After just over five months off, Formula E is set to begin its eighth season of competition. The 2022 season will see more races than ever before, new venues and new countries visited, a few new drivers and a few team changes. Audi Sport Team Abt is out of the championship after being one of the charter members and winning the inaugural race in Beijing back in 2014. BMW has withdrawn its factory support. The season opener is only a few days away, and there is a lot to cover.
Schedule
Formula E expands, as the 2022 schedule is the longest in series history with 16 races. There will be three new venues visited, and a return to Asia after the championship has been contained to Europe, the Middle East, and North America since the start of the global pandemic in March 2020.
Diriyah opens the campaign for the fourth consecutive season, and for the third consecutive year it will be a doubleheader, the first of six doubleheaders in 2022, on January 28-29. Two weeks later, Formula E returns to Mexico City on February 12.
There will be nearly two months off after Mexico City, but when Formula E returns, the European portion of the schedule will begin. Rome hosts a doubleheader on April 9-10. Three weeks later, Monaco hosts the series for a single race on April 30. Berlin will host another doubleheader on May 14-15.
The first of three new events takes place on June 4 in Jakarta. A month later, Formula E goes to its second consecutive new venue, Vancouver on July 2.
Once in North America, the series will head east to Brooklyn for its first of three consecutive doubleheaders to close out the season on July 16-17. A fortnight later the series will be in London on July 30-31. The final doubleheader will be the final new venue of the season, Seoul, which will be the fifth different season finale host in eight Formula E seasons, and the first Asian venue to close a season. The final races will be held on August 13-14.
Qualifying Format Change
The 2022 season will see a change in the qualifying format. After using the Super Pole, group qualifying format, which saw groups broken up by championship position and had the top championship drivers qualifying first with the bottom of the championship drivers going out last, Formula E has adopted a new knockout format.
Qualifying will still start with two groups broken up via championship position with odd-numbered positions in Group A, and even-numbered positions in Group B. Each group will have a ten-minute session with the top four drivers from each group advancing to the knockout round.
The knockout round will start with four quarterfinal matchups with the fastest in each group going against fourth from the other group. Second-fastest from each group will face third-fastest from the other group. The four winners will advance to the semifinal round with the two winners from that round advancing to the final.
The fastest in the final will take pole position with the other finalist on row one. The semifinalists will lineup on row two with the fastest of the two taking third on the grid. The quarterfinalists will occupy fifth to eighth on the grid in order of their fastest time from that round.
If the pole-sitter comes from Group A, the cars that failed to advance from the group stage will fill the odd-numbered positions from ninth to 21st with Group B taking the even-numbered positions from tenth to 22nd. If the pole-sitter comes from Group B, then the Group B cars will take the odd-numbered positions with Group A filling the even-numbered spots on the grid.
Teams:
Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team
Stoffel Vandoorne: #5 Mercedes-Benz EQ Silver Arrows 02
What did he do last season: Vandoorne won the fourth race of the season in Rome. He had two third-place finishes and won three pole positions, the most in 2021. The Belgian scored points in six races and finished ninth in the championship on 82 points.
What did he do last season: Vandoorne won the fourth race of the season in Rome. He had two third-place finishes and won three pole positions, the most in 2021. The Belgian scored points in six races and finished ninth in the championship on 82 points.
What to expect in this season: Vandoorne led Valencia testing in November. This might be Mercedes' final season before withdrawing from Formula E, but I expect it will continue to be at the top and winning races. Vandoorne will be more in the championship fight than last season. Multiple victories are highly possible.
Nyck de Vries: #17 Mercedes-Benz EQ Silver Arrows 02
What did he do last season: De Vries won two races, the Diriyah season opener and the first Valencia race, and he had two runner-up finishes. Though he only scored points in seven of 15 races, De Vries' 99 points was enough to win the Formula E championship.
What did he do last season: De Vries won two races, the Diriyah season opener and the first Valencia race, and he had two runner-up finishes. Though he only scored points in seven of 15 races, De Vries' 99 points was enough to win the Formula E championship.
What to expect in this season: With how the 2021 championship played out due to the qualifying format and the top drivers constantly being rotated into the worst qualifying groups, the championship was closer than it should have been. Without that qualifying format, de Vries likely would have still been champion, but with a more dominant season. He should win multiple races again, and possibly more than last season. Both Mercedes drivers are top tier drivers for the 2022 title.
Team Notes:
De Vries' 99 points in 2021 was the fewest for a Formula E champions, despite 2021 being the longest season with 15 races. The previous longest season was 13 races in 2018-19, which was the season with the previous fewest points for a champion at 136 points for Jean-Éric Vergne.
