Get ready because Formula E is set to kick off another season of action and drama in Saudia Arabia this weekend.
Following one of the most competitive championships ever seen in Season 5, Season 6 sees two new teams enter the fray in the form of Mercedes and Porsche, as well as a raft of new rule changes to spice up the action.
Here, we will take you through a short guide of all the teams and the drivers to look out for, as well as the changes made to spice up the all-electric series even more.
New Rules
Last year, Formula E introduced Attack Mode which gave drivers an extra 25kW of race power for four minutes in an effort to encourage more overtaking.
This is activated by running through a designated area on the track which is designed to cost drivers time initially but then gives them an advantage over their rivals.
Attack Mode must be activated twice during the race and for Season 6, the power output has increased by 10kW to 235kW which should create an even greater chance for drivers to get pass competitors that are still running at the normal race mode of 200kW.
Another alteration sees drivers now unable to activate Attack Mode under Full Course Yellow (FCY), or when the Safety Car is deployed – this means drivers will have to go off the racing line to activate Attack Mode under normal race conditions and retain the risk of losing positions.
In qualifying, the fastest driver out of the four group qualifying groups will now receive a championship point. The fastest six drivers from the qualifying groups will still progress to Super Pole where they will have a chance to fight for pole position and claim three championship points.
Finally, to encourage energy management, during Safety Car periods or under FCY, a fixed quantity of energy – equal to 1kWh per minute for the duration of the caution period – will be subtracted from the total energy remaining in each car.
The Teams
Techeetah
The current champions go into season six as the team to beat and they start their defence with an altered line-up after employing Antonio Felix Da Costa to partner Formula E’s only double world champion Jean-Eric Vergne.
This could arguably the strongest line-up due to the wealth of experience both drivers have in the series as both have taken part from season one.
As a result, Techeetah will once again be aiming to secure both the Drivers’ title and Teams’ title this season.
Audi
Audi is the only team to have the same driver-line-up since the inaugural season in 2014.
Season three champion Lucas Di Grassi will once again partner Daniel Abt as the German manufacturer looks to reclaim the teams’ title that they lost last season.
National pride is also very much at stake with major German competition this season from rivals BMW, Mercedes and Porsche.
Virgin Racing
Virgin Racing will continue to run the Audi powertrain in season six, as they aim to build upon a successful season five and a strong pre-season test in Valencia.
The outfit has kept the same driver line-up as last season with Sam Bird who will enter his sixth season with the team and Robin Frijns who will start his second season with the squad. The team will be pushing for more race wins this season, whilst creating a challenge for the title.
BMW
After losing Antonio Felix Da Costa to Techeetah this season, BMW has signed a German starlet in Maximillian Guenther, who impressed in his time at Dragon Racing last season.
Guenther ended testing the quickest driver over the three days at Valencia, which the team hopes will continue into season six as they push for their first title in Formula E which faded away last season.
Alongside Guenther will be Alexander Sims who competed with the team last season.
Mercedes
Mercedes will officially enter the series in season six having taken over from HWA Racelab, who were closely aligned to Mercedes had heavy involvement in to prepare them for season six.
The outfit has acquired a strong driver line up in Stoffel Vandoorne who drove for HWA last season, and Nyck De Vries who was last season’s Formula 2 champion.
Mercedes may say their main aim this season is to be competitive and try and push for a title in a few seasons time, but having dominated Formula 1 since 2014, few believe it will take long for the Silver Arrow to reach the top step in Formula E.
Porsche
Porsche arrives in Formula E in the same boat as Mercedes, though their preparation perhaps isn’t to quite the same level.
The famous brand embarks on their first year in the series with the aim of just being competitive, but they do have good experience after securing the services of Andre Lotterer who raced for Techeetah in Season 5. He will drive alongside Swiss racer Neel Jani.
Mahindra
Mahindra Racing has been the underdogs of Formula E for quite some time now, and it will be interesting to see how the Indian team fairs this season with the addition of Porsche and Mercedes.
The squad has a strong driver line up in Pascal Wehrelin and Jerome D’Ambrosio. They will still be aiming to get their cars on the podium in season six and try and steal a race win here and there.
But with the competition getting ever tighter could Mahindra stop being the underdogs at the front and instead falter into the midfield? Let’s hope not.
Nissan e.Dams
Nissan e.Dams had the fastest qualifying car in season five thanks to a twin motor system, but it was not efficient enough to convert their dominance into regular race wins.
That may change this season though as their twin motor system has been banned, leaving the team with only four months to come up with a solution and build a powertrain for season six.
Therefore, Sebastien Buemi and Oliver Rowland may start the season on the back foot, but as the season develops the team will be looking to fight for podiums and race wins.
Dragon Racing
Dragon Racing has come off the back of two disappointing seasons in Formula E, but the American team had a positive pre-season testing with new recruit Nico Mueller ending testing with the third fastest overall time in testing.
The squad has also recruited former Formula 1 driver Brendon Hartley as part of its driver line up for season six. The team will be hoping they can turn their fortunes around this season and be regular point scorers.
Jaguar Racing
Jaguar Racing claimed their first-ever victory in Rome last season courtesy of Mitch Evans, and the British team will be out searching for more wins and even a championship challenge in season six.
They have a strong line-up too as the Kiwi stays alongside another ex-GP2 driver in James Calado who enters his first year in Formula E.
Venturi
Venturi will once again look to ensure they are fighting for regular points this season, but, in what is set to be the most competitive year in the series history, the Monegasque team could fall behind if they are not careful.
A big change for Season 6 sees Venturi abandoning their manufacturer staus to become a customer team of Mercedes. The team also has a solid drive line up in Macau specialist Edoardo Mortara and former Ferrari and Williams F1 driver Felipe Massa.
NIO
It has been a tough start to the pre-season for NIO. Now under new ownership, the effect of the takeover period has seemed to slow down the production of their season six powertrain which showed in Valencia when they were over a second and a half off the pace.
As a result, a long season could be in store for the Chinese team who will be hoping they can pick up a few points this season.
Put all that together and an amazing season of Formula E awaits. Make sure you are across all the latest news stories on InsideRacing.com as the season kicks off in Saudi Arabia on Friday 22nd November.