Kieran McDonnell

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Formula E Shanghai E-prix: DS Penske Obtain their Maiden 1-2 as Cassidy ends the draught with a wet race at Shanghai

 

Formula E returned to the Shanghai International Circuit this past weekend for its sophomore year, and these past 2 rounds did not disappoint in terms of action.

Round 10:
DS Penske driver Maximilian Guenther led the field away from pole position ahead of Taylor Barnard, who started in P2. Pascal Wehrlein managed to jump him at the start with the peloton style of racing returning to Formula E. There was disaster for the Jaguar TCS Racing driver Nick Cassidy as he was spun at the chicane after getting tapped by the Mahindra Racing driver Edoardo Mortara. Contact occurred later on between Rowland and Vandoorne while the peloton style occurred, and by lap 11, De Vries was leading ahead of the Andretti driver Nico Mueller and Envision Racing’s Robin Frijns.

Pit boost was active in this race, and many drivers immediately took the opportunity to pit, starting at the end of lap 12 and the start of lap 13. Drivers such as Guenther, Buemi, Bird and Maloney all took attack mode immediately after their pit boost.

The race started to heat up from here, as it was a flat-out race with Barnard having a 2.5-second lead before that shrank with Guenther and Rowland then battling for the win towards the end of the race. Barnard and Nato were battling before a massive battle on the last lap for 2nd, with Barnard and Ticktum looking likely to take the positions before Jean-Eric Vergne made a move into the final chicane to take P2 and secure DS Penske’s first 1-2, with Guenther managing to hold onto the win with Barnard in P3. Dan Ticktum finished P4 from P21; championship leader Oliver Rowland finished P5, Norman Nato P6, Sam Bird P7, and Nyck De Vries P8, with the Envision duo of Sebastian Buemi and Robin Frijns rounding out the points-paying positions.

SHANGHAI, CHINA – MAY 31: Stoffel Vandoorne of Belgium driving the (2) Maserati MSG Racing Maserati Tipo Folgore leads Oliver Rowland of Great Britain driving the (23) Nissan Formula E Team Nissan e-4ORCE 05 on track during the Shanghai E-Prix, Round 10 of the 2025 FIA Formula E World Championship at Shanghai International Circuit on May 31, 2025 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Simon Galloway/LAT Images for Formula E)
Image Credit: Formula E Media Bank

Round 11:
After a delayed start due to the rain, we had a rolling start on lap 8, which saw Nick Cassidy lead the field away from the Porsche duo, and all 3 of them instantly took attack mode, including the top 11 apart from Di Grassi. Wehrlein went for a longer attack mode, so he and Da Costa swapped positions. Many drivers struggled throughout the race, including Nyck De Vries, who went through the gravel, and Wehrlein went sideways.

Towards the middle section of the race, both Lola Yamaha Abt cars were battling with Maserati and Mahindra of Stoffel Vandoorne and Nyck De Vries. The most recent race winner, Maximilian Guenther, got a red car, but this did NOT cause a red flag. He had to pull off to the side of the track to retire. There were 3 added laps due to the safety car, with Cassidy having a MAJOR lead over Pascal Wehrlein. Cassidy held onto the lead to win his first E-Prix of 2025! Pascal Wehrlein and Antonio Felix Da Costa closed out the top 3. Jake Hughes finished P4, Jean-Eric Vergne P5, Nico Mueller P6, Stoffel Vandoorne P7, Robin Frijns P8, Lucas Di Grassi P9, and Taylor Barnard P10!

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ABB FIA Formula E Season 11 Rounds 10 and 11: Shanghai E-Prix Preview and Predictions

As the iconic month of May draws to a close, so does this section of Formula E, as we have rounds 11 and 12 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship Season 11. We enter the scene of the Chinese Grand Prix at a modified version of the Shanghai International Circuit.

Track Preview:
After debuting last year as a doubleheader, the Shanghai E-Prix was a goldmine for Jaguar drivers, with Mitch Evans and Antonio Felix Da Costa picking up a win each around this circuit in Season 10.

Formula E Season 10 Shanghai Circuit. Image Credit: Formula E Media Centre


The 3.051-mile circuit allows 12 corners to challenge drivers, with round 1 being a pit boost round. The main overtaking opportunities are into turn 1, turn 6, and through to turn 9, with turns 10 and 12 also being the best opportunities to overtake rivals.

