Over its relatively short history, Formula E looks to be becoming one of motorsport’s most exciting series.
This is not only thanks to the weighing-in of well-known constructors such as both Jaguar and Porsche as well as the technological advancements that the series has brought with it but also due to the star power from other series such as F1 that it has brought over. Here are some of the drivers who’ve made the move.
When Formula E first launched seven or eight years ago, some of the first drivers in that initial season were from Formula One. For instance, the likes of Lucas Di Grassi and Takuma Sato became key players over the course of the season and the former Virgin F1 man in Di Grassi was certainly in the running for the title.
Even though a former F1 driver didn’t win the 2014/15 championship, it went to someone who is related to one – Nelson Piquet’s son, Nelson Piquet Jr. That inaugural season also saw other drivers such as Nick Heidfeld join the fray, perhaps best known for his former holding of the record for the fastest time up the Goodwood Hillclimb, and the Swiss Sebastian Buemi, whose crash at China in 2010 will go down as one of the strangest in Formula One history.
As the championship evolved and the cars changed to a new generation, more drivers made the switch over including former McLaren driver Stoffel Vandoorne and midfield legend Jarno Trulli, former driver for both Caterham and Toyota a decade or so ago. This boosted the interest in Formula E, also helped along by the fact that the former Toro Rosso driver, the Belgian Jean-Eric Vergne became the first driver in the series’ history to win two titles and also win them consecutively.
Kamui Kobayashi’s stint as part of the Andretti team in 2017/18 also would’ve brought some endurance racing pedigree to the table, as demonstrated by his 24 Hours of Le Mans run back in 2016 where, along with Mike Conway and Frenchman Stéphane Sarrazin, they would finish in second place, having completed a total of 381 laps.
It may not be long before other drivers from Formula One make the move over to an arguably more sustainable form of racing and as drivers get older they may wish to take on a different challenge. With Formula E now having received full FIA World Championship status, the draw for the series has now arguably increased which could open up new opportunities for some of the biggest drivers on the F1 grid.
By getting the latest on Formula One and F1 betting from the likes of bet365, it becomes possible to understand who those big players are, and also keep up with moves not only from F1 to Formula E but also moves between teams in the world’s premier series.
For instance, the 2021 season has seen Carlos Sainz move from McLaren to Ferrari, Sebastian Vettel move from Ferrari to Aston Martin, Daniel Ricciardo move to Sainz’ old seat at McLaren as well as Sergio Perez’ move to Red Bull.
This can be seen to have positively impacted these teams as Ferrari’s odds of winning the Constructors, for instance, now stand at 14/1 and also Carlos Sainz’ odds of winning a driver’s title sit at 100/1 which, even though are quite unfavourable by comparison to other drivers, look to be significantly higher than when he was at McLaren.
As the reputation and the draw of Formula E increases, it’s likely that more drivers make the move from one championship to the other.
It may be possible that as legends like Lewis Hamilton enter their twilight years that they wish to try their hand at a different challenge and it is plausible that even those who don’t really make it to find a new home in an all-electric car.
