 of 22 occasions, including going scoreless in the final three races. I don't rate Günther highly and though he could win another race in 2021, I don't think he can string together the results to be a serious title contender.
Team Notes:
BMW has announced this will be the manufacture's last season in Formula E. Andretti Autosport could continue but would need another partnership and likely another powertrain.
Dennis is the team's 16th different driver.
Only twice has the team had both cars finish in the top five: The inaugural Formula E race at Beijing in 2014 with Franck Montagny in second and Charles Pic in fourth, and the first Brooklyn race in 2019 when António Félix da Costa was third and Alexander Sims was fourth.
Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler
Lucas di Grassi: #11 Audi e-Tron FE07
What did he do last season: Di Grassi had his worst season of his Formula E career. He was sixth in the championship on 77 points, but he did not win a race for the first time in his career. He had two runner-up finishes and scored points from nine of 11 races.
What did he do last season: Di Grassi had his worst season of his Formula E career. He was sixth in the championship on 77 points, but he did not win a race for the first time in his career. He had two runner-up finishes and scored points from nine of 11 races.
What to expect in this season: Last year was a down year and testing results were dismal. Di Grassi was the slowest in Valencia, albeit 0.761 seconds off the top time. The Audis were 20th and 24th though. Di Grassi will figure it out, but I am not sure he can make another championship push. He scored a lot of points last year, but rarely was one of the top drivers on track. It would not be a surprise if he won a race and had a few podium finishes, but for the first time in Formula E history I don't think he is a championship favorite at the start of a season.
René Rast: #33 Audi e-Tron FE07
What did he do last season: Rast ran the final six races of the Formula E season in Berlin after Daniel Abt's unceremonious exit from the team. Rast scored 29 points from nine races and was third in the penultimate race of the season. In DTM, Rast won his third championship in four seasons with seven victories and 13 podium finishes from 18 races and his worst finish of the season was seventh.
What to expect in this season: Rast showed promise in his Berlin stint last season and I think he is the teammate di Grassi lacked his entire Formula E career. I think both Audi drivers should be in the top ten of the championship. I don't think Audi is as slow as testing suggested. It might not be the best team, but it will produce. Rast is still re-adjusting to single-seater racing. He has not competed regularly in a single-seater since 2004 in Formula BMW ADAC. I think he will overcome that and be competitive, but I don't expect him to be a regular race winner.
Team Notes:
This will be Audi's final season in Formula E.
After ending the 2017-18 season with seven consecutive podium finishes on the way to Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler making the teams' championship, di Grassi has only five podium finishes over the last 24 races.
di Grassi has started all 69 races with Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler. His teammate has always been a German driver, with Daniel Abt running 63 races and Rast taking the last six races.
Jaguar Racing
Sam Bird: #10 Jaguar I-Type 5What did he do last season: Driving for Virgin Racing, Bird won the season opener, but he had only one other podium finish all season and he was tenth in the championship on 63 points, his worst Formula E championship finish. He scored points in six of 11 races.
What to expect in this season: Bird might be the best Formula E driver not to win a championship, but too often does he start strong and then fade. He has won one of the first four races of a season in five of six seasons. However, in 2014-15, he won the second race and his only other podium finish was his victory in the season finale. He won the fourth race the year after that and didn't finish in the top five again. He won the third race in 2018-19 and didn't get on the podium again. He won the season opener last year and had one other podium finish. Jaguar produces respectable cars but has yet to have that breakthrough. I don't think it will happen this year.
Mitch Evans: #20 Jaguar I-Type 5
What to expect in this season: Evans was fifth in testing while Bird was 23rd. Evans has won a race each of the last two seasons and he has been in the top ten of the championship in the last three seasons. I expect more of the same. He will win a race, perhaps two and get on the podium three or four times, but he will be just off that championship level.
What did he do last season: Evans won at Mexico City, was third in Santiago and scored points from seven of 11 races on his way to seventh in the championship with 71 points.
What to expect in this season: Evans was fifth in testing while Bird was 23rd. Evans has won a race each of the last two seasons and he has been in the top ten of the championship in the last three seasons. I expect more of the same. He will win a race, perhaps two and get on the podium three or four times, but he will be just off that championship level.
Team Notes:
Bird becomes the sixth different teammate for Evans in five seasons.
Evans has been the top Jaguar finisher in 35 of 48 Formula E races for the team.
Jaguar has had both cars finish in the points in only eight of 48 races, including only once last season.
Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team
André Lotterer: #36 Porsche 99X ElectricWhat did he do last season: Lotterer picked up two runner-up finishes and a pole position. He scored points in seven of 11 races on his way to eighth in the championship on 71 points.
What to expect in this season: Lotterer is uncertain about Porsche's second season seeing improvements because of how tight the Formula E is, but he should see an uptick in results. I think Porsche can win a race or two this season and I think Lotterer could get one. I am not sure the consistency can be there for a championship, but he should be at least eighth in the championship again.
