Season 10 of the FIA Formula E World Championship was perhaps the most dramatic in the sport’s decade-long history. Many drivers showed their class, but only five can make Motorsport Week’s list of top performers. So, who are they?
5 Nick Cassidy
Cassidy matched his superb Season 9 showing with a fabulous debut season for Jaguar TCS Racing. An early-season victory in Diriyah set the tone for a title challenge that saw plenty of incredible performances, most notably his victory in Berlin Race 1, in which he dragged himself from 19th place to take victory, earning him the moniker Prince of the Peloton.
However, Cassidy’s agonising season conclusion began in Portland. On the penultimate lap, with a win due to cement a buffer of around 50 points, the Kiwi spun in the lead, dropping out of the points, opening-up the title race.
A further non-points finish in Race 2 confined him to a final weekend showdown. Despite a fantastic damage limitation drive in Race 1, a strategic blunder by his team left him in the clutches of other cars, and contact with Antonio Felix da Costa deflated his right rear tyre, as well as his championship hopes.
Despite the watershed moments that rendered his season fruitless, nothing should take away the performances that have confirmed that Cassidy is one of the very top drivers in Formula E, and with the right car beneath him, Season 11 could be his year.
4 Mitch Evans
The second Kiwi in the second Jaguar, Evans, like his countryman and good friend Cassidy, came desperately close to the title. After scoring points in five out of the first six races, Evans’ high point came at the midway point of the season, leading-home brilliant Jaguar one-two in Monaco.
Evans would go on to score points in every remaining race, including picking-up another win in Shanghai. A double podium in London would ultimately not be enough to give him the championship, further emphasising the reputation of being the bridesmaid, never the bride.
His big moment would also come in Portland, inheriting the lead after Cassidy’s spin, but not given the win due to an earlier time penalty, harshly given for a clash with Jake Hughes. If Evans continues to drive in the manner we are all used to seeing, then a first Formula E title will surely not be too far away.
3 Antonio Felix da Costa
After an underwhelming debut season with Porsche, da Costa entered Season 10 with two poor weekends in Mexico and Diriyah. Within the seven-week wait between that weekend and Sao Paulo, Porsche made the bold move to test ABT Cupra’s Nico Müller with a view to replacing da Costa.
Other drivers may have crumbled, but not da Costa. With points finishes in Sao Paulo and Tokyo, the Portuguese arrived in Misano with the news of Müller’s test off the presses, and brushed it off accordingly with a fantastic win…only to be disqualified six hours later for an illegal throttle damper spring.
Shrugging off any thoughts of ‘woe me’, da Costa continued to score points in Monaco and Berlin Race 1, before finally taking a win he could keep in the second race. He followed this up with a dominant showing in Shanghai, and then taking both races in Portland, to keep himself in title contention.
Da Costa’s redemption arc was one of the stories of Season 10, and that level of form will make him one of the early-season favourites for title glory once we start again in December.
2 Pascal Wehrlein
Wehrlein, like Cassidy, set the tone for his season early-on, with a lights-to-flag victory from pole position in the opening round in Mexico. The pole was a pivotal turning-point for the Tag Heuer Porsche team, with qualifying having been their Achilles’ Heel across Season 9, which cost the German a shot at glory, having been the title-leader at the halfway stage then.
Like Evans, Wehrlein would consistently pick-up points, earning another victory in Misano, as well as second in Shanghai, having battled both Jaguars at very close quarters. Taking 13 points in Portland would enable him to set himself up for the championship in London, and, despite being 12 points adrift, a superb win in Race 1 and second in Race 2 saw him capitalise on Jaguar’s mishaps and take his first FE title.
Ultimately, the man with the most points deserved the title, and Wehrlein was without a doubt the deserving claimant of the crown and based on this level of form, don’t ever doubt the possibility of him retaining it.
1 Oliver Rowland
Motorsport Week’s Formula E driver of the year goes to Oliver Rowland, and for very good reason.
Having quit Mahindra Racing midway through Season 9, Rowland’s Formula E career looked to be done, but his old employers Nissan took a chance on bringing him back.
And what a repayment Rowland made in their faith. After missing-out on points in round one and Race 1 in Diriyah, Race 2 would see his first podium finish since 2022, the first of a four-race podium streak, culminating in the inheritance of da Costa’s disqualified Misano success. A double victory would have been achieved had the second race been a lap shorter, having lost energy with just a matter of corners to go.
Two third place finishes in Berlin would follow, as well as more points in Shanghai. Although mathematically capable of winning the title at the final weekend, missing Portland due to illness was what would put paid to his chances, and one wonders what might have been had he been able to drive?
However, it did not put the dampener on London, with Rowland taking his second win of the season and perhaps his greatest. From ninth on the grid, Rowland navigated is way through all the chaos and drama of the title fight to take the victory in Race 2.
If da Costa’s redemption arc was the saviour of his drive, then Rowland’s was the saviour of his career. After hiring a sports psychologist before the season commenced, Rowland has never looked stronger behind the wheel of an FE car, and if Nissan can provide him with one that is consistently quick enough, his Season 11 title credentials are very high indeed.
Honourable mentions
One driver that impressed throughout the season was Maximilian Günther. The German took victory in Tokyo and had a string of superb drives, which appears to have earned him a yet-to-be-confirmed move to DS Penske.
It would be churlish to not mention Taylor Barnard either. Still 19 at the time, Barnard was given just 20 minutes to prepare for FP2 in Monaco, with Sam Bird having injured his hand in FP1. Barnard would finish the race in 14th place, and whilst deputising for Bird again in Berlin, the F2 regular would finish in the points in both races. With Jake Hughes leaving for Maserati MSG Racing, Barnard is the favourite to take a full-time drive next season.
Outgoing champion Jake Dennis would be right to lay some blame on the failure of his title defence on his Andretti’s inability to get hooked-up in qualifying, but it did not deter him from putting together some fantastic drives, with four podiums, including a stunning 14-second victory in Diriyah, the second-highest win margin for a driver in Formula E history.
