Written by Vyas Ponnuri and Max Smolarski
The Formula E season dawns upon us, and the grid wears a largely changed look to the one that took to the track for the inaugural season of the Gen3 era. Driver changes galore over the winter break, with only three teams maintaining the same driver line-up going into season ten.
This two part piece will focus on the 2024 Formula E grid. The second part dives into the line-ups of some of the biggest line-ups on the grid, including the hottest prospect of Jaguar TCS Racing, as well as an established line-up at DS Penske.
Mahindra Racing: Nyck de Vries, Edoardo Mortara
After a tough 2023 that saw the Banbury-based team slump to tenth in the standings, only ahead of fellow Mahindra-powered ABT Cupra, Mahindra Racing have opted for a sea change for 2024, swapping one former World Champion in the series for another, as Nyck de Vries joins the Indian manufacturer ahead of season ten.
de Vries is coming off a disappointing 2023, his Formula One dream having been cut short only ten races in, with AlphaTauri opting to sign Daniel Ricciardo, after hearing of the rapid pace the Australian displayed during an in-season test for Red Bull Racing.
It must have hurt bitterly for a rookie of the sport to be sacked barely halfway into a season, but at 28, de Vries was expected to match loftier expectations, given his past successes in motorsport.
Although, all is not lost for the Dutchman, as he returns to a familiar ground, where he boasts successful returns, having won the world championship racing for Mercedes EQ, in a closely-contested 2021 Formula E season. He will double up in 2024, as he prepares to drive a Toyota Hypercar later this year, in the World Endurance Championship (WEC)
Joining forces with de Vries will be a two-time runner-up in Formula E, Edoardo Mortara. He was de Vries' closest challenger in 2021, and remained Stoffel Vandoorne's closest challenger a year later, when the Belgian rounded out Mercedes' Formula E career in fine fashion.
As good as he has been in the series, Mortara is also coming off a tough 2023, having failed to stand on the podium for the first time in four seasons. After being team leader at Rokit Venturi earlier, he struggled to adapt to the Maserati Gen3 machine, consistently outperformed by returning teammate Max Gunther. He too will be dualling his Formula E campaign in 2024 with a hypercar drive in WEC, driving for the new Lamborghini hypercar project.
Both de Vries and Mortara arrive at Mahindra hungry for redemption, as they look to rediscover their lost potential, and in the Dutchman's case, revive a career that has been derailed by the AlphaTauri jolt. Meanwhile, Mahindra serves as the perfect opportunity to do so, given team principal Fred Bertrand's long-term vision to turn Mahindra into future championship contenders.
Jaguar TCS Racing - Nick Cassidy, Mitch Evans
There's no doubt Jaguar will be looking forward to 2024, with two of the hottest prospects in the sport joining forces, creating arguably, the most formidable line-up on the grid.
The duo finished second and third in 2023, and while Cassidy would feel hard done by the verdict of 2023, having lost the battle with eventual champion Jake Dennis after miscommunication within the team, he will surely be itching to go for the ultimate prize in 2024.
Even still, it was a breakout season for Cassidy in 2023, the Kiwi having taken four victories in 2023, the most by any man all through the season, winning at Berlin, Monaco, Portland, and a rain-soaked season ending London E Prix.
What makes it more impressive is his ability to bounce back from tough qualifying sessions that left him lower down on the grid — Three of his four wins came from sixth or lower on the grid in 2023.
Cassidy was also a consistent performer throughout the season, scoring in all but four races in 2023. His new teammate Mitch Evans too failed to score in four races — and matched Cassidy’s tally of four wins in 2024, but was marred by inconsistency, and couldn’t match the highs of his compatriot.
Evans has soldiered on for eight seasons in the series now, and will want to capitalise on his third place finish from 2023 to springboard a stronger championship challenge in 2024. More importantly, he will look to maintain a harmonious relationship with his teammate on the track, for he would want to avoid the same fate that befell his relationship with former teammate Sam Bird.
This pairing is set to be one to watch out for, and with both drivers in top form going into 2024, Jaguar are most certainly favourites to win the constructors championship, provided their drivers avoid run-ins on track, and keep it clean throughout the season.
Nissan Formula E Team - Sacha Fenestraz, Oliver Rowland
Nissan experienced a strong season in 2023, finishing seventh in the standings, and their charge in 2024 will be bolstered by the return of a familiar face on their team during the preceding Gen2 era.
After a disappointing two seasons at Mahindra, and having broken his arm in a crash at the 2023 Monaco E Prix, Rowland called time on his one-and-a-half season stint at Mahindra, sitting out the rest of the 2023 season, with former F1 driver Roberto Merhi taking the wheel for the rest of the season.
Rowland returns to the team he made his full-time debut for, back in the 2018-19 Formula E season, and replaces the Andretti-bound Norman Nato.
The racer from Barnsley will join forces with 2023 rookie racer Sacha Fenestraz, who showed flashes of pace through season nine, however, he didn't take a podium finish in 2023. A stellar pole at Cape Town was the headliner of his season, as he shattered speed records to set one of his own, around Formula E's speedy street circuits.
He also took a pole position at Monaco, breaking the speed record for a pole time at Monaco too, but was later stripped of his accolade for using too much power during his lap.
However, as the French-Argentine driver mentioned in an interview with Divebomb — he eyes podiums and wins in 2024, as he trained extensively on the simulator to work out his weak points in the races.
Fenestraz is one to keep an eye on in 2024, as he goes about his sophomore season in the series, and looks to show that his pace in season nine wasn't a one-off, and he can mix it around at the front more often.
Maserati - Jehan Daruvala and Max Günther
The only rookie of Season 10 was confirmed as a Maserati driver in September. Jehan Daruvala was previously a reserve for Mahindra Racing, but the former F3 and F2 race winner moved up to the blue trident team after Edo Mortara left for Mahindra.
After testing the GEN3 car a couple times in 2022 and 2023, Jehan said that it was “completely unique to drive, but I’ve found it to be a very rewarding experience.”
James Rossiter seems to be very pleased with the new face, speaking well of his “hunger and determination in Formula 2”, as well as being able to make “a major contribution [to the team] thanks to his previous experience as a test driver.”
The man who led the uplift of Maserati MSG is staying for another season, as Max Günther said he’s “confident we can achieve bigger and better things in the future”. The so-far youngest Formula E winner was able to return to the podium steps in Berlin, before dominating Jakarta and returning to the top step; two poles and two podiums (3rd and 1st respectively).
James Rossiter was incredibly impressed with Max, saying “He has brilliant speed, a strong understanding of Formula E’s Gen3 package, and with five seasons of experience – despite being aged only 26 – has an impressive amount of knowledge.”
DS Penske - Jean-Éric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne
DS Penske will be retaining their former champion lineup of Jean-Éric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne for Season 10. JEV was the only one of the two to win in Season 9, with a very tense battle with Nick Cassidy and António Félix da Costa, and having a brilliant battle with the latter during the final laps of the next race at Cape Town.
He stated that he has “A real relationship of trust with the engineers and the mechanics, their dedication and hard work is truly inspiring.”
Despite not being able to retain his title in Season 10, Vandoorne believes, “Consistency and stability will be the foundations of our future success.” His main aim with the team is high performance, as the consistency between the two drivers is already high. “I am excited to help continue to build on that momentum and pick up plenty of trophies with the team!”
It was a mixed season for the team, as Jay Penske said, “None of us were satisfied with finishing fifth in the championship. We know we can do better”. However, lessons can still be learnt from Season 9 and can help the team achieve larger goals in Season 10; Season 9 was one of growth and we have learned from every success but also every setback.”