150 Not Out!
Formula E is celebrating its 150th race this Saturday and held a special paddock get-together at the circuit botanical gardens on Thursday evening. The occasion was held 4744 days since Lucas di Grassi won the first ever race at the 2014 Beijing EPrix in dramatic circumstances when Nico Prost collided with Nick Heidfeld at the final corner of the race.
The 50th Formula E race was won by Edoardo Mortara in equally dramatic circumstances at the 2019 Hong Kong EPrix. The then Venturi driver was handed the winning trophy two weeks later at the inaugural Sanya race after Sam Bird, who won the road, was penalised for an incident with Andre Lotterer’s DS Techeetah.
Mortara also won the 100th Formula E race held at Seoul in August 2022, again with Venturi in its final race before being re-named Maserati MSG. That was the Italo/Swiss drivers last win in Formula E. An omen for Saturday?
It is believed that very few people, in fact only seven, have completed all 150 races. The only known people to have the grand slam of completing every event are Andretti team principal Roger Griffiths, Andretti mechanic’s Julian Greenhalgh and Brandon Kuck, Dragon/Penske mechanic Andy Hoadley and safety car driver Bruno Correia, Mahindra engineer Jeremy Colancon (also ex Venturi/MSG) and Renault/Nissan mechanic Ludovic Leon. (Some of those are pictured above in the main image).
Formula E co-founder and COO Alberto Longo has travelled to each event but was forced to return from the Puebla races to isolate for Covid, while 2016-17 champion driver Lucas di Grassi has been at every race but didn’t compete at Cape Town in 2023 after his Mahindra car was withdrawn. Lola Yamaha ABT deputy Team Principal, Frederic Espinos has also been to all the EPrixs but had to leave Berlin in 2020 for family reasons.
No members of the media have done all of the races, although Electric News owner and editor Marcello Padin has been to 130, while FEN founder and editor Sam Smith has been to 137 of the 149 races so far.
To Chicane or not to Chicane?
The Turn 8 chicane, used in the last three Mexico City EPrixs has been taken away for this Saturday with the track configuration reverting to the one used in 2020 and 2022.
“I think for the race itself, overtaking ability will change quite a bit,” Porsche’s Nico Mueller told FEN.
“Last season especially we’ve seen that overtaking is not easy at all even on 350kW. I think without the chicane now also overtaking on the same power levels becomes more possible again.”
Porsche director of motorsport for Formula E, Florian Modlinger said that the bigger lift-off phase from T8 to T9 could see “a bit more slipstream affect than in the past, but not a major change.
“In qualifying, I think you will see pronounced the effects on different cars to what we saw last year as some were very good in this chicane and others not that good. So, in qualifying performance, this removal of the chicane can have also an effect in mixing up the order a bit.”
Rookie FP Session Confirmed for Miami
The upcoming Miami EPrix will see an extra rookie free practice session take place on the Friday afternoon before the inaugural Hard Rock stadium event. The 40-minute session is reserved for one rookie driver per team, as per Article 32.6 of the Sporting Regulations who are ‘in possession, at the very least, of a Free Practice Only e-Licence (eligibility set out under Article 14 of Appendix L to the International Sporting Code).’
Names that could be featured on the rookie free practice session entry list are Victor Martins, Abbi Pulling, Theo Pourchaire, Ayhancan Güven and Kush Maini.
Marti to run Rookie FP Session
Pepe Marti will be taking part in the rookie Free Practice session at the Miami EPrix later this month as the team takes advantage of a new for 2026 regulation. Article 4.7 of the 2025-26 Sporting Regulations dictates that a driver is considered a rookie until the end of the first season in which they compete. Andretti will not be able to follow this plan with Felipe Drugovich as he raced for Mahindra in Berlin last July and is not classified as a rookie driver as he has entered a competition.
“We have the unique benefit of Pepe being able to take part in the FP0 session,” confirmed CUPRA Kiro’s Team Principal, Russell O’Hagan to FEN. “I think he’ll be the only (Season 12 rookie) one, so that’ll be quite useful for us.”
Citroen’s Mr Bluesky? – ELO Launched!
Citroën unveiled the ELO concept car last month and it made its public debut at the Brussels Motor Show today. The car has been described by the Chevron brand as an ‘ideas laboratory that embodies the brand’s values of innovation and creativity and brings together thinking for the future.’