Pascal Wehrlein: #99 Porsche 99X Electric
What did he do last season: Wehrlein ran the first five races of the 2019-20 Formula E season with Mahindra Racing and his best finishes were fourth at Santiago and ninth at Mexico City. He stepped out of the car prior to the season resuming in Berlin.
What did he do last season: Wehrlein ran the first five races of the 2019-20 Formula E season with Mahindra Racing and his best finishes were fourth at Santiago and ninth at Mexico City. He stepped out of the car prior to the season resuming in Berlin.
What to expect in this season: Last year, Lotterer scored 71 of Porsche's 78 points. Wehrlein was sixth in testing and I think we will see a greater balance between the two Porsche drivers. Each driver could win a race, but I am more concerned about Wehrlein than Lotterer. Wehrlein walked away from Mahindra in the middle of last year after decent results and a solid first season. He should be close to equal to his teammate, but I will give the slight edge to Lotterer.
Team Notes:
Lotterer has the most points in Formula E history without a victory. Lotterer has scored 221 points. He is only one of four drivers with over 100 points in a career and no victories. The other are Nick Heidfeld with 214 points, Stéphane Sarrazin with 128 points and Loïc Duval with 112 points.
Lotterer has not won a race since May 27, 2017 when he won the first race of a Super Formula doubleheader at Okayama.
Wehrlein has not won a race since August 29, 2015 when he won the first race of the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters weekend at Moscow Raceway. He has not won a race in a single-seater since March 24, 2013 when he won the second race of the FIA Formula Three European championship season at Monza.
Mahindra Racing
Alexander Sims: #29 Mahindra M7Electro
What did he do last season: Sims started on pole position for the first two races of the season and won the second race in Saudi Arabia. That was his only podium finish of the season. He scored 49 points and ended up 13th in the championship with BMW i Andretti.
What did he do last season: Sims started on pole position for the first two races of the season and won the second race in Saudi Arabia. That was his only podium finish of the season. He scored 49 points and ended up 13th in the championship with BMW i Andretti.
What to expect in this season: For all the pace Sims showed at BMW, the results are rather lackluster. He moves to Mahindra, a team coming off its worst championship finish and the two cars were 15th and 16th in testing with Sims leading. I don't see a big turnaround coming. Sims should score some points and he might have a top five finish. Sims scored the same number of points on his own as Mahindra did as a team last year. The team could see an uptick in points and gain a spot in the teams' championship, but I expect Sims to be between 13th and 18th in the championship.
Alex Lynn: #94 Mahindra M7Electro
What did he do last season: Lynn ran the final six races in Berlin in place of Wehrlein. He ended the season with three consecutive points finishes with his best result being fifth. He ended up 17th on 16 points.
What to expect in this season: I can't figure out Lynn. Once, he was a strong Formula One hopeful, then he was a sports car stud. He won the 12 Hours of Sebring with Wayne Taylor Racing and was in the Aston Martin factory program, but he is not as desired as I thought he would be. His Formula E results have never been great and he has driven for some good teams in Virgin and Jaguar. However, he ended 2020 on the right path. He scored points in three consecutive races. I think he could top Sims in the Mahindra battle, but he will likely finish in the same range as Sims, somewhere between 13th and 18th.
Team Notes:
Last season was the first time since the inaugural Formula E season in 2014-15 that Mahindra did not pick up a podium finish.
Mahindra's 49 points and ninth in the teams' championship in 2019-20 were both the team's worst results in each category. Mahindra had scored over 100 points in the previous four seasons.
The team has not had a podium finish in its last 21 races, the longest drought in team history.
ROKiT Venturi Racing
Edoardo Mortara: #48 Mercedes-Benz EQ Silver Arrows 02
What did he do last season: Mortara was in the points for seven of 11 races but he had only two top five finishes. He scored 41 points and ended up 14th in the championship for the second consecutive season.
What did he do last season: Mortara was in the points for seven of 11 races but he had only two top five finishes. He scored 41 points and ended up 14th in the championship for the second consecutive season.
What to expect in this season: In three Formula E seasons, Mortara has finished 13th, 14th and 14th in the championship. I expect him to be 13th or 14th in the championship. He could see a slight improvement and get to tenth or 11th, but Venturi has never been a regular fighter at the front of the field. He could score points in half the races.
Norman Nato: #71 Mercedes-Benz EQ Silver Arrows 02
What did he do last season: Nato competed with Rebellion Racing in the LMP1 class of the World Endurance Championship. He won two races and had six consecutive podium finishes, including a runner-up result in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, on his way to finishing third in the World Endurance Drivers' Championship.
What to expect in this season: Nato was tenth in testing, two spots ahead of his teammate, but Venturi's inconsistency worries me. It will have the Mercedes-Benz powertrain for the second consecutive season, but that doesn't mean the team will be fighting for victories. I think Nato is in the same boat Mortara, trying to get tenth in the championship.
