Formula E tested for four days at Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo circuit this week to pack in some much-needed preparations for the series’ Gen3 era.
Private shakedowns and tests of FE’s third-generation car have been fraught with problems, including heavy crashes, and some considered it crunch time at Valencia for getting things right before the season begins. But it’s not just the car that’s been changed, as the series has switched tyre supplier to Hankook and several teams have also had off-season overhauls. Here’s how each team looks going into 2023:
McLaren
Last year’s champions as Mercedes, the team has been acquired by McLaren over the off-season. It is not being run alongside the Formula 1 operation at the McLaren Technology Centre, but a separate facility in Bicester.
Ian James remains as team principal but the driver line-up is all-new. Rene Rast returns after a year away and Jake Hughes makes his debut. McLaren spent the four-day test getting acquainted with their unfamiliar Nissan hardware.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Maserati
The Monaco-based team that competed as Venturi through FE’s first eight seasons lost its powertrain supplier Mercedes as it decided to leave the series, so struck a deal with Maserati to maintain its presence on the grid by taking on its name and also using Maserati-branded DS powertrains.
CEO Susie Wolff and team principal Jerome d’Ambrosio have left, and James Rossiter has arrived from Techeetah to take d’Ambrosio’s place, while on the driver front Edoardo Mortara remains after winning five races in the past two seasons but Lucas di Grassi is gone and Maximilian Guenther has taken his seat.
It’s already been a good start for the new signing as he was fastest overall in testing after topping multiple sessions.
Jaguar
Like Venturi, the only team to win four races last season. But they were only fourth in the teams’ standings, and Mitch Evans missed out on the title too.
But it’s all about continuity at Jaguar, as Evans embarks on his seventh campaign with the team and Sam Bird – who has only missed two races in FE history – stays on to try to bounce back from a disappointing 2022.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Envision
It’s not only a new car that Envision has to learn for 2023, as the team end a four-year spell as a customer team for Audi powertrains and now become Jaguar’s customer so have to understand the ins-and-outs of their powertrain package.
Although Robin Frijns has been lost to a rival team, Envision have more than covered their losses by bringing in Sebastien Buemi as his replacement. Buemi holds several FE records, including the most victories, and his team mate Nick Cassidy claimed his first win last season.
Andretti
After using an old BMW powertrain in 2022 and still being competitive, Andretti hopes to be back at the front full-time next year as it ties up with Porsche. The arrangement includes powertrains heading Andretti’s way, while their reserve driver David Beckmann gets shared with Porsche.
Oliver Askew has lost his drive with the team after a single season and there’s another Porsche acquisition as Andre Lotterer joins from the German brand to be Jake Dennis’s team mate.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Porsche
Only once in the last 25 races has Porsche appeared on the podium, and it has signed 2019-20 champion Antonio Felix da Costa to try to bring more consistency to its results now Lotterer has left for Andretti.
Porsche’s return to prototype sportscars may take up resources and people that may have otherwise been directed towards FE, but the signs are that the team is on the up after a tricky three seasons so far in FE.
Mahindra
Oliver Rowland remains but Alexander Sims is gone, replaced by Di Grassi. Jehan Daruvala has also joined the fold as reserve driver.
But the biggest change at the team is arguably the replacement of long-time team principal Dilbagh Gill with Frederic Bertrand. He brings valuable experience having been the FIA’s head of Formula E and innovative sports activities before joining Mahindra.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Nissan
As well as formally shedding the ‘EDAMS’ identity, Nissan has replaced both its drivers, Norman Nato and Sacha Fenestraz arriving in place of Sebastien Buemi and Guenther.
NIO
Sergio Sette Camara, who contributed Dragon/Penske’s sole points finish last year, arrives at NIO alongside Dan Ticktum, who had little to cheer about in his first season as a Formula E driver in 2022.
While NIO has largely brought up the rear of the field in recent seasons, it has made positive noises about the potential of its Gen3 hardware.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Abt Cupra
Abt is back, now as a Mahindra customer, having previously collaborated with Audi. The relationship with Mahindra appears to run deeper than a typical manufacturer-customer set-up, however, Abt providing some technical support to its supplier.
The experienced proven race-winner Robin Frijns takes over on the driving side, partnered by Nico Muller, back in FE after a year away.
DS Penske
The final big change of the off-season in Formula E is the relocating of the DS Automobiles brand to Penske, as Techeetah bows out. The second Stellantis brand in the series alongside Maserati boasts an enviable driver line-up featuring reigning champion Stoffel Vandoorne and two-times title-winner Jean-Eric Vergne.
But the hardware will have to be a significant improvement to propel the team which finished last in 2022 to serious contention when the new season begins in Mexico next month.