With a compact length of 4.10 metres, the ELO features an interior designed as a truly modular living space, capable of accommodating up to six people. Citroën has drawn on the expertise of its partners, Goodyear and Decathlon, to develop ‘practical, technical materials committed to sustainability.’
On the Move…
Matt Roberts began his new role as Team Manager at Envision Racing on January 1, taking over from Leon Price who has moved to the Cadillac Hertz team JOTA FIA WEC operation. In essence Roberts has been in the role for some time during a transition period after Price handed his notice in to the team back in the summer. Roberts has worked for Envision (previously Virgin and DS Virgin Racing) since 2015 when he joined from the Caterham GP2 squad.
Stellantis has announced that Eugenio Franzetti has joined the Alfa Romeo brand as its Head of Global Marketing. Franzetti has frequented the Formula E paddock for several seasons as Director of DS Performance. He has worked for Stellantis (nee PSA) since 2002 in various marketing and communications roles and will continue to hold a duel role of Director Lancia Corse HF.
A competitive EVO Sessions?
A second iteration of the Evo Sessions for influencers and celebrities will take place at the Jeddah International Circuit on Sunday, February 15. FEN understands that a competitive element to the day has been more or less confirmed with a likely duel, semi-final and final outline to take place for the celebrities and influencers invited.
Andretti’s Roger Griffiths told FEN that he was in “two minds” about the plans.
“Honestly, there’s the super conservative and cautious me that’s worried about our equipment as we don’t want to damage anything,” added Griffiths. “Then there’s that bit of me that’s sceptical about how well this is going to work. But then, we need to evolve it for Formula E and we shouldn’t just do the same thing that we’ve done in the past. So, maybe it is the right thing to do, let’s just hope that we all get through it in one piece.”
Wilson’s Gong
Longstanding motorsport industry engineering executive Craig Wilson was awarded a Member of the British Empire (MBE) honour in the King’s New Year’s list of recipients late last month. Wilson started his career as a trainee engineer with Toyota in the early 1980s before rising to become Engineering Manager and Managing Director at Tom Walkinshaw Racing in the 90s.
Wilson has become a regular in the Formula E paddock through being an instigator of Williams Advanced Engineering’s partnership with Jaguar through his role as CEO which he held from 2013 to 2023.
Speaking of his achievement Wilson said: “I am extremely humbled and very proud to have been awarded an MBE for services to Enterprise and to the Economy in the King’s New Years Honours list. This award would not have been possible without the incredible work by all the talented people at Williams Advanced Engineering and the support of my family.”
World Events and EV Industry
As escalating global turbulence and geo-political strife continues to emerge daily the impact on the EV industry continues to be monitored by the Automotive media as 2026 dawned last week.
A pullback on electric vehicles is undoubtedly occurring in some territories as in the U.S. Ford, General Motors and Stellantis have ‘all announced plans to walk back EV strategies and shift manufacturing away from electric drivetrains’ according to the Automotive News publication.
President Donald Trump’s administration has also eliminated the waivers that allow California to write stricter vehicle emissions regulations. It has eliminated the EV tax credits and fines for noncompliance with fuel economy standards and has created new requirements for manufacturers seeking tax credits for battery production.
Canada and Europe are seeing a similar trend as the Canadian government eliminated its rebate program for EVs and the government plans to change its electric vehicle sales mandate this winter. Provinces including Quebec and British Columbia have ‘abandoned incentives and requirements for manufacturers.’
Glass Half Full Again
Formula E has announced the extension of its partnership with luxury champagne house, Taittinger, as the official champagne of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
Taittinger will continue to be at the heart of the sport’s most iconic moments. From the winner’s rostrum to the exclusive Emotion Club hospitality offering, the partnership celebrates the intersection of almost 300 years of French excellence and the cutting edge of electric motorsport.
“Champagne, much like electricity, serves as a conduit for the currents of emotion, weaving together moments of shared joy and the pleasure of living,” commented Vitalie Taittinger, Président, Taittinger.
“This partnership with Formula E embodies this as well as the exhilaration of victory and the spirit of innovation that both our brands cherish.”
Autocourse 2025/26
FEN founder and editor Sam Smith has again penned a 6000 word review of the 2024-25 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship for the prestigious Autocourse annual. The publication celebrates its 75th year with the new edition which is available to buy HERE.
