In the second part of our look at how the next Formula E season is shaping up, we look at the busy driver market, which is on fire while the 2022 title decision is still unfolding
Formula E promises to look very different in 2023. The first - and most anticipated - change, of course, is the Gen3 cars: more modern and faster than the current ones, they promise a pace never before seen in the category's history. However, next year's rule changes have shuffled the cards. New teams have felt the possibility of entering the game, and the pieces begin to be moved as early as the first half of 2022.
This is the second part of an analysis of the profound changes to the Formula E grid for the 2022/2023 season. This text looks at the negotiations underway - and those already closed - in the category's busy driver market.
The first part, which talked about next year's engine supply swaps, you check it out here.
▶️ Get to know GRANDE PRÊMIO's channel on Twitch by clicking here!
In a season that will be marked by changes, the Formula E drivers are looking to position themselves in the best possible team so that they are ready to fight up there when the competition starts. And it is clear that not all teams will arrive with strong performances in the debut of the Gen3 cars, which makes it fundamental to understand which teams will be more prepared for a new technological evolution in the category.
Within this scenario, three teams that are not currently competing in Formula E will be present on next year's grid - Maserati will take over Venturi's operations, McLaren has bought Mercedes' participation, and Abt will return for the first time without its long-standing partnership with Audi.
Two of them remain unknown: Maserati keeps its negotiations under lock and key and has not yet disclosed details about who might be its starting duo next year, which raises doubts about the continuity of Edoardo Mortara and Lucas Di Grassi on the grid. The Brazilian driver is not expected to remain in the team for next year and is looking for a new seat within the category, in negotiations that have not yet reached a conclusion.
McLaren, on the other hand, has the Mercedes driver duo to deal with - although the latest moves do not indicate an obstacle in this regard. Stoffel Vandoorne, for example, has already decided his future and will join DS Penske - which will be commented on further along this text. Thus, Zak Brown's team went after Rene Rast, who was part of the grid until 2021 and will return for the orange team next year.
As for the other side of the garage, Nyck de Vries does not yet know what his future will be. The Dutchman dreams of a place in F1 at the same time as he wants to compete in next year's WEC for Toyota. Thus, the reigning champion is not yet guaranteed a place in the FE in 2023, and the Woking-based team is still looking for a second name to complete the team.
Finally, Abt. Formula E champion in 2016-2017 in partnership with Audi, the German team went after Robin Frijns and took the Dutchman from Envision - who acted quickly and took Sébastien Buemi from Nissan to team up with the already confirmed Nick Cassidy. As for Frijns' teammate, Nico Müller emerges as the name closest to closing with the team, although his relationship with Brazilian Lucas Di Grassi - who led Audi's car to the title in 2017 - may weigh.
Maserati's owner, the Stellantis Group is not messing around in Formula E. In addition to the new team, the conglomerate will keep DS in the category for next year - but now in a new partnership. After three seasons of supplying Techeetah's powertrain, the French division has entered into an agreement with Penske - which was aiming to become a client team - and will become DS Penske next season.
And the team is already moving fast to ensure a strong driver duo for next year: besides Vandoorne, Jean-Èric Vergne - two-time category champion - will leave the current DS Techeetah to join the new team. On the other hand, Sergio Sette Câmara and Antonio Giovinazzi - the current Dragon/Penske duo - are left in the lurch. The Brazilian is still in a better situation, since he has a strong domestic market - he is still in negotiations to stay in the grid - and is seen as a promising name, while the Italian simply did not adapt to the category.
Nissan, which lost Buemi to Envision, has already revealed through its boss, Tommaso Volpe, that it will look for "an experienced name" for the team in 2023. Maximilian Günther, the team's current starter, has not been officially confirmed, but he is seen as a potential team member, and the tendency is that he will have at least one more year with the team next season.
Plunged into financial problems since the six Formula E races in Berlin due to the pandemic, Techeetah's future is still uncertain. The team had already released its drivers to look for other teams before the start of the current season, but both found doors closed on an already defined grid.
For next year, the team already knows it will lose its two drivers: Vergne will join Vandoorne at DS Penske, while António Félix da Costa is in negotiations with Porsche, where he would team up with German Pascal Wehrlein. This move directly affects André Lotterer, who has no assured future in the category - despite being eight points ahead of his teammate in the standings.
Despite the loss of two champions, Techeetah should soon present a new investor for the team, the only way to keep the team on the grid from 2023 on. However, the team has been close to a deal at other times, such as when it talked to Anthony Di Iorio, a blockchain entrepreneur - and the deal fell through. Thus, the seats are still an unknown for next year.
Finally, not everything will change on the Formula E grid for 2023. Amidst so many moves in the driver's market, four teams have so far 'passed by' and aim to keep their duos for next season: Andretti, with Jake Dennis and Oliver Askew; Jaguar, with Sam Bird and Mitch Evans; Mahindra, with Alexander Sims and Oliver Rowland; and NIO, with Oliver Turvey and Dan Ticktum.
Thus, a true dance of chairs takes place in Formula E in preparation for next year, as the drivers are still looking for the best opportunity to fight for the title in a season that will present different challenges to all of them. Whoever adapts best comes out ahead.
And the desperation to get a spot in the middle of 2022 has a simple explanation: The complete change in the regulations and the new features that will be brought by the Gen3 cars will start to be tested by the teams as early as this month - including the possibility of pit-stops returning to the category - after the Jakarta eP. This way, the drivers are in a frenetic race for a good car, since the choice made now can be fundamental when it comes time to lift the cup at the end of next season.