Five storylines ahead of the London E-Prix title decider
- Teagan Crump
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
There are two titles still up for grabs this weekend at the London E-Prix- the Drivers and the Teams Championships have a mere few points separating the individuals at the top of the tables.
The all-important story of the Drivers Championship
Out of the current standings, nine drivers are eligible for the title over this double-header weekend. Jake Dennis, Mitch Evans and Pascal Wehrlein make up the top three; both Porsche-powered drivers are searching for their second titles, while Evans is aiming for a maiden championship.
Oliver Rowland, Edoardo Mortara, António Félix da Costa, Nick Cassidy, Nico Müller and Nyck de Vries are the remaining six drivers in the fight.
Out of the top nine, only one has not won a race in Season 12: Mortara. While the Mahindra driver looked to be promising at pre-season testing, he has a best finish of second place, achieved at Round 2 in Mexico and at Round 4 in Jeddah.
Collectively, the nine contenders had mixed results in the last race in Tokyo- Dennis finished on the podium, and Nyck de Vries won Round 15 in Tokyo, but three of the drivers failed to score points.
London has also had mixed results for the title contenders. Last season, Rowland didn’t score points in either race, but Cassidy won both races, ahead of de Vries.
Jaguar and Mitch Evans’ last dance
After 10 seasons together, Mitch Evans will be leaving Jaguar at the conclusion of Season 12, and while his new team is yet to be announced, Evans’ Formula E journey will likely continue.
As a title contender, winning the Season 12 championship would be more special than ever for Evans, who knows the heartbreak of losing the title on the last lap, as he would finally achieve his goal of winning a title with Jaguar.
During their time together, Evans has started 141 races, won 16 races and earned a total of 38 podiums but is yet to win the elusive Driver’s Championship. He’s come close before, finishing second in Season 8 and Season 10.
The driver transfer market
As Formula E prepares for the GEN4 era, the grid looks set to change from past seasons. Between 13 and 15 drivers are yet to be announced, depending on whether Porsche have their rumoured second team.
One rookie has been announced so far, in the shape of Théo Pourchaire for Opel. Several more rookies are expected to be announced over the coming months, creating a shift towards younger drivers, particularly those from F2 and the feeder series.
Some of the older drivers on the grid are retiring, such as Lucas Di Grassi, or expected to retire from Formula E and move on to other racing series, which will mean that some of the drivers on the original grid will no longer feature.
With so many seats seemingly available, this ‘silly season’ is for sure going to provide some interesting news and new partnerships.
The new venue
When Season 13’s calendar was unveiled, it was announced that the ExCel Centre in London would not host the London E-Prix after Season 12, with the all-electric series moving to Brands Hatch instead.
The ExCel circuit is an indoor/ outdoor track which is one of a kind and has provided some incredible results over the years. However, with the Formula E cars developing more and becoming faster, many people began to question whether the track was suitable for the GEN4 car and beyond.
Brands Hatch is a circuit with an immense history and tantalising elevation change, the iconic British circuit is set to provide exciting racing and will likely be much more suited to the GEN4 cars due to the fact that it is a purpose-built race track.
Di Grassi’s final race
Lucas di Grassi was on the original grid and won the first Formula E race, and his retirement is a massive shift for Formula E. While the news was announced back in May, di Grassi is yet to announce what is next for him, as well as Lola having not announced his replacement.
Season 12 has been a challenge for the Brazilian driver, but a shock victory in Round 13 in Shanghai boosted his season and has given Lola a new lease of life. Within the team, the Season 3 champion has aided Zane Maloney and continued to develop both the car and driver alike.
His presence will be significantly missed in the paddock, and many people are eager to see what is next for di Grassi.
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