December might be the end of the year and there might be a number of reviews left to do, but this weekend marks the start of the 2024-25 Formula E season, the 11th year of competition for the all-electric championship.
The series continues to develop and there will be a few new elements to this season. The Gen3 ruleset is receiving an upgrade with All-Wheel Drive being introduced to the championship and an increase in power available to 350kW. New front wing elements and softer Hankook tires that should see greater tire wear during races. At some point this season, we could see pit stops return to Formula E, with the new "Pit Boost" system allowing the teams to stop and charge the car while also activating Attack Mode after the pit stop.
Along with new regulations, there are a few new teams on the grid, and there will also be a few new locations visited this season.
Schedule
São Paulo moves to the season opening spot after hosting a round this past March, which saw McLaren and Sam Bird take victory. A month after the Brazil opener, Formula E will make its ninth visit to Mexico City. Porsche powertrains has won three consecutive years in the altitude with Pascal Wehrlein responsible for two of those, including in 2024.
Both new circuits will occur in consecutive race weekends. Formula E remains in Saudi Arabia, but it will move from Diriyah to Jeddah, and it will run a doubleheader on a shortened portion of the Formula One circuit over February 14-15. This will be the sixth consecutive time Saudi Arabia hosts a doubleheader.
The next new circuit is also in a familiar location. Formula E has run in the Miami, Florida-area previously, but in 2025 the series will make its first trip to Homestead-Miami Speedway and it will run a roval configuration that has yet to be confirmed. Regardless, it appears Homestead will be the longest circuit in Formula E history when the Miami ePrix returns on April 12, nearly 13 years and one month after Nico Prost won the only previous edition ahead of Scott Speed and Daniel Abt on the streets of Miami.
Things become more familiar in May. The Monaco ePrix will be a doubleheader for the first time over May 3-4. Jaguar powertrains has won in each of the last two years in the principality. After Monaco will be the Asian swing to the championship. Tokyo hosts a doubleheader for the first time over May 17-18. Shanghai is back with two races over May 31 and June 1. Jakarta will return to he championship after a year absence with a single race on June 21.
The 2024-25 season will close with a pair of doubleheaders in Europe. The Berlin Tempelhof Airport hosts two races over July 12-13. The season will conclude with the London ePrix doubleheader from the ExCeL London circuit on July 26-27. There have been seven different winners in eight races held at the ExCeL London circuit.
Teams:
TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team
Pascal Wehrlein: #1 Porsche 99X Electric
What did he do last season: Wehrlein came from behind in the final weekend of the season to win the championship with 198 points over Mitch Evans' 192 points. The German scored points in 14 of 16 races with three victories, five podium finishes and 11 top five results.
What to expect in this season: Porsche will remain competitive and we saw that in testing from Jarama last month. Porsche went 1-2 in the test race with the "Pit Boost" system in place. We have seen plenty of consistency from Wehrlein the last few seasons to know he will be toward the top. The concern is can he be at the tippy-top enough. He won the championship without being great last year. Good is likely not going to be good enough this time around.
António Félix da Costa: #13 Porsche 99X Electric
What did he do last season: Da Costa led Formula E in victories with four, but he also had six finishes outside the points with a disqualification in the Misano as well. The Portuguese driver was sixth in the championship on 134 points.
What to expect in this season: If da Costa stays in races and does not make mistakes, he should be the top Porsche driver and be a championship threat. Plenty of unforced errors took him out of the championship last year despite winning the most races including three on the spin. He should be better and finish in the points more consistently.
Jaguar TCS Racing
Mitch Evans: #9 Jaguar I-Type 7
What did he do last season: Evans had a title slip through his fingertips. Despite ending the season with three consecutive podium finishes and having two victories and six total podium finish, but the New Zealander was six points shy of the championship.
What to expect in this season: It was a devastating end to the 2024 season for Jaguar. However, the wheels have not come off this team. Evans looked good and had pace. He is going to win races and it would not be a surprise if he is in the thick of the title fight again heading into London.
Nick Cassidy: #37 Jaguar I-Type 7
What did he do last season: It was worse for Cassidy than Evans. Leading the championship by 25 points with four races remaining, Cassidy failed to finish in the points in three of the final four races and his best finish was seventh. He ended up third in the championship, 22 points off Wehrlein.
What to expect in this season: As good as Cassidy was last year, with how it ended, this feels like a year where we will see Evans be the clear number one driver in the Jaguar camp. Cassidy will be competitive and win a race or two, but things will swing slightly more in the favor of the other side of the Jaguar garage.
DS Penske
Maximilian Günther: #7 DS E-TENSE FE25
What did he do last season: Though he won in Tokyo, Günther had seven finishes outside the points and ended up eighth in the championship with 73 points.