Round 10 Predictions:
Pole Position: Pascal Wehrlein
As Rowland starts to put one hand on the championship trophy, the reigning world champion will want to put as much performance in as possible in order to maintain his reigning world champion status. Getting pole at Shanghai would be the best way to start.

Winner: António Félix Da Costa
The Season 6 champion is currently P2 in the standings with over 50 points separating him and the Briton Rowland. Da Costa will want to minimise the gap as much as possible, and the pit boost opportunities will allow him to get a jump on Rowland.

Podium: Cassidy and Evans
The Jaguar duo was strong here last year, with a victory and podiums from both. I think they will obtain more podiums; Evans’ first points since his win in Sao Paulo back in 2024.

Antonio Felix da Costa, TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, 1st position, stands on his car in Parc Ferme
Image Credit: Formula E Media Bank



Round 11 Predictions:
Pole Position: Oliver Rowland
Rowland will NEED to maximise as many points as possible this weekend, and not finishing on the podium on Saturday will hurt him.

Winner: Oliver Rowland
In order to maximise, Rowland will go from pole to win on the latter part of the weekend as he manages to claw back the deficit from Saturday.

Podium: Andretti
Yes, that is correct. I am predicting a double Andretti podium on Sunday to end the most recent run of Formula E races before entering the final 3 weekends of Season 11.

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Formula E Tokyo E-Prix: Rowland and Vandoorne secure victories as Ticktum stands on the podium


Rounds 8 and 9 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship occurred over the past weekend, and it was a chaotic 48 hours for all teams and drivers.


Round 8
Before the race even began, there was chaos as the qualifying session was cancelled due to the weather conditions. FP2 was able to take part, however, and the results from that session would be qualifying. This resulted in Oliver Rowland starting from pole ahead of Edoardo Mortara and Norman Nato.
The race began with a standing start after a few laps behind the safety car and a 10-minute delay. Barnard immediately went from P4 to P3, with multiple drivers taking attack mode at the start, such as Buemi, Da Costa and Evans. Nato fell down from P3 to P6. With Buemi’s attack mode, he managed to make it up to P2 by lap 6. However, Buemi went wide further on, which resulted in Edoardo Mortara retaking P2. Vandoorne was the first driver to take attack mode and immediately took advantage of it.


Suddenly, Guenther had a RED car, and a red flag was called to stop the race. Jake Dennis and Andretti had a similar issue in Sao Paulo. The car then switched to green, but Guenther was still out. Vandoorne ended up being the biggest gainer from this red flag, as he was a full pit-boost pit stop ahead of everyone else.


Once cars went back onto the track, De Vries, Evans and Dennis all had their pit boost windows open, with Jake Dennis opting to take his pit stop prior to the race start. This would result, however, in the Andretti driver receiving the black flag and being disqualified from the race as the pit lane was closed.


More drivers took attack mode after the restart, including Rowland, while others opted to take their pit boost after the restart, including Barnard, De Vries, Nato and Evans. It emerged from here that Evans was retiring his car due to a collision with De Vries. Drivers emerging from their pit boost were all calm until Buemi was jumped by the Mahindra car of Mortara.


The race leader, Stoffel Vandoorne, then ended up spinning and hitting the wall before taking his final attack mode. Rowland took his second attack mode near the end of the race and retook P2 from Taylor Barnard. Rowland was unable to take P1 away from Stoffel Vandoorne as he took his first win since 2022 and his first win with Maserati MSG Racing! Oliver Rowland finished P2 and Taylor Barnard P3!


Sebastian Buemi managed to finish P4, Dan Ticktum P5, Edoardo Mortara P6, Antonio Felix Da Costa P7, and Nyck De Vries P8, but he would receive a 5-second time penalty for the collision with Evans and would drop outside the points. Thus, Jean-Eric Vergne, Robin Frijns and Nick Cassidy, who finished P9, P10 and P11, respectively, would all move up a place.

