With the start of 2024 just a matter of days away, it marks a time when many will start to consider their New Year’s resolutions for January. However, for 11 teams and 22 drivers, all eyes will be on Formula E season 10 getting underway.
Five months have almost past since the season nine finale in London, where Envision Racing won the Teams’ Championship, whilst Jake Dennis sealed the Drivers’ Championship. That is now very much in the past, as Mexico City on January 13 will kickstart the sport’s biggest season ever.
17 races across 11 cities will take place, with London once again bringing the show to a close, but this time on July 20/21. In what will be the second year with the Gen3 machinery, most expect 2024 to be the closest season in the history of the all-electric series.
Three new host cities feature on the season 10 calendar, with Rome having been replaced by Misano. This event will take place at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, best known for hosting MotoGP. A double-header will take place near the Adriatic Sea.
For the first time since the 2015 Beijing E-Prix, mainland China will hold an E-Prix, with a double-header to take place at the Shanghai International Circuit. Perhaps the biggest addition to the season 10 calendar is the Tokyo E-Prix, with Formula E to visit Japan for the first time in its history. For many of the drivers, this is the standout event on the calendar.
Season 10 consists of a variety of tracks, 41 per cent being purpose-built circuits – a Formula E record. The 2024 calendar has something for everyone. With new venues, some surprises could be in store, as the teams will be venturing into the unknown.
This could have a huge impact on the title fight, which is expected to be just as tight as it was last season. The class of Formula E season 10 is largely the same as it was in 2023, with the only changes being that René Rast and André Lotterer have left the sport, whilst season seven World Champion Nyck de Vries has returned. Jehan Daruvala is the only rookie.
In terms of the teams themselves, all 11 remain the same, although NIO 333 Racing have successfully undergone a complete rebranding and are now known as the ERT Formula E Team. A key change for season 10 is the re-introduction of mandatory pit-stops, which will be known as ‘fast-charging’. Fast-charging pit-stops will not take place at every event, with more details expected to be confirmed shortly.
Title favourites
Unsurprisingly, it’s the same four drivers who battled it out for the 2023 crown who are the favourites for season 10, with Nick Cassidy, Mitch Evans and Pascal Wehrlein being out for revenge. Dennis, Cassidy, Evans and Wehrlein were the supreme quartet in season nine and won 13 of the 16 races between them, highlighting their superiority.
As the reigning World Champion, Dennis has opted to run the #1 plate in 2024. Jean-Éric Vergne is the only driver to have ever retained their Formula E crown, but Dennis stands every chance at becoming the second. If he can replicate his record-breaking 11 podiums last season, then the end result will likely be the same for the first ever British Formula E World Champion. He clearly believes that Andretti Formula E is the place to be, as he’s signed a multi-year extension during the off-season.
Cassidy fell just 30 points short of the title in 2023 and had to settle for being the Vice-Champion; however, had he not retired in Rome R2 and London R1 through other drivers’ errors, then the crown could’ve been his.
The Kiwi has switched from Envision to Jaguar TCS Racing for 2024 and has already performed strongly for his new side in pre-season testing. Cassidy went third fastest during the Valencia test, with him very much expected to be in the fight for a second consecutive season.
Cassidy’s teammate, Evans, is also a real title favourite, having topped the pre-season test. For the past three seasons, Evans has been in the championship fight until the season finale. Unfortunately, he’s fallen short on every occasion. Evans feels destined to become Formula E World Champion eventually, but is season 10 that year?
He has grown stronger-and-stronger each time he’s fought for the title and, like Cassidy, would’ve been closer to Dennis if it weren’t for two retirements caused by the errors of another driver (Sam Bird).
Despite finishing season nine in fourth and 80 points behind Dennis, Wehrlein actually led the standings for the vast majority of 2023. The German driver topped the Drivers’ Championship for just over three months but ultimately struggled to perform in the latter stages.
He was exceptional in Mexico City, Diriyah and Jakarta, but often struggled to be amongst the frontrunners on a consistent basis. This is largely due to having struggled over one-lap. If he solves his one-lap woes and qualifies better, then Wehrlein will be in the fight.
As for the Constructors’ Championship, on paper, it looks set to be a straight fight between Jaguar TCS Racing and the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team. Both came close in season nine, but it was Cassidy’s consistent victories which gave Envision the edge. With the Kiwi now with the factory Jaguar squad, it seems to be the Coventry-based side’s title to lose.