Team Notes:
Venturi has never finished in the top five of the teams' championship.
Venturi has only six podium finishes and 17 top five finishes in 69 races.
Nato has not run a single-seater since the 2017 Formula Two season.
Dragon/Penske Autosport
Nico Müller: #6 Penske EV-5
What did he do last season: Müller scored no points in his rookie season in Formula E. His best finish was 12th in two races. He did pick up fastest lap in the final race of the season in Berlin. In DTM, Müller was second in the championship with six victories, 13 podium finishes and he finished in the points of all 18 races.
What did he do last season: Müller scored no points in his rookie season in Formula E. His best finish was 12th in two races. He did pick up fastest lap in the final race of the season in Berlin. In DTM, Müller was second in the championship with six victories, 13 podium finishes and he finished in the points of all 18 races.
What to expect in this season: Dragon/Penske Autosport was the surprise of testing with its two cars ending up second and third, with Müller taking third. It is only testing and like any series we have seen fast cars disappear when the season begins and concerns about a driver's pace disappear once that driver starts succeeding in season. I am skeptical, mostly because Dragon/Penske's championship results have gotten worse in each Formula E and it still hasn't hit rock-bottom. It does have more room above it than below. Müller has a season under his belt and I think he will score points, but not be a serious contender for a top ten championship position.
Sérgio Sette Câmara: #7 Penske EV-5
What did he do last season: Câmara started the final six races in Berlin with his best finish being 15th in the penultimate round of the season. He also ran one Super Formula race at Sportsland SUGO and won pole position, but he retired from that lone start.
What to expect in this season: Câmara could be the surprise of the season. Based on his Formula Two results and him winning pole position on his Super Formula debut after spending the first half of the year away from the team shows something is there. We have seen one-off winners in Formula E early in a season and then that team kind of craters. Câmara could see early glory and then struggle for results elsewhere but steal a spot eighth to tenth in the championship. I think he will lead this team in points scored.
Team Notes:
Dragon racing was second in the inaugural teams' championship with 171 points and fourth in the second season with 143 points. In the last four seasons, the team has scored 62 points combined.
Only once has the team not made a driver change during the season and that was in 2015-16. The driver change has always occurred in the #6 Dragon Racing entry.
The team's most recent victory was Mexico City 2016 and its most recent podium finish was Zürich 2018.
NIO 333 FE Team
Oliver Turvey: #8 NIO 333 001
What did he do last season: Turvey did not score a point in 2019-20 with an 11th in Santiago being his best showing. He finished outside the top 15 in the final seven races of the season.
What did he do last season: Turvey did not score a point in 2019-20 with an 11th in Santiago being his best showing. He finished outside the top 15 in the final seven races of the season.
What to expect in this season: It has to get better for Turvey and NIO. The good news is he was ninth in testing. However, there was a big gap between him and his teammate. Turvey and NIO should get a few points, but I am talking five or six points. NIO can only go up but a marginal improvement still will not be earth-shattering in the Formula E world.
Tom Blomqvist: #88 NIO 333 001
What did he do last season: Blomqvist started the final Berlin doubleheader in place of James Calado at Jaguar and finished 12th and 17th in those races. He made his 24 Hours of Le Mans debut in the GTE-Am class with HubAuto Corsa and he won the Circuit Paul Ricard 1000km with Alessandro Pier Guidi and Côme Ledogar to close out the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup season.
What to expect in this season: Blomqvist was 20th in testing, 11 spots off his teammate. Blomqvist has had a disjointed Formula E career. He got a crack with Andretti in 2017-18 before BMW's full commitment to the series and then he didn't race in the series for two years. It has been seven years since he regularly competed in a single-seater. Turvey is more likely to score points than Blomqvist and I would be surprised if Blomqvist finished in the points once or twice this season.
Team Notes:
Since having Nelson Piquet, Jr. win the inaugural drivers' championship with two victories and four podium finishes, this team has one podium finish in the last 58 races.
The team has not had double points scorers since Buenos Aires 2016 when Piquet, Jr. was fifth and Turvey was ninth. NIO has put both cars in the points five times but has never had both cars finish in the top five.
Turvey holds the Formula E record with 59 entries and 58 starts without a victory.
Blomqvist will become NIO's tenth driver. Only four drivers have scored points for the team (Piquet, Jr., Turvey, Charles Pic, Luca Filippi).
First practice of the Formula E season will take place at 10:15 a.m. ET on Thursday February 25. Friday practice is scheduled for 6:00 a.m. ET before qualifying at 8:00 a.m. ET. The first race of the Formula E season will be at noon ET on Friday February 26.
There will be a practice session at 5:45 a.m. ET on Saturday February 27 with qualifying at 8:00 a.m. ET and the second race scheduled for noon.