TOKYO, JAPAN – MAY 17: Oliver Rowland of Great Britain driving the (23) Nissan Formula E Team Nissan e-4ORCE 05 leads the field during the Tokyo E-Prix, Round 8 of the 2025 FIA Formula E World Championship at Tokyo Street Circuit on May 17, 2025 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Simon Galloway/LAT Images for Formula E)

Round 9
For round 9 we had a traditional qualifying session which saw Oliver Rowland take pole ahead of Dan Ticktum in P2. Mitch Evans did not take part in the race due to a collision with the wall during qualifying, which saw the Jaguar TCS Racing team unable to fix his car prior to the race.


It was a dry race this time, which saw Rowland hold the lead while Ticktum and Wehrlein had a big battle, but the Cupra Kiro driver held off the reigning world champion. De Vries and Bird had a collision which resulted in the Mahindra driver receiving a black and white flag. Hughes started the attack mode train while Wehrlein looked to try and overtake Ticktum. Rowland and Barnard had a small tap which put Rowland down to P4.


By lap 11, Rowland had not taken either attack mode before a full course yellow was brought out for debris. However, Da Costa misjudged the full course yellow and ended up breaking his suspension when it was deployed. Once we went green, Nato received a 5-second time penalty for speeding under the full course yellow. Wehrlein led the race while Rowland decided to take his first attack mode on lap 17. It was a 2 minute deployment with Jake Dennis took attack mode and made moves, including going up to P7 after overtaking Di Grassi by lap 20. Rowland then went down to P6 after Dennis overtook him. MANY drivers took attack mode on lap 24, including Wehrlein, Rowland, Ticktum, Barnard and Vergne, while Rowland stayed out and took P2.
There were fantastic battles with Rowland and Wehrlein not leaving anything between the two. Mortara and Barnard collided, which sent Barnard into the wall and brought out the safety car but not any added laps. The safety car went into the pits at the end of lap 31, which meant we got a 1-lap shootout.

Oliver Rowland won Nissan’s home race of Tokyo and further extended his championship lead. Pascal Wehrlein finishes P2 with Dan Ticktum getting his and Cupra Kiro’s first podium. Jake Dennis finished P4 ahead of the Lola Yamaha Abt of Lucas Di Grassi in P5. Jean-Eric Vergne finishes P6 ahead of Nick Cassidy in P7, with Sam Bird managing P8 and Sebastian Buemi and Maximilian Guenther finishing P10.

Formula E returns at the end of May for the Shanghai E-Prix doubleheader!

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Formula E Season 11 Rounds 8 and 9: Tokyo E-Prix Preview and Predictions

It hasn’t been that long since Formula E finished the doubleheader in Monaco, which saw Oliver Rowland and Sebastian Buemi take victory around the principality, and already we are back! This time for a relatively new circuit for Formula E standards: the Tokyo E-Prix! This round is once again a doubleheader, and after the singular race we had last year, this year is bound to be a top-class event again!

Circuit Preview:

Formula E Tokyo E-Prix track map. Image Credit: Formula E Website

This 2.575km long circuit goes around the iconic city of Tokyo to bring with it the 18 turns, long straights and fast corners to make overtaking here up to the drivers. After Oliver Rowland was leading going into the final lap last year, the Maserati driver Maximilian Guenther made a pass for the lead and took the victory ahead of the Briton at his team’s home race.

Round 8 Predictions:
Pole Position: Oliver Rowland
The championship leader goes into this doubleheader with the biggest points gap ever seen in Formula E during the Gen3 era. As this is his team’s home race, he will be wanting to make Nissan proud with a home pole position and extend his lead even more!


Race Winner: Oliver Rowland
Pole-to-race wins seem to be rare in the electric pinnacle of motorsport, especially when it is so tight between all drivers and teams. After losing victory to Sebastian Buemi last time in Monaco and accomplishing P2 in the latter race of the doubleheader, Rowland will be extra motivated to get as many points as possible in order to secure the championship as soon as possible.


Podium: 2 Porsche Power Trains
The Porsche powertrain was very strong last year, with the powertrain quadrat locking out P3 to P6 inclusive. It would not surprise me to see 2 of those powertrains obtain 2 podium positions.

Round 9 Predictions:
Pole Position: Nico Mueller
I am going with my gut on this one. Mueller did very well last year, getting P7 on the road in the Abt Cupra team. I think he will be able to do even better after getting settled in with the track and managing to take pole position for round 9!

