We take a look at what we think the five best drivers have been in Formula E.
5. Lucas Di Grassi
Lucas Di Grassi will be the first person to bemoan how poorly his season has gone so far, but part of his absence at the front of the grid comes from Audi.
The German manufacturer has normally produced a winning car in every season of Formula E, but that has not been the case for season six.
In fact, the current Audi car is not even a podium contender, yet Di Grassi was able to put his car on the rostrum in Diriyah. That led to him being in group one for qualifying in a car that was not supposed to be there.
Therefore, Di Grassi has found himself qualifying towards the rear of the field, but then staging some dramatic fightbacks to secure points in Santiago, Mexico and Marrakesh.
He may not have grabbed many headlines yet, but he has kept in the title hunt through consistent points finishes. It is for this reason that we think Di Grassi deserves to round out the top five drivers of Formula E this season.
4. Nyck De Vries
Nyck de Vries has adapted impressively quickly to Formula E in his debut season, and is unlucky not to have picked up more than 18 points so far.
Ever since he put his car third on the grid during his first-ever Formula E qualifying session in Diriyah, De Vries has shown he has the pace to not only compete with his more experienced and well-fancied teammate Stoffel Vandoorne, but with any driver in the series.
Five races in, and the 25-year-old has been dogged by issues with the Mercedes-Benz EQ car, with a best finish of fifth in Santiago after he was demoted from third on the road. He has qualified for Superpole on three occasions and has also had better one-lap pace than Vandoorne in each of the last three race weekends.
The fact he has only managed two points finishes limits him to fourth position in this list, but with a little more luck he should quickly climb up the Formula E standings. Put into the context of the struggles of fellow rookies Brendon Hartley, James Calado and Nico Muller, and de Vries’ achievements are even more impressive, especially with Mercedes in their first season as a bona-fide constructor.
3. Maximilian Gunther
Eyes were on young Max Gunther as he entered his first full season in Formula E, stepping into the factory BMW seat vacated by Antonio Felix Da Costa.
The German driver has so far lived up to high expectations, enjoying a great season so far after winning his first race in Santiago with a final lap overtake on Da Costa, and following that up with a second place in the most recent race in Marrakesh.
Gunther could have scored another podium in Diriyah if he was not handed a penalty for overtaking under safety car period in the second race. He also had a somewhat anonymous run to 13th in Mexico City, but this seemed to be a blip in what has otherwise been a series of strong performances.
Since joining BMW, Gunther has been more than a match for his teammate Alexander Sims, and by breaking through into the winner’s circle, he’s proven that he is a driver to watch out for in this season’s championship.
2. Antonio Felix Da Costa
Much was expected of Da Costa going into this season, as he joined reigning champions Ds Techeetah. Fortunately, the 28 year old has excelled with his new team and currently leads the driver’s standings by eleven points.
After a difficult weekend in Diriyah, Santiago was where Da Costa’s season really began in earnest, as he climbed up from tenth on the grid to finish second. Despite an aggressive overtake on Maximilian Gunther for the lead, Da Costa had to relinquish the position on the final lap as the Techeetah struggled with overheating issues. Mexico saw Da Costa repeat the feat, as he beat teammate Jean-Eric Vergne to again place second.
The Portuguese driver’s strongest performance, however, was in the most recent E-Prix in Marrakesh, where he qualified on pole despite being in the first qualifying group. In the race he once again battled with Gunther for victory, letting the BMW i Andretti driver by before using his second attack mode to re-pass the German to secure victory, in the process making it three podiums in a row.
Da Costa has shown a lot of potential throughout his Formula E career, but it’s with DS Techeetah that he finally has the opportunity secure a driver’s title, as he has firmly outshone his double-champion teammate.
1. Mitch Evans
Topping our list is Mitch Evans. Despite not leading the championship, he has had an impressive start to the 2019-20 season, going from an outside contender last season to one of the favourites for the title this time around.
The Kiwi driver finished in the points in all but one race this season, securing two podiums along the way. He has also recorded two fastest laps at Diriyah and Marrakesh.
Evans got his first win of the season at Mexico, a race which he dominated from start to finish. The Kiwi driver qualified in 2nd place, but he passed Andre Lotterer at the start in an aggressive move down the inside, before building an unassailable lead for the remainder of the race.
Perhaps Evans’ most impressive performance, however, was when he was up against adversity in Marrakesh. The 25-year old had to start from the tail end of the grid due to starting his flying lap just under 3 tenths after the first group qualifying session ended. This did not stop him from fighting his way up the pack when it came to race day’ he eventually finished 6th after breaking the record for the number of places gained from his starting position. (18)
That drive in Marrakesh, along with the Mexico drive, is why we ranked Evans as the best driver of the season so far.
