New names and faces will join the grid for the 12th campaign of the world’s premier electric racing series. Here is a MotorPost guide to Season 12 featuring the complete grid – plus the full calendar and learnings from pre-season testing – to get you up to speed.
GEN3 EVO’S FINAL SEASON
Season 12 will be a last hurrah for the world’s fastest electric single-seater. With Gen4 on the horizon, Formula E will enjoy one last season of AWD Attack Mode and the nimble, aggressive angles of the Gen3 platform. As well as Attack Mode, the Pit Boost function will return in some races (exactly which races are yet to be confirmed).
DRIVERS AND TEAMS
LOLA YAMAHA ABT
The safe blend of youth and experience at Lola Yamaha ABT will remain in Season 12, with Season 3 champion Lucas di Grassi and Barbados’ F2 star Zane Maloney looking to move the team forward in their second season together. Di Grassi scored the outfit’s first podium in the United States last season, and more breakout results will be expected as they develop throughout Season 12.
CUPRA KIRO RACECO
CUPRA KIRO’s breakout season saw Dan Ticktum take his first pole, win and podium in the series while the Porsche-powered team found a new identity, and with it, unmistakable potential. For Season 12, Josep Maria “Pepe” Marti will line up beside Ticktum, following multiple wins over his F2 and F3 campaigns.
CITROEN RACING
Replacing the Maserati MSG outfit is Stellantis’ Citroën brand, marking the first appearance of the French marque in top-level motorsport since they left the World Rally Championship in 2019. They have recruited two-time champion champion, Jean-Eric Vergne, and veteran Nick Cassidy to deliver high and consistent results, in a bid to kick off Citroën’s Formula E campaign strongly.
ENVISION RACING
Season two champion Sebastien Buemi will continue with Envision Racing and the Jaguar powertrain for another season, this time with Sweden’s Joel Eriksson. He has participated in 10 previous Formula E races, most recently for Envision during the Berlin E-Prix weekend in Season 10.
ANDRETTI
Following his first season without a victory, Jake Dennis remains at the Andretti team looking for a significant turnaround. With only two podiums, the team struggled to find their feet in Season 11, but new blood in the form of 2022 F2 champion Felipe Drugovich should help re-energise the team in Season 12.
DS PENSKE
The black and gold Stellantis-powered team returns for another season with Maximilian Guenther, after his most impressive season to date. Alongside Guenther will be Season 11’s rookie sensation, Taylor Barnard. The 21-year-old jumped from McLaren as they closed their Formula E operation to focus on their upcoming WEC entry, and Barnard will find new successes with the DS Penske bunch.
MAHINDRA RACING
Mahindra’s major step forward last season came partly thanks to their drivers, Season 7 champion Nyck de Vries and six-time winner, Edoardo Mortara, who both remain at the team heading into Season 12. Both drivers are hugely capable and talented, and the team has clearly taken a performance leap. Mahindra’s commitment to Gen4 may show they will be a formidable force very soon…
NISSAN
Off the back of a sensational championship season, Oliver Rowland will remain with Nissan, seeking to defend his title and take another, alongside Norman Nato. The Nissan team took four victories from seven podiums in Season 11 but only finished third in the standings, and will compete valiantly to improve that in Season 12.
JAGUAR TCS RACING
The British marque will take on Ian James as a team principal (from McLaren) in Season 12, as well as Season 6 champion, Antonio Felix da Costa. Mitch Evans remains at the Jaguar team for another year, yet to claim the elusive championship trophy. Jaguar scored some unlucky finishes last season, but their performance showed impressively at times, including Mitch Evans’ last-to-first victory in the season opener in Sao Paulo.
TAG HEUER PORSCHE
Having freshly committed to Gen4 with not one – but two – teams, Porsche is set to deliver yet more relentless performances this season. It will be Pascal Wehrlein’s sixth season with the German outfit, and he will chase down a second drivers’ championship while Nico Mueller will accompany the squad with 62 races of valuable experience under his belt.
CALENDAR
R1: SAO PAULO – DEC 6
The season opener will take place this Saturday, 6th December at the Anhembi Sambadrome in São Paulo. The Brazilian venue has quickly established itself as an iconic season-opener thanks to its festival nature and passionate fans.
R2: MEXICO CITY – JAN 10
The new year will bring Formula E back to Mexico City – another fan-favourite event at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez and the famous baseball-stadium-turned-racetrack.
R3: MIAMI – JAN 31
The Gen3 Evo debuted at the Miami Autodrome in the hands of some of the world’s greatest influencers in Formula E’s inaugural Evo Session. This year, the 20 full-time professionals will tackle the streets of Miami around the Hard Rock Stadium.
R4/R5: JEDDAH – FEB 13/14
Round 4 and 5 will bring the Formula E circus to the Middle East and Saudi Arabia for the first double-header of the season. The Jeddah Corniche Circuit is home to the only night race on the Formula E calendar, and where last season Taylor Barnard became the youngest-ever polesitter in Formula E.
R6: MADRID – MAR 21
The Circuito de Madrid-Jarama will host Formula E’s first race in the Spanish capital, 17 months after the Season 11 grid undertook pre-season testing when wildfires enraptured the Valencia region.
R7/R8: BERLIN – MAY 2/3
The second double-header will take place in Berlin’s Tempelhof Airport – the site of many dramatic Formula E races past – and many more in the future.
R9/R10: MONACO – MAY 16/17
The Circuit de Monaco has become a staple on the Formula E calendar with a full-time slot since Season 7. It will hold a double-header for the second season in a row.
R11: SANYA – JUN 20
After much speculation over the last slot on the calendar, Formula E will race on the Chinese coastline of Sanya for the first time since Season 5.
R12/R13: SHANGHAI – JUL 4/5
Shanghai’s double-header slot returns following a dramatic weekend in Season 11 where DS Penske took their first 1-2.
R14/R15: TOKYO – JUL 25/26
Another double-header in the Asian continent will be filled by Tokyo. Last year, Tokyo proved a fan-favourite as Dan Ticktum scored his maiden podium and Season 8 champion Stoffel Vandoorne broke a three-year winless streak.
R16/R17: LONDON – AUG 15/16
Once again, Formula E will wrap up the season with a double-header through the ExCel building in London.
PRE-SEASON TESTING
Mahindra’s Edoardo Mortara set the pace in pre-season testing at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, topping two of the six sessions and, with team-mate Nyck de Vries, they completed a productive total of 533 laps. Reigning champion Oliver Rowland set the second fastest time overall, and helped Nissan top both sessions on the final day.
New full-time drivers, Pepe Marti, Felipe Drugovich and Joel Eriksson completed many valuable laps to gather pace and experience in the Gen3 Evo.
Given the fires in the Valencia area last year, teams have no data on this circuit with the updated Gen3 Evo. Therefore, it was no surprise to see lap times around three seconds quicker than previously recorded.
In the second pre-season women’s test, Chloe Chambers topped the session, also behind the wheel of Mahindra’s Gen3 Evo.
Overall, Mahindra looks very strong and consistent ahead of the opening round this weekend. Oliver Rowland and the Nissan team also look competitive off the back of their championship success in Season 11, and hope to finish the Gen3 Evo era going back-to-back.
MotorPost 
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