Vandoorne has 39 Fan Boosts in his Formula E career, third most all-time and he has won Fan Boosts in every start of his Formula E career.
Mercedes is looking to become the third team to win consecutive Teams' Championships joining Renault e.dams and Techeetah.
Jaguar TCS Racing
Mitch Evans: #9 Jaguar I-Type 5What did he do last season: Evans did not win a race, but he finished third in five races. He scored points seven times and stalling at the start of the Berlin finale ended his championship hopes. He wound up on 90 points, fourth in the championship.
What to expect in this season: Evans should continue to be toward the top of the field and should be competing for podium finishes. There should be a race or two where he is fighting for a race victory. The team must be a little more consistent to turn Evans into a championship contender.
Sam Bird: #10 Jaguar I-Type 5
What to expect in this season: Bird always finds a way to win in Formula E. I don't expect that to change. Unfortunately, Bird always finds a way to fall out of the championship battle. Jaguar looks good but has some work to do to be great. If it cleans that up, Bird could break through and get that elusive championship. If not, expect him to be somewhere in the top ten of the final standings.
What did he do last season: Bird won twice, the second Diriyah and second Brooklyn race, and he was runner-up in the first Rome race. While he finished in the points six times, he retired from six races and was disqualified from another. His final championship finish was sixth with 87 points.
What to expect in this season: Bird always finds a way to win in Formula E. I don't expect that to change. Unfortunately, Bird always finds a way to fall out of the championship battle. Jaguar looks good but has some work to do to be great. If it cleans that up, Bird could break through and get that elusive championship. If not, expect him to be somewhere in the top ten of the final standings.
Team Notes:
Bird is the only driver with more than three victories to not have won championship with 11 victories.
Bird is the only driver to have won a race in every Formula E season.
Evans' five podium finishes without a victory last year tied Nick Heidfeld's record for most podium finishes in a season without a victory. Heidfeld did it in the 2016-17 season.
DS Techeetah
António Félix da Costa: #13 DS E-TENSE FE20
What did he do last season: Da Costa's only victory was at Monaco, and he had two points podium finishes. His seven points-paying finishes earned him 86 points and eighth in the championship a year after topping Formula E.
What did he do last season: Da Costa's only victory was at Monaco, and he had two points podium finishes. His seven points-paying finishes earned him 86 points and eighth in the championship a year after topping Formula E.
What to expect this season: After consecutive Teams' Championships, 2021 was a down year for Teechetah, however, 2022 should be a more competitive season. Da Costa should be further up the running order. It will be tough to reclaim the title, but he will not be as inconsequential.
Jean-Éric Vergne: #25 DS E-TENSE FE20
What did he do last season: Vergne won the third race of the season in Rome, but he only picked up one other podium finish and he rounded out the top ten in the championship on 80 points. It was the worst Formula E championship finish in Vergne's career.
Jean-Éric Vergne: #25 DS E-TENSE FE20
What did he do last season: Vergne won the third race of the season in Rome, but he only picked up one other podium finish and he rounded out the top ten in the championship on 80 points. It was the worst Formula E championship finish in Vergne's career.
What to expect in this season: Better results and more pole positions. Prior to the 2021 qualifying format, he won three pole positions in 2017-18 and twice in 2019-20. With Techeetah, Vergne has been a regular contender until the final races. He will be up there and winning races.
Team Notes:
Vergne is 100 laps led from becoming the first driver with 500 laps led in Formula E history.
Vergne has at least one victory in each of the last five seasons, all with Techeetah.
Da Costa's last five victories have all come from pole position.
Envision Racing
Robin Frijns: #4 Audi e-Tron FE07
What did he do last season: Twice Frijns was runner-up and he scored points in seven races, five of which were top five results, but Frijns fell ten points off his fellow Dutchman de Vries, fifth in the championship.
What did he do last season: Twice Frijns was runner-up and he scored points in seven races, five of which were top five results, but Frijns fell ten points off his fellow Dutchman de Vries, fifth in the championship.
What to expect in this season: Frijns should win a race or two. He was one of the better drivers in 2021 and if it wasn't for the qualifying format, he would have had a better chance at fighting for the title in the Berlin doubleheader finale. We will see two Dutch drivers trading blows for the championship.
Nick Cassidy: #37 Audi e-Tron FE07
What did he do last season: Cassidy took his first Formula E pole position in the fourth race of the season, but he was outside the points in each of these races. His results improved in the middle of the season with a pair of runner-up finishes and a pair of fourth-place finishes. Despite this success, Cassidy was 15th in the championship on 76 points.
