Formula E News
Formula E returns at the weekend for rounds eight and nine of the 2021 championship after a month long break. Both round take place in Mexico and the Autodromo Miguel E. Abed, a track drafted in to replace Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez – a track currently being used as a hospital.
So far in 2021 there have been six winners from seven races, with Nyck de Vries being the only repeat winner. Four different teams have won a race and it has led to an incredibly close battle for both championships. Rather oddly, all five drivers at the top of the standings have had at least three no-scores each.
Reigning champion Antonio Felix da Costa won last time out in Monaco to move up to fourth in the championship. He sits just behind Dutch pair, de Vries and Robin Frijns. Audi driver Frijns leads Mercedes’ de Vries by just five points. Jaguar’s Mitch Evans remains the highest placed driver in the championship – he has 54 points in third place. The New Zealander has had three podiums so far this year, the most of any of the 14 drivers who have taken silverware home this season.
The team’s championship is currently led by Mercedes-EQ on 105 points, which is just two points ahead of Jaguar. Champions of the previous two seasons, DS Techeetah are a further five points away from Jaguar. The only team without a podium so far in 2021 is the unfortunate NIO 333 team, which currently has a best result of sixth place from round two in Saudi Arabia.
It’s been a struggle for two of the series’ champions in 2021 – Sebastian Buemi and Lucas Di Grassi. 2015-16 champion Buemi is currently in the longest win drought of his Formula E career. The Swiss driver hasn’t won a race since the first race in New York in 2019 – 19 races ago. Buemi currently languishes in 22nd position in the standings.
For 2016-17 champion Di Grassi the going hasn’t been much better. He is two places ahead of Buemi in the standings – 19th – and like Buemi he has yet to stand on the podium so far in 2021. Di Grassi’s last win also came in 2019, but it was at the Berlin ePrix – 21 races ago.