Race winner: Mitch Evans
Going with my gut for these predictions, which can either go one way or another, but Jaguar could surprise everyone with their race pace. It will be a big shock if they do manage to achieve it, but something tells me the New Zealander Mitch Evans will take victory around Tokyo.

Podium: Nissan Power Trains
Currently 4 cars have the Nissan powertrain, and I can see at least 2 of them appearing on the podium in this non-pit boost race. The energy conservation of the Nissans will benefit them, and I can see possibly both McLarens or both Nissans on the podium for Sunday’s race!

Biggest Surprise: Neom McLaren
After a disaster in Monaco for the majority of Nissan-powered cars, almost exclusively the Neom McLarens, I think they will bounce back to deliver a positive result as the Papaya-based team bids farewell to Formula E at the end of this season.

Biggest Disappointment: Pascal Wehrlein
My gut feeling says that Wehrlein will not have a great weekend, which would be very unfortunate for the reigning world champion as he struggles to maintain his title defence bid.

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Formula E Season 11 Round 6 and 7: Old faces returned to glory at the first ever Formula E Monaco Double Header


Formula E made history in Monaco as not one but two rounds were held around the iconic streets of Monaco. Rain was forecast for these 2 rounds and while the rain didn’t come in round 6, it came in for round 7 and brought old faces back to the podium. Let’s get into it!

Round 6


The McLaren rookie of Taylor Barnard led us away from pole position after The Nissan of Oliver Rowland hit the wall at the start of the final duel for pole position. Rowland cut across the Cupra Kiro of Dan Ticktum at the start to stop him from getting into P2 but that compromised him and turned P3 into P4. The Andretti of Jake Dennis, Tag Heuer Porsche of Pascal Wehrlein and Envision Racing of Robin Frijns were all close together while Dennis’ teammate Nico Mueller had to pit at the start due to a puncture. Due to Ticktum’s drop in place from the start, he was struggling to pass the Mahindra of Nyck De Vries so his team suggested he overconsume energy. Ticktum was managing to stay in his position until Wehrlein’s teammate of Antonio Felix Da Costa crashed at the final corner while attempting to overtake the Mahindra of Mortara. This brought out a Full Course Yellow.
Once we went back to green flag racing, the season 9 champion of Jake Dennis IMMEDIATELY went up to P3 however he received a 5 second time penalty due to over speeding under that FCY. We didn’t stay green flag racing for too long as Mitch Evans came to a stop on track and this let Buemi pit.


Once green, Rowland lost the lead due to taking attack mode but he managed to easily retake the lead. Towards the end, everyone pitted with Mueller, Cassidy and Rowland being the top 3. However, Mueller and Cassidy encountered some energy issues so the Jaguar driver had 9% LESS energy than everyone and Mueller didn’t actually get the extra 10% from pit boost. This led to them having to conserve a LOT more energy compared to their other racers. Rowland took the lead but De Vries and Rowland were fighting for the win until Barnard went into the barrier at Casino Square and fell out of the points. Dennis made his way up to P2 and De Vries was not happy about this so they were fighting with the Dutchman managing to reovertake P2 from the Brit.


By the end of the race, Oliver Rowland took victory on the streets of Monaco! Nyck De Vries took his first victory since London 2022 and Mahindra’s first since Mexico City 2023. Jake Dennis scored his first podium of Season 11. De Vries’ teammate Mortara finished P4, Mueller managed to finish P5, reigning champion Pascal Wehrlein finished P6, Dan Ticktum P7, Robin Frijns P8, Vandorrne P9 and Max Guenther P10!

MONTE-CARLO, MONACO – MAY 03: David Beckmann of Germany driving the (3) CUPRA KIRO Porsche 99X Electric WCG3 during the Monaco E-Prix, Round 6 of the 2025 FIA Formula E World Championship at Circuit de Monaco on May 03, 2025 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Simon Galloway/LAT Images for Formula E) Image Credit: Formula E Media Bank

Round 7


Thankfully, Oliver Rowland did not crash at turn 1 at the final for pole. However, there was NO final duel for pole due to both DS Penske cars going over the chicane after the tunnel and having their lap times deleted. This did lead to Nyck De Vries getting promoted up to P2 for the starting grid!