What did he do last season: Cassidy took his first Formula E pole position in the fourth race of the season, but he was outside the points in each of these races. His results improved in the middle of the season with a pair of runner-up finishes and a pair of fourth-place finishes. Despite this success, Cassidy was 15th in the championship on 76 points.
What to expect in this season: The New Zealander will have plenty of strong races and regularly score points. There will be days he is the top Envision finisher, but Frijns will be difficult to beat, and Cassidy's Formula E inexperience will get the better of him in some battles. Overall, his sophomore season will be an improvement.
Team Notes:
Frijns has four runner-up finishes since his most recent victory in the 2019 Brooklyn season finale.
Envision Racing is in the middle of a 25-race winless drought. Its previous longest drought was 14 races from the 2016 Buenos Aires race and the 2017 first Brooklyn race.
Frijns is the only driver other than Sam Bird to win for Envision Racing.
Envision Racing has finished in the top five of the Teams' Championship in every Formula E season, but it has never finished better than third.
Avalanche Andretti Formula E
Jake Dennis: #27 BMW IFE.21
What did he do last season: Dennis won the second Valencia race and first London race, but his next best finish was fifth on three occasions. He was third in the championship on 91 points.
What did he do last season: Dennis won the second Valencia race and first London race, but his next best finish was fifth on three occasions. He was third in the championship on 91 points.
What to expect in this season: Dennis quietly won two races in 2021 and quietly had a shot at the championship. BMW has pulled its funding from the Andretti Formula E operation, but the team is keeping the drive train. We know this car can win. We also know there are races where it out to lunch. Dennis showed good pace in testing. If the team can limit the bad days, Dennis could make significantly more noise than last year.
Oliver Askew: #28 BMW IFE.21
What did he do last season: Askew made five IndyCar starts for three different teams with his best result being ninth in the penultimate round of the season at Laguna Seca driving for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. He also started every IMSA Sports Car Championship round in the LMP3 class for three different teams and won the class at the 24 Hours of Daytona driving for Riley Motorsports.
What to expect in this season: Moving from internal combustion engine racing and IndyCar, Askew is out of his element, but his testing results were promising. There will be some rough days, but it will click on a few weekends, and he will get top ten results. However, it is likely Askew will be outside the championship top ten and there will be distance between him and Dennis.
Team Notes:
Askew will become the fourth American to start a Formula E race and the first since Scott Speed at Berlin in 2015.
All three previous American drivers all drove for Andretti Autosport.
Speed has the only podium finish for an American in Formula E, a runner-up in Miami in 2015, Speed's Formula E debut.
With two victories in 15 starts, Dennis has the third best winning percentage in Formula E history at 13.333% behind only Sébastien Buemi and Lucas di Grassi.
ROKiT Venturi Racing
Lucas di Grassi: #11 Mercedes-Benz EQ Silver Arrows 02
What did he do last season: Di Grassi won twice, the first Puebla race and the first Berlin race, but while he finished with a Formula E leading nine points-paying finishes, he had only one other top five finish, a third in the first Brooklyn race. He was seventh in the championship on 87 points driving for Audi.
What did he do last season: Di Grassi won twice, the first Puebla race and the first Berlin race, but while he finished with a Formula E leading nine points-paying finishes, he had only one other top five finish, a third in the first Brooklyn race. He was seventh in the championship on 87 points driving for Audi.
What to expect in this season: After a difficult 2019-20 season, di Grassi bounced back in 2021. After six seasons in the Audi Team Abt lineup, this is a significant change for the Brazilian. Di Grassi has been one of Formula E's best. He will have a formidable challenge in his own team with Edoardo Mortara. The battle will be for best in the team.
Edoardo Mortara: #48 Mercedes-Benz EQ Silver Arrows 02
What did he do last season: Mortara won the second Puebla race and had three other podium finishes. Mortara entered the Berlin finale second in the championship, but he collided with Mitch Evans' stall car and was taken out of the race. Mortara maintained second with 92 points in the final standings.
What did he do last season: Mortara won the second Puebla race and had three other podium finishes. Mortara entered the Berlin finale second in the championship, but he collided with Mitch Evans' stall car and was taken out of the race. Mortara maintained second with 92 points in the final standings.
What to expect in this season: Mortara was quick in testing, but despite Mortara coming up just short of the Drivers' Championship. Venturi was still only seventh in the Teams' Championship. Mortara will be good, somewhere in the top ten in the championship, but I am not sure the team will be consistent enough to have him come out on top.
Team Notes:
Venturi had both cars finish in the points twice last season.
Di Grassi is one of two drivers to have started all 84 Formula E races. The other is Sam Bird.