What to expect in this season: Günther is a good but not a great driver. Somehow, he wins a race on a more regular basis than most. He has won a race in four of the last five seasons. He has finished ninth, 16th, 18th, seventh and eighth in the championship in the last five seasons. History suggests he will slip into the top ten but not much higher than that.
Jean-Éric Vergne: #25 DS E-TENSE FE25
What did he do last season: For the second time in third years, Vergne ended up as the top driver in the championship without a victory. Vergne had three podium finishes and he finished in the points in 14 of 16 races, placing fifth with 139 points.
What to expect in this season: Vergne has never finished outside the top ten in the championship in ten Formula E seasons. He has finished in the top five of the championship in seven of the last eight seasons. Race victories have not been as plentiful as his back-to-back championship seasons. He will finish somewhere in the top ten in the championship and possibly the top five, but a third title seems a little ambitious for this season.
Nissan Formula E Team
Norman Nato: #17 Nissan e-4ORCE 05
What did he do last season: Driving for Andretti Global, Nato ended up 15th in the championship with one podium finish on 47 points.
What to expect in this season: Not the most electric driver, Nato has one or two great races a season and then doesn't stand out much. Nissan is good but not great. I don't think Nato does much better than where he was last year. He will fall short of the championship top ten.
Oliver Rowland: #23 Nissan e-4ORCE 05
What did he do last season: Rowland had a career-year, finishing fourth int he championship on 156 points. He won twice and stood on the podium seven times, but he missed the Portland doubleheader due to illness.
What to expect in this season: Rowland carried Nissan last year and was the surprise of the season. Testing was ok for Nissan. Rowland will lead the way, he could have a few strong days again, but I don't think he will replicate what he did last year. It was still be a good year but not as good as the season before.
Andretti Global
Jake Dennis: #27 Porsche 99X Electric
What did he do last season: The title defense did not go as planned for Dennis in 2024. He won the second race of the season and he had four podium finishes in the first seven races, leaving him tied for the championship lead. However, in the final nine races Dennis did not finish on the podium once, and he ended up seventh on 122 points. won the
What to expect in this season: Dennis took a dip in form, but it was rather unexpected after how the first half of the season went. This season will be more balanced, and he should be marginally more competitive. It will be tough to beat the factory Porsche drivers. Dennis can improve from last year but still not make it back to where he was in the summer of 2023.
Nico Müller: #51 Porsche 99X Electric
What did he do last season: At ABT Cupra, Müller helped carry the team above expectations with 52 points, good enough for 12th in the championship. He had two top five finishes and he ended the season with four consecutive finishes in the top six.
What to expect in this season: Müller has a knack for performing better than what he is given. At Andreti, this is the best car he has ever been given in Formula E. He will have a career year. The championship top ten feels like the minimum and he should get on the podium at least once. Perhaps he captures his first career victory.
Envision Racing
Robin Frijns: #4 Jaguar I-Type 7
What did he do last season: Frijns had three runner-up finishes, but he could not breakthrough for victory. Those were his only top five finishes as his other four points finishes were seventh, ninth, ninth and tenth. He ended up ninth with 66 points.
What to expect in this season: Envision wasn't quite as competitive with the factory Jaguars as previously thought entering the 2024 season. It was a good year for both drivers but far from great. Frijns will somewhat match what he did last year, some good days and some bad days. A few good days could be great days, but a few bad days could be depressing days.
Sébastien Buemi: #16 Jaguar I-Type 7
What did he do last season: Buemi was second in the season opener and third in the penultimate race. In-between, he had seven finishes outside the points, and was 11th on 53 points, the third time in the last four seasons he has finished outside the championship top ten.
What to expect in this season: Another fight to make the championship top ten. The car is capable to pull out a race or two in Buemi's favor, but he has not won in 72 Formula E starts. He is due but he not due to be the driver he was in the first three Formula E seasons.
NEOM McLaren Formula E Team
Taylor Barnard: #5 Nissan e-4ORCE 05
What did he do last season: Barnard started three races after Sam Bird was sidelined due to a hand injury. Bernhard was 14th in Monaco and then tenth and eighth at the Berlin doubleheader. Five points placed him 22nd in the championship, ahead of full-time competitor Lucas di Grassi.
What to expect in this season: Rookies do not fare well in Formula E. Barnard does have a few Formula E starts, but he has a tough teammate to beat. They could be close to equal as we saw last year with the McLaren drivers. A few races could go in his favor but there will be some races where he has a lot of work to do.
Sam Bird: #8 Nissan e-4ORCE 05
What did he do last season: The winless streak ended! Bird won in São Paulo, his first Formula E victory in over three years. Unfortunately, Bird failed to finish in the points in eight races and he missed another three due to a hand injury suffered in first practice from Monaco. Bird was 13th on 48 points.
What to expect in this season: Bird did not have the greatest time at the Jarama test. Championship top five feels like a stretch. He could be good enough to get into the top ten, but he will need to be spotless over the 16 races to make that happen.
