Formula E Season 12: the story so far
- Teagan Crump
- May 1
- 5 min read
Written by Teagan Crump, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
Formula E’s Season 12 started with a lot of anticipation — there were several regulation changes and a new team on the grid. But what are the emerging storylines so far, and what can we expect from the rest of the season?
Formula E Season 12: The season so far
Season 12 started in São Paulo, and brought about the typical unpredictability of a Formula E weekend. Andretti’s Jake Dennis claimed pole position and successfully maintained the lead into the first corner.
Misfortune plagued Mahindra Racing on the first lap, though, as Edoardo Mortara was hit by teammate Nyck de Vries. The Dutchman also made contact with Dan Ticktum, puncturing his rear left tyre. The Briton was forced to retire from the race. On Lap 23, Mortara hit the wall and was forced to retire from the race, and a Safety Car was called out to retrieve his stricken Mahindra.
Shortly after, Mitch Evans also crashed, forcing him to retire from the race and causing a Full Course Yellow. This caught out Ticktum’s teammate Pepe Martí, who hit the Jaguar of António Félix da Costa and the Porsche of Nico Müller. His car flew airborne before rolling over, causing a red flag. The Spanish driver later revealed he misjudged the call for a full course yellow, stating that the procedure was different to the feeder series ladder he had previously raced at. On Lap 30, Jake Dennis crossed the line to claim the first win of Season 12.
The second round of Season 12 provided some shock results. Sébastien Buemi started on pole in Mexico City after Taylor Barnard lost first position, having exceeded track limits at Turn 16. Barnard managed to claim the lead of the race at Turn 1, though, as Buemi went deep.
Lap 16 saw contact between da Costa and Ticktum, while a Full Course Yellow was called for the stricken Mahindra of Nyck de Vries, who had an issue and pulled into the run off at Turn 1.
In the final few laps, several drivers were pushing forward and trying to fight for the win before Citroën's Nick Cassidy crossed the line in first and claimed the French team’s maiden Formula E win, in only their second race.
The Miami E-Prix marked a brand new venue in Formula E, kicking off with a wet race, starting under Safety Car. Nico Müller started from pole and was accompanied by rookie Felipe Drugovich on the first row. Lap 5 saw an official standing start, with Felipe Drugovich storming to the lead of the race in attack mode.
Several drivers battled for position, and the fight at the top began to heat up. Several drivers struggled with tyre strategy due to having unprepared tyre pressures for the Miami race. As the Jaguar duo of Mitch Evans and da Costa made their way up the order, Drugovich hit da Costa from behind, and both drivers dropped down the order as a result.
Dan Ticktum retired on Lap 28, as Evans chased and passed Nico Müller for the win. Lap 41 saw Mitch Evans win his 15th Formula E race, making him the driver with the most wins in the all-electric series.
Edoardo Mortara claimed pole for Round 4 at the Jeddah E-Prix, beating Max Günther by just over a tenth of a second. The race started with drama as there was an aborted start for Nyck de Vries, who was wheeled into the pit lane before the race had commenced.
Mortara’s start was less than ideal, as he suffered plenty of wheelspin and dropped to seventh. However, Mortara could be considered lucky as a Full Course Yellow was called for the stricken Zane Maloney. The Lola Yamaha ABT driver was stopped on the exit of Turn 8 after being squeezed into the barriers by Pepe Martí.
This was later upgraded to a full Safety Car, but racing resumed at the end of Lap 3. As soon as the green flag flew, Pascal Wehrlein was charging through the field and eventually took over the lead of the race after the Pit Boost stops were completed. The German driver soon pulled a substantial seven-second gap to Mortara at one point, before going on to win the race by just under three seconds.
The following day’s Jeddah E-Prix saw Mortara claim his second pole in succession. On the opening lap, reigning champion Oliver Rowland charged to the lead, and later engaged in a three-way battle for first with Buemi and da Costa.
Buemi and Rowland continually swapped the lead of the race, but Martí, Maloney and Dennis all had issues, with the first two drivers colliding and the Briton having a suspected puncture. Lap 20 saw da Costa take the lead of the race, which he valiantly defended until he claimed the win on Lap 30.
The inaugural Madrid E-Prix saw Nick Cassidy start on pole and drivers scrambling for position into the first corner. Nyck de Vries misjudged his braking point and slammed into the back of Pascal Wehrlein’s Porsche, losing his front wing.
On Lap 11, hometown hero Martí stormed to the lead of the race, much to the delight of fans. The lead switched between several drivers before da Costa took the lead, a position he maintained until he crossed the line. He was followed home by teammate Evans, the gap being under a second at the line, to secure a Jaguar 1-2. Wehrlein secured a last-gasp podium, overtaking Ticktum into the final sequence of corners on the final lap.
The main storylines
Citroën emerge as an early contender
As soon as pre-season testing began, Citroën and Cassidy showed a strong turn of pace. In the first two races, the New Zealander claimed two podiums, including a win in Mexico City. While the four rounds after this were not quite as successful for the New Zealander, Citroën still showed that they were willing to fight and were able to be at the front of the field.
Jean-Eric Vergne has scored a best result of eighth this season. Despite not being as successful as his teammate, the French driver is one of the most experienced on the grid, looking to provide his team with invaluable feedback.
Porsche v Jaguar: the reprise?
For much of the Gen3 era, two teams have battled away for the ultimate prize in Formula E: Porsche and Jaguar. In Season 12, the rivalry has seemingly grown - Wehrlein and da Costa have both won titles, while Mitch Evans is still vying for his first, in what will be his last season for the team.
Currently, Wehrlein tops the standings despite having only one victory, compared to da Costa’s two. The German driver has claimed a further two podiums and has finished all races so far in the points, while both Jaguar drivers have suffered with DNFs and non-points finishes.
You can never discount Edoardo Mortara
One driver who has flown under the radar is Mahindra’s Edoardo Mortara. The Swiss driver is second in the standings, having finished on the podium twice. For many seasons now, Mortara has been one of the most consistent drivers, but it feels as though he has found a new determination ahead of Season 12.
In pre-season testing, both he and the Mahindra car looked as though they were going to be contenders. Will Season 12 be Mortara’s time to shine?
Lucas di Grassi to retire at the end of Season 12
One of the biggest storylines to emerge from Season 12: Season 3 champion Lucas di Grassi announced his retirement from the all-electric series.
The news broke ahead of the Berlin E-Prix, leaving many fans surprised, given that di Grassi has had an immense career. He will remain in the background with Lola Yamaha ABT and assist with the development of the GEN4 car, but will cease to race professionally after the London E-Prix.
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