Jaguar demonstrated in season nine that they do appear to have the best Gen3 package, whilst they now also have the strongest and most in-form driver pairing. The British manufacturer have never been in such a superior position, which is why they are the clear favourites. If they fail to at least win the Teams’ Championship, then serious head scratching will likely commence.
In Porsche’s case, the Stuttgart-based outfit do seem to have discovered some improvements in their software, having looked good over one-lap in testing. This was their biggest problem last season, as poor pace in qualifying constantly resulted in Wehrlein and António Félix da Costa having too much to do. If they have solved their one-lap woes, then, like Wehrlein, Porsche will be right in the title fight.
Underdogs
In every championship you don’t only have your title favourites, you also have the plucky underdogs who are aiming to shock the world. Formula E is no different, with season 10 featuring several drivers who perhaps aren’t the clear favourites but are still looking strong.
None more so than Maximilian Günther. The Maserati MSG Racing driver topped nearly every session in testing ahead of season nine but went on to endure a woeful start to 2023. However, his season burst to life with a podium at his home race in Berlin, which started a run of four podiums in seven races. This run included his phenomenal Jakarta performance, where he put on one of the most dominant performances in the history of the sport.
In Jakarta, he topped every session bar one, the opening race of the double-header. He continued his strong form during the recent test, where he set the fifth-fastest time. If he can start season 10 how he ended season nine, then Günther could be a real title contender.
Despite being a former Formula E World Champion, Da Costa is an underdog rather than a title favourite. The Portuguese driver endured a challenging start to life at Porsche in season nine but still managed to demonstrate his raw pace and ability on a handful of occasions. Cape Town was his standout E-Prix of 2023, as he pulled off an unbelievable overtake on the final lap to claim victory. His big issue, like Wehrlein, was one-lap pace.
Too often, Da Costa qualified outside the top-10, leaving him with too much ground to make up. However, there are signs that one-lap performance might not be an issue in season 10, as Da Costa was second in testing. For Da Costa it’s simple; qualify well and he will be a title challenger.
In terms of the Teams’ Championship, reigning World Champion’s Envision are undoubtedly an underdog. It’s very rare for the reigning Champion to not be the favourites, but that’s exactly the situation Envision find themselves in.
Whilst testing was promising, it remains to be seen whether Sébastian Buemi or Robin Frijns can replicate Cassidy’s season nine heroics – the Kiwi featured on the podium eight times – which were arguably responsible for Envision claiming the crown. Buemi did secure pole on two occasions in 2023 but only managed to finish on the rostrum once. Envision need a big 2024 from either Buemi or Frijns to defend their crown.
Andretti Formula E are another underdog for the title, with the Porsche customer outfit seemingly having a better chance of winning the championship in season 10 than they did in season nine. Reigning World Champion Dennis had to effectively fight for Andretti alone in 2023, as Lotterer was more often than not towards the back of the grid. Had Lotterer scored points consistently, then the Americans would’ve been significantly closer to Envision.
With Norman Nato now in the team, Andretti have two drivers who can score good points on a regular basis, increasing their chances. The side’s chances depend massively on whether Nato can perform strongly from the get-go, something which could be challenging given that he competed in a Nissan powertrain last season.
In need of a good season
2023 was bitterly disappointing for several drivers on the grid, with four in particular being in need of a strong 2024.
Sam Bird is one of those, as he crashed into his teammate on two occasions. This severely hurt Evans’ title chances and also Jaguar’s. Bird has moved to NEOM McLaren for season 10 in what is widely viewed as a very positive move for him. With his vast experience, the British driver can help the Woking-based squad improve in their second campaign. What he can’t afford to do, is repeat the driver errors he made this year.
Edoardo Mortara is another driver who’ll be hoping to rediscover some form, after making a disappointing start to the Gen3 era. After competing for the season eight title, many expected Mortara to be at the front in season nine; however, this was far from true.
Mortara seriously struggled at Maserati last year and has moved to Mahindra Racing as a result, to support their long-term project. The Swiss driver on his day is exceptionally fast, it’s just a case of showing the world that version of him more often.
It’s a similar story for Frijns, who has returned to Envision for season 10 after jumping ship at the ABT CUPRA Formula E Team after just one unsuccessful campaign. With the exception of his shock Berlin pole position, season nine was a championship to forget for Frijns. He had to wrestle an uncompetitive package throughout 2023, something which was made much more difficult after he missed four races through injury.