Only twice has Mortara finished in the points in three consecutive races, Santiago-Mexico City-Hong Kong 2019 and then the final two races of 2020 in Berlin and the 2021 season opener in Diriyah.
TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team
André Lotterer: #36 Porsche 99X Electric
What did he do last season: While Lotterer was second in the second Valencia race, it was his only points paying finish in the first nine races. He finished the season with five points-paying finishes in the final six races, but he could only manage 17th in the championship on 56 points.
What to expect in this season: Lotterer and Porsche just seem to be unable to get out of their own way. In the last two seasons, the pairing finds a way to get one or two great results, and then it falls off. The team has been characterized with slow starts and better finishes. Testing results were not fantastic. The team will score points, but not in handfuls.
What to expect in this season: Like Lotterer, a few strong races, but some otherwise disappointing races. Wehrlein will score points, but not enough to keep up with the big boys. A Puebla repeat could occur, but without the exclusion from the final results.
What did he do last season: While Lotterer was second in the second Valencia race, it was his only points paying finish in the first nine races. He finished the season with five points-paying finishes in the final six races, but he could only manage 17th in the championship on 56 points.
What to expect in this season: Lotterer and Porsche just seem to be unable to get out of their own way. In the last two seasons, the pairing finds a way to get one or two great results, and then it falls off. The team has been characterized with slow starts and better finishes. Testing results were not fantastic. The team will score points, but not in handfuls.
Pascal Wehrlein: #94 Porsche 99X Electric
What did he do last season: Wehrlein opened the season with four consecutive points finishes, the longest streak of the 2021 season, but he was disqualified for a technical infraction after finishing first on the road in the first Puebla race. He scored points in nine races, including six top five finishes, but ended with 79 points in 11th.
What did he do last season: Wehrlein opened the season with four consecutive points finishes, the longest streak of the 2021 season, but he was disqualified for a technical infraction after finishing first on the road in the first Puebla race. He scored points in nine races, including six top five finishes, but ended with 79 points in 11th.
What to expect in this season: Like Lotterer, a few strong races, but some otherwise disappointing races. Wehrlein will score points, but not enough to keep up with the big boys. A Puebla repeat could occur, but without the exclusion from the final results.
Team Notes:
Lotterer became the driver with the most points without a victory last season. His 249 points surpassed Nick Heidfeld's previous record of 214 points.
Wehrlein has the fifth-most points all-time without a victory with 119, three behind Loïc Duval and nine points behind Stéphane Sarrazin.
After having only one double points finish in its first 20 races, Porsche had three double points finishes in the final six races of 2021.
Mahindra Racing
Alexander Sims: #29 Mahindra M7Electro
What did he do last season: Sims was second in the second Rome race. He scored points in only five races, ending up 19th in the championship with 54 points.
What did he do last season: Sims was second in the second Rome race. He scored points in only five races, ending up 19th in the championship with 54 points.
What to expect in this season: Mahindra is coming off finishing ninth in the Teams' Championship each of the last two years. Testing results were encouraging, but Sims has finished 13th, 13th and 19th in the championship in his three Formula E seasons. I am not sure he will score his career best championship finish. If he does, it is a stretch to think he will crack the top ten.
Oliver Rowland: #30 Mahindra M7Electro
What did he do last season: Driving for Nissan, Rowland had two podium finishes and he had seven points-paying finishes, netting him 77 points. He also won one pole position. He was 14th in the championship.
What to expect in this season: Rowland is making a big shift to Mahindra. He was fourth in Valencia testing, but Mahindra yo-yoed a bit over the two test days. He has been consistently good in Formula E, and had a few standout results last year when Nissan had a bad year. He should come out best in the team, but I think bottom half of the top ten is the best he can do in the championship.
Team Notes:
Alex Lynn's victory in the second London race was Mahindra's first since the 2019 Marrakesh race, 34 races prior.
Sims has never had more than one podium finish in a single Formula E season.
Rowland has won at least one pole position in each of his three full Formula E seasons.
Nissan e.dams
Maximillian Günther: #22 Nissan IM02
What did he do last season: Günther won the first Brooklyn race for BMW i Andretti Autosport, but it was his only podium finish despite finishing in the points nine times. He was 16th in the championship.
What did he do last season: Günther won the first Brooklyn race for BMW i Andretti Autosport, but it was his only podium finish despite finishing in the points nine times. He was 16th in the championship.
What to expect in this season: After finishing tenth out of 12 teams in 2021, Nissan's testing did not leave much to be excited about. It had a few good days in 2021, but those were rare. Good days will remain hard to come by, and it those will likely not come with Günther.