We went racing in Monaco for the second time this weekend with a clean getaway from all drivers. 21 drivers started on the grid with Sam Bird starting from the pitlane after a crash in qualifying. The track was greasy and slippery but it was drying fast. Barnard fell down to join his teammate Bird at the rear of the field with Vergne, Da Costa and Buemi jumping up a place each. Once the attack modes were taken, De Vries has to defend from Vergne, but this in turn helped Rowland as he had not taken either attack mode by this stage. A brief yellow flag saw David Beckmann and Jake Hughes make contact with the Cupra Kiro driver having to do a 3 point turn at turn 1. The Maserati driver obtained a 5 second time penalty due to this.


Di Grassi went into the barrier after contact with Dennis which brought out a full course yellow. Once the yellow was brought in, Ticktum hit the barrier after a battle with Cassidy, went down the escape road just before the casino section, did an amazing spin and managed to get away. At this stage, Vergne had a lead of 3.1 seconds over Rowland with Wehrlein attempting to do a successful move that his teammate failed to do the day prior but it didn’t work out. Mueller then brought out the safety car after hitting the barrier on his own.


Once we went green, Buemi managed to make his way up to P4 with only Rowland, Barnard and Evans having attack mode remaining. Towards the latter stages of the race, De Vries managed to make his way up to the front and battle for the lead while Rowland maintained the lead despite going over the chicane. Buemi saw this opportunity and managed to take the lead before a brief yellow. De Vries, Vergne, Rowland and Cassidy were all very close together for P2 down to P5 with the latter 2 of that array manages to swap with the former 2. Barnard, Maloney and Ticktum all received time penalties for track limits while Sebastian Buemi went on to win the Monaco E-Prix and secure his first win since 2019 and Envision Racing’s first win since 2023. Rowland managed to keep P with Cassidy obtaining his first podium of the season. Da Costa finished P4, De Vries P5, Vergne P6, Wehrlein P7, Guenther P8, Dennis P9 and Vandoorne P10!

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Formula E Season 11 Rounds 6 and 7 Preview-Pit Boost Returns in Monaco

It is May 1st, which means we have officially entered the month of May for motorsport! Indy500, Formula One in Miami! For Formula E, however, we are starting at a landmark in the motorsport’s history: Monaco! The famous landmark where a single race event has been held…until now.

Formula E is making history this weekend as we have our first ever DOUBLE HEADER in Monaco! As it is a double header, PIT BOOST RETURNS! Since its debut in Jeddah, Saturday’s race around the close streets will have a mandatory pitstop for all 22 drivers to make to gain an extra 10% of energy.

Weekend Schedule

Round 6 Schedule:
All times are in local time.
Free Practice 1: 7:30am
Free Practice 2: 9:10am
Qualifying: 10:40am
Monaco E-Prix: 3:05pm

Round 7 Schedule:
All times are in local time.
Free Practice 3: 8:30am
Qualifying: 10:40am
Monaco E-Prix: 3pm

Weekend Preview

Formula E Monaco’s Track Map for Season 11, Image Credit: Formula E Media Bank

This 3.337km circuit has been iconic throughout motorsport. However, Formula E has only started racing at the same configuration as Formula 1 for a few years. The tight walls, sharp corners, and difficulty overtaking for certain series make this a very difficult challenge for all 22 drivers, and now the teams have an extra strategy with pit boost.

Round 6 Predictions

Pole Position: Pascal Wehrlein
The reigning world champion took victory last time out in Miami after a chaotic final few minutes of that race. I think Wehrlein will take that motivation and confidence that he has in the car and use it to his and his team’s advantage in order to snatch pole position on Saturday!
Race Winner: António Félix da Costa
Is this a bold choice? Possibly. However, Da Costa has been very strong recently and was on for the win in Miami until the late safety car and red flag ruined his chances. He will be carrying a lot of self-motivation in order to show that he still has what it takes to be at the front and to fight for this title, even after all of the rumors last year of his seat being under threat.