He required surgery on a broken wrist after a nasty crash in Mexico City, which put him immediately on the back foot. Whilst he loves ABT CUPRA, Frijns wants to be fighting at the front, something a move to Envision offers him. It’s now up to the Dutchman to deliver the results.
Whilst the three mentioned drivers need a big season 10, the driver who needs the biggest season is the returning De Vries. After leaving Formula E at the end of season eight for a seat on the Formula 1 grid, the season seven World Champion has returned to the all-electric series.
Following on from his disastrous 10-race spell for AlphaTauri, De Vries has returned to Formula E with Mahindra. Mahindra’s package isn’t the most competitive, but it’s still vital that De Vries can rebuild his confidence, for when the Indian manufacturer are eventually a side capable of winning again.
With both of Mahindra’s season 10 drivers being in need of a good 2024, it should come as no surprise that the Banbury-based team in general are a side who must improve. They’ve had to sign two new drivers as both Lucas di Grassi and Oliver Rowland departed, with the latter having left mid-season.
Mahindra simply didn’t design a competitive Gen3 package and whilst the hardware can’t be touched until season 11, there are signs that improvements have been made to the software. They genuinely looked to have good pace in testing, but it’s now crucial that they convert this into being competitive at each E-Prix.
DS Penske also must do better in season 10 after being hugely disappointing in 2023. Their package was comfortably weaker than Jaguar’s and Porsche’s, often making it impossible for Jean-Éric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne to compete with the frontrunners. Vergne did pick up multiple podiums and a race win in Hyderabad, although this result flattered DS Penske.
As for Vandoorne, his title defence was abysmal, with him therefore needing a much better performance in 2024. This will only be possible if the team can figure out how to get within striking distance of the Jaguars and the Porsches, a feat which perhaps might not be possible until Gen3.5 is introduced in season 11.
Motorsport Week’s predictions
There is simply so much to look forward to in the second season of the Gen3 era, but what do some of the team at Motorsport Week predict will happen?
Nick Golding – Formula E Editor
Formula E is the most unpredictable championship in the world, yet here we are making our season 10 predictions! Remarkably, 2024 is in many ways the easiest to predict perhaps ever in the history of the all-electric series, at least in the Teams’ Championship, that is.
To put it frankly, it’s Jaguar TCS Racing’s to lose. They had the most complete package in season nine and arguably would’ve taken the title, had it not been for two intra-team collisions. Losing to their customer outfit will have infuriated Team Principal James Barclay, no matter what is said, a factory doesn’t want to lose to their customer. What’s the best way of ensuring that it doesn’t happen again? Taking their star driver!
Cassidy making the move from Envision to Jaguar is meteoric, as it gives the factory outfit the strongest and most in-form driver pairing on the grid. Add to this a mighty showing in testing, and Jaguar has never looked in better shape. Despite this, I favour Jake Dennis to retain his title. Only Jean-Éric Vergne has ever defended his Formula E title, yet I just fancy Dennis to do the double in season 10.
I fear Cassidy and Evans could cause each other issues should they both contest for the title again, whilst it’s difficult to say yet whether Pascal Wehrlein will be able to maintain a championship pursuit for an entire campaign. Besides Dennis, for me, Maximilian Günther could be a real underdog, if Maserati MSG Racing have learnt from their 2023 errors.
Dan Lawrence – Motorsport Reporter
Predictions in Formula E almost seem a foolhardy exercise, given how hyper-competitive the series is year-on-year with multiple teams and drivers in contention. But if I were a betting person, I’d feel like my money would be safe with Jaguar TCS Racing and their new driver, Nick Cassidy.
Cassidy was third in the pre-season test in Valencia behind his teammate Evans, so Jaguar clearly have a competitive package as they did during season nine. Cassidy also just missed out on winning the title in the London E-Prix season finale last year, so why can’t he go one better in 2024?
I’ll also be keeping an eye on McLaren, who will be looking to progress after a mixed inaugural season in the series last year with the experienced Sam Bird now lining up alongside Jake Hughes. Finally, I’m looking forward to seeing how the re-introduction of mandatory pit-stops effects racing and how the Gen3 cars will handle the Misano Circuit, which has a fast sweeping middle sector where recovering energy will be difficult.