Sébastien Buemi: #23 Nissan IM02
What did he do last season: Buemi had by far his worst finish in Formula E. He scored points in only three races, while he was disqualified twice, and ended up with 20 points, 21st in the championship out of 25 drivers.
What to expect in this season: Nissan might not be the strongest team, but Buemi is not going to be as bad as he was in 2021. He should lead the Nissan team, but for Buemi to get back into the top ten of the championship he will need a string of fortunate races.
Teams Notes:
Buemi had zero podium finishes last season after having at least four podium finishes in his first seven Formula E seasons.
Günther will become only the fifth driver in Renault/Nissan e.dams history joining Buemi, Nicolas Prost, Pierre Gasly and Oliver Rowland.
Nissan enters 2022 on a 16-race winless drought. The longest drought in team history is 27 races from the second Berlin race in 2017 and the first Brooklyn race in 2019.
Buemi is 27 laps led from becoming the first to 500 laps led in Formula E history.
Dragon/Penske Autosport
Sérgio Sette Câmara: #7 Penske EV-5
What did he do last season: While he was fourth in his second race of the season, Câmara's only other points finish was eighth in the second London race, the antepenultimate race. He was 22nd in the championship on 16 points.
What to expect in this season: Testing was not great for Dragon. Sixteen points will be hard to match in 2022, and a fourth-place result appears to be unfathomable.
Antonio Giovinazzi: #99 Penske EV-5
What did he do last season: Giovinazzi completed his third full Formula One season driving for Alfa Romeo. He scored points at Monaco and Saudi Arabia, a tenth and a ninth respectively for three total points. He had finished every race before retiring from the Abu Dhabi season finale.
What did he do last season: Giovinazzi completed his third full Formula One season driving for Alfa Romeo. He scored points at Monaco and Saudi Arabia, a tenth and a ninth respectively for three total points. He had finished every race before retiring from the Abu Dhabi season finale.
What to expect in this season: The Italian is moving from one of the bottom teams in Formula One to one of the bottom teams in Formula E. He had two points-paying finishes in 2021 driving for Alfa Romeo. Two points-playing finishes might be a great season in 2022 with Dragon.
Team Notes:
Dragon Racing has had a midseason driver change in six of seven Formula E seasons.
Dragon Racing's six points finishes was its most since it had seven in the 2017-18 season.
Dragon Racing's double top five finish in the second Diriyah race last season was its first double top five finish since the 2015-16 finale at London when Jérôme d'Ambrosio was third and Loïc Duval was fourth.
Câmara has yet to have a podium finish in 21 Formula E starts. If he does not score a podium finish in the first three races of 2022, he will have the most starts in Formula E history without a podium finish.
NIO 333 FE Team
Oliver Turvey: #3 NIO 333 001
What did he do last season: Turvey scored in the opening two races at Diriyah, a tenth and a sixth, and those seven points matched his output from the previous two seasons combined. However, he only scored six more points all season, an eighth in the second Valencia race. Turvey was 23rd in the championship.
What did he do last season: Turvey scored in the opening two races at Diriyah, a tenth and a sixth, and those seven points matched his output from the previous two seasons combined. However, he only scored six more points all season, an eighth in the second Valencia race. Turvey was 23rd in the championship.
What to expect in this season: While Turvey had one good session in Valencia, NIO was regularly at the bottom of the timesheet in testing. Turvey did prove last year he could put together a few results. Some of those might have been aided with the qualifying format. If he cracks ten points again, it will be a great season.
Dan Ticktum: #33 NIO 333 001
What did he do last season: Driving in Formula Two with Carlin, Ticktum won at Monaco and Sochi and finished in the points of 19 of 24 races. He was on the podium for three feature races, runner-up results at Bahrain and Silverstone with a third in Monza. He was fourth in the championship on 159.5 points, 93 points behind champion Oscar Piastri.
What to expect in this season: Ticktum was at the bottom of every test session. Any points scored will be a victory but knowing Ticktum the frustration will get the better of him.
Team Notes:
NIO had six points finishes in 2021 after having a combined three points finishes in the previous two seasons.
NIO has not had a top five finish since Berlin 2018, 41 races ago.
Turvey has made 72 starts with NIO. He has scored 107 points, or 1.486 points per start.
The Formula E weekend from Diriyah will begin on Thursday at 10:00 a.m. ET with the first practice session. The second practice session will be 5:30 a.m. ET on Friday before qualifying at 7:40 a.m. Race one will take place at noon.
On Saturday, practice will be at 5:30 a.m. before a 7:40 a.m. qualifying session and a noon race.