Round 7 Predictions

Pole Position: Taylor Barnard
After McLaren announced their departure from the series last week, both McLaren drivers will be ready to make their case for their seat to be theirs; at least Taylor will. Getting a pole at the circuit he made his debut at in Formula E and a debut win in Formula 2 would be a great statement!
Race Winner: Taylor Barnard
What’s better than getting laid? Winning from pole! Which is what I think will happen on Sunday!

Overall Weekend Predictions

Biggest Surprise of the weekend: Jaguar
Jaguar’s season has been horrid. DNFs in multiple races, not many points scored in comparison to their rivals, the reigning team champions have entered a slump. However, with both Cassidy and Evans coming back to a track where they have both won at, I think they’ll take the confidence to score extremely strong points for their team.

Biggest disappointment of the weekend: Nissan.
After an optimistic weekend, despite Rowland and Nato scoring fewer points than they should have in Miami, their season hasn’t been bad, as Rowland currently leads the drivers championship. Something in my gut tells me, however, that this will not last forever and this weekend will result in them scoring very few points

Do you have any bold predictions for this weekend? Let us know!

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Formula E Season 11 Round 5: Wehrlein Takes The Top Step in Miami

Formula E returned to Miami and this race was a slow burner before we went from zero to ultimate hero due to 1 collision.

The race begun with Norman Nato claiming a debut pole position for Nissan and his first points of Season 11 with Jake Dennis beside him on the front row. Unfortunately, this race was a pack racing style race so no one was in favour of leading due to the energy loss obtained. Da Costa managed to sneak his way up to P2 ahead of Dennis before De Vries led the way from the Nissan of Nato and the Porsche of Da Costa on lap 2. Oliver Rowland suffered a horrific qualifying and was down to P14 after several laps with the Cupra Kiro of David Beckmann falling down from P8 to P11. As this race went on, it became clear that drivers at the rear of the field had much more energy than those at the front due to the overtaking nature. We were nearly a third of the way through the race before the Envision Racing car of Buemi pulled the plug and went for attack mode, a move which ultimately helped him to get up the field. The DS Penske of Jean-Eric Vergne decided to take a little detour across the grass.Vandoorne followed Buemi’s line into the attack mode which ultimately helped him. Beckmann had to pit due to a puncture and that was the end of his race.

We had a very odd situation as some drivers took attack mode, the Mahindra of De Vries stopped on track and that brought out the safety car. However, the Season 7 champ managed to get going again which was probably the shortest safety car in Formula E history! Wehrlein was leading from the restart but was 4% DOWN on Da Costa. As the race began again, a big crash happened at the chicane in sector 3. Hughes, Guenther and Evans were all caught up as Hughes went deep into the barrier, Guenther couldn’t stop in time and Evans then collided with Guenther. The Jaguar of Evans and DS Penske of Guenther managed to get going but Hughes had to retire. This, however, brought out the red flag. As drivers were in the pitlane, Cassidy received a 5 second time penalty for track limits. However, it became clear that due to the amount of time it would take to finish the laps, drivers with 6 minutes of attack mode remaining would end up receiving a penalty for not using all of their attack mode.

HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA – APRIL 12: Nico Muller of Switzerland driving the (51) Andretti Formula E Porsche 99X Electric Gen3 during the Miami E-Prix, Round 5 of the 2025 FIA Formula E World Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on April 12, 2025 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Andrew Ferraro/LAT Images) Image Credit: Formula E Media Bank

As drivers took their positions for a sprint weekend in Formula E, everyone knew this was going to be a mad dash to the end. Da Costa led the race from Mortara and Wehrlein before Wehrlein took it away from his teammate. Da Costa had no attack mode remaining so he fell down the grid like a stone in water. However, due to the attack mode penalties, hope was not lost. Norman Nato took the chequered flag first but Nato, Rowland, Barnard, Bird and Frijns all later received 10 second penalties post race due to their attack mode incompletion. This meant that Pascal Wehrlein took the win ahead of Lucas Di Grassi in P2 who scored Lola Yamaha Abt’s first podium in Formula E with Da Costa finishing P3! Nico Mueller finished P4 in Andretti’s home race, Edoardo Mortara P5, Norman Nato P6, Dan Ticktum P7, Robin Frijns P8, Jake Dennis P9 and Zane Maloney P10. However, the boy from Barbados later received a 5 second time penalty for not following the race directors instructions so he did not score his maiden points. Oliver Rowland took the final points paying position.