Maserati MSG Racing
Stoffel Vandoorne: #2 Maserati Tipo Folgore
What did he do last season: Score 61 points for DS Penske as Vandoorne had one podium finish, third at Monaco, but he scored in 12 races to put him tenth in the championship.
What to expect in this season: Maserati had a hot start last season before fading out in the second half of the season. Vandoorne is good enough that he could pull out a victory, but I think somewhere between eighth and 12th in the championship is where he will find himself when London is all said and done.
Jake Hughes: #55 Maserati Tipo Folgore
What did he do last season: Score 48 points at McLaren as Hughes was tied with his teammate Bird, but Hughes' best finish was second in the second Shanghai race. Hughes also only finished the points on six occasions.
What to expect in this season: In two Formula E seasons, Hughes has scored 48 points and finished 12th in the championship, and he has scored 48 points and finished 14th in the championship. Hughes will score 48 points and finish 13th in the championship.
Lola Yamaha ABT Formula E Team
Lucas di Grassi: #11 Lola-Yamaha T001
What did he do last season: Di Grassi scored four points in 16 races. He was tenth in the first Misano race, tenth in the first Shanghai race and ninth in the final race of the season from London. This was a career-low in points scored and 23rd made him the lowest championship finisher among the full-time drivers.
What to expect in this season: Lola returns to motorsports competition and testing was a little more promising than expected. Di Grassi struggled with speed, but the team looked competitive. He should do better than four points, but don't expect a leap back to the top of the grid.
Zane Maloney: #22 Lola-Yamaha T001
What did he do last season: Maloney spent 2024 competed in the Formula Two championship. He swept the season opener at Bahrain, and he had five more points finishes over the course of the season. Maloney will miss the 2024 Formula Two finale in Abu Dhabi to run the Formula E opener. Maloney is fourth in Formula Two with 140 points.
What to expect in this season: Maloney did well in testing and led the way for Lola. Everything will be new for him as he transitions to Formula E. He will score some points but not a great abundance. Maloney and di Grassi could be tight in the championship.
Mahindra Racing
Nyck de Vries: #21 Mahindra M11Electro
What did he do last season: In his first season back in Formula E after a two-year absence, de Vries had two points finishes, seventh in the first Shanghai race and fourth in the penultimate race of the season in London. He was 18th on 18 points.
What to expect in this season: Mahindra has finished eighth or worse in the Teams' Championship in five consecutive seasons and it has been tenth the last two years. That should not change much this year. Points scoring will be low. De Vries could perform marginally better but it will not be noticeable.
Edoardo Mortara: #48 Mahindra M11Electro
What did he do last season: Mortara scored 29 points with three finishes in the points, eighth in the first Berlin race from pole position, fourth in the first Portland race, fifth in the first London race. Twenty-nine points earned him 16th in the championship.
What to expect in this season: Same as for de Vries. Possibly one or two good races, but in all likelihood, Mortara will finish in the points three or four times, possibly get 20 points and Mahindra will finish ninth or tenth in the championship.
Cupra Kiro
David Beckmann: #3 Porsche 99X Electric WCG3
What did he do last season: Beckmann spent most of 2024 as the Porsche reserve driver. The only race he competed in this year was the 24 Hours Nürburgring in the Cup2 class for Porsche 992 Cup cars. His entry was sixth in a 14-car class. Beckmann's only Formula E appearance was the 2023 Jakarta doubleheader with Andretti in place of André Lotterer, who was running the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Beckmann was 16th in the first race and retired from the second.
What to expect in this season: New to the championship is Kiro Race Co., a British-American team taking over from ERT. Historically the cellar dwellers of Formula E, Kiro will use the previous generation Porsches this season and it has partnered with Cupra this season, which moves over from ABT. The Porsche powertrains look promising though they will be a year old. It is still an accountable powertrain to have. This season should start well for Kiro and then could fall off. It will be better than last year when ERT had seven combined points. Beckmann will have some points finishes and could sneak into the top five early in the year.
Dan Ticktum: #33 Porsche 99X Electric WCG3
What did he do last season: Ticktum was fourth in the first Misano race and those 12 points were the only he scored all season, placing him 19th in the championship.
What to expect in this season: This is lining up to be Ticktum's best Formula E season. In three seasons, his highest points total is 28. His best championship finish is 19th. He should top both of those, and it is set up for a few surprise results early. It might not be enough to get him into the top ten in the championship, but it should put Ticktum in a far more competitive spot than with NIO 333 or ERT.
The first practice of the 2024-25 Formula E season will take place this afternoon at 3:00 p.m. ET. Tomorrow, the second practice session will be held at 5:30 a.m. ET before a 7:40 a.m. ET qualifying session. The 2024-25 season opening São Paulo ePrix will run at 12:05 p.m. ET.