Writers Predictions:

Before the weekend, I made some predictions! Lets see how they went:

Pole Position: Pascal Wehrlein

This one didn’t entirely come true considering he didn’t even make the duels. 

Race Winner: Taylor Barnard

I was hoping Taylor would pull something out of the bag but after his non existant duels appearance, I knew from then it was all over for the young Briton. 

Biggest Surprise: Andretti

I could try and argue that I was correct as they scored a P4 and a P9. Of course, at their home race they were hoping for more than this and I think Lola Yamaha Abt deserved this one more. 

Biggest Surprise: Mahindra

This one did not go too well either. Even Mortara scoring 5 points was a driver surprise but not a whole team surprise. 

See you all for Monaco’s double header WITH Pit Boost in a few weeks!

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Formula E Season 11 Round 5 Miami E-Prix: Preview and Predictions

After such a long and extended break following the cancellation of an E-Prix scheduled for March, Formula E is BACK this weekend at a new venue but returning city of Miami! Many sessions and improvements have happened over the spring break for all 11 teams so it will be interesting to see how this electric weekend goes. 

Schedule:

Free Practice 1: 4:30-5:25pm Local Time
Free Practice 2: 07:30-08:25am Local Time
Qualifying: 09:40-11:03am Local Time
Race: 2:05-3pm Local Time

Circuit Preview:

The Miami E-Prix will be held at the Homestead-Miami International Speedway which will consist of 15 turns at 3.551km. Energy management could be critical around here as there is no pit boost as this is a single round event. The start/finish straight for the pitlanes as well as the long straights between turns 5 and 6 and 7 and 8 could be vital for victory. 

Predictions for Round 5

Pole position: Pascal Wehrlein

The reigning champion of Formula E did not have the best of weekends in Jeddah with no podiums to his male and the Porsche power train competitors of Stellantis and Nissan both picked up 1 win each at the double header. However, with a new circuit comes new opportunities and chances for drivers and teams to excel which I believe Wehrlein will manage to do to keep his championship bid alive. 

Race Winner: Taylor Barnard

Prior to this season, I think putting any of the trio of rookies onto a prediction sheet for race winner would have been seen as insane given the performances of the teams last season. However, neom McLaren and Barnard have easily been the ones to exceed expectations given how young the F2 Monaco Sprint race winner in 2024 is and his inexperienced compared to Sam Bird. Miami will be a somewhat equal playing field as it is a new venue and I am expecting Barnard to capitalise. 

Biggest surprise: Andretti

This is Andretti’s home E-Prix so the team will be wanting to make a very strong performance here which I think they can do. Maybe a double podium is on the cards, Mueller’s first since joining the American outfit team.

Biggest disappointment: Mahindra

This one is purely a guy feeling. I was choosing between this team and Cupra Kiro but I think Beckmann and Ticktum will do well at Miami…unlike the Mahindra team.  This one is purely vibes as well but I have a feeling they may fall down and struggle to get back up.

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Opinion: F1-75 Achieved its Aim and was Pleasently Surprising Despite a few Questional Moments

When Formula One announced F1-75 as an event to officially start the 2025 season and celebrate 75 years of a pinnacle of Motorsport, the overlying reaction entering the event was….less than positive to say the least. This would be a major shake up in the traditional annual event with teams launching their cars and liveries at their own discretion throughout January and February of that year. However, I went into it with somewhat optimism and an open mind to see what Formula One and the teams could pull off. 

The Headline Event

To officially launch the season, it achieved their target. 10 liveries were officially launched by all 10 teams, the final year of 10 teams being on the grid before Cadillac joins this collective of teams for the 2026 season. 

Going in reverse world constructors championship order from the final results of 2024, Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber started off with a video and illuminated drumsticks which resulted in the overall build up to the reveal being longer than the conversation with drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto who were accompanied by team principal Mattia Binotto. Longer conversations should have been a priority in order to satisfy the die hard formula one fans appeal for the event. 

Revealing next was Atlassian Williams Racing, showcasing their new title sponsor of the Australian software company which gets added onto the front of their team. A very less dragged on presentation from the British team as the team principal James Vowels appeared, revealed the livery and brought the drivers out. Quick, simple, to the point. Lovely. 

VCARB… Oops Visa Cash App Racing Bulls was next with a cheesy video of the team playing on their constant rebrands as they have gone from Toro Rosso to Alpha Tauri to Visa Cash App RB to Visa Cash App Racing Bulls within 7 years. 

Their livery, however, made up for this as the white version of the Red Bull livery from Turkey in 2021 came back from the dead to last for a full season on the sister team. Whenever I look at it, I think it makes the colours pop but it also reminds me of the Formula 2 cars of Hadjar and Marti in 2024 for some reason. I won’t complain. 

The American Team of MoneyGram Haas F1 Team were next with a slightly revised livery in comparison to the 2024 version. My view is that the team are trying to refine and tune this livery to perfection and this one is a step forward.

The enstone team of BWT Alpine F1 Team(rumoured to become HiTech after former HiTech boss Oliver Oakes took over) is one of the most striking liveries on the grid. The DJ used at the beginning has many people, myself included, confused towards the context, however, they are the same person who wrote the beloved F1 theme tune which is…..a fact. The livery really pops, however, with the bright pink and blue. 

The James Bond team of Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team easily had the best introduction. With musicians, Alonso and Stroll walking out to the James Bond theme, it fits the tone perfectly. Granted, even though the overall livery has not changed, the livery is still great, albeit a downgrade from previous years. 

Mercedes AMG PETRONAS F1 Team was next with not the start they wanted with a slow pitstop bringing the headlines compared to it’s unchanged 2024 livery design. The livery is not awful, however, I was expecting many changes, such as a move back to the all silver design. 

Oracle Red Bull Racing followed the Brackley team with a completely unchanged livery. *Shock face* I know it’s for brand purposes but I think many people….well me anyway, would have loved to see the white red bull return for Hona’s final year with the energy drinks team. 

The prancing horse of Scudaria Ferrari HP was up next with a basic but classic reveal. Hamilton and Leclerc revealing it with the livery being, in my opinion, probably my least favourite due to the HP logo. 

The reigning world champions of McLaren were the last to reveal their livery with a completely unchanged one from 2024. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?

Performances:

The musicians performing on the night were…good. Now, I am a BIG Take That fans so it won’t come as a surprise that I thought they were the best with renditions of Rule The World and Greatest Day. I think a song like Shine, however, would have been more appropriate. 

As for Machine Gun Kelly, Martin Brundles best friend, it surprised me how quickly they started with him. He immediately started blasting his guitar which….was expected but unexpected. 

The “half time show” (well, after VCARB) was an interesting performance. One Kane Brown, one microphone, many cameras. Nothing more to say really. Song was good too.

In general, I think it is fair to say that the performances were fillers and a way to attract different audiences which certainly worked. 

The Future Of Formula One

I am a big fan of the ladder to Formula One, startng from F4, making the steps up to the top step so seeing Formula 2, Formula 3 and F1 Academy get its own specific section was great to see as this is ultimately where the future of F1 lies. Every single driver has come up the ranks, whether that being winning the championships like Gabriel Bortoleto and Oscar Piastri have done or showing talent and potential such as Alex Albon, Lando Norris and Liam Lawson. The mention of the FIA was met with….a mixed reaction which was expected but I was not surprised at the amount of negativity surrounding the FIA, especially after the increase of fines due to certain behavior.

Presenters and jokes:

Jack Whitehall is a well known presenter in the UK and Ireland (I am unsure how well he is known across other countries) but I think he handled the situation very well tackling some topics such as the FIA Swearing ban, George Vs Max and their beef as well as daydreaming over Charles Leclerc. 

While some jokes made me cringe such as the one over the rear of a Formula One car and Lando’s comment which Guenther Steiner would have made, the jokes were quite good and not as bad as people set them out to be. 

Final Verdict

The event did what it said on the tin. We got to see cars and liveries and mark the official launch of F1 2025. I can’t help, however, but feel like there was a missed opportunity to make more announcements such as the upcoming season for Drive To Survive, upcoming collaborations and a chance for teams to make announcements. Of course, I understand that this was a one off and the main target was achieved which was the primary goal of this event to start an eagerly anticipated season.

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Formula E Season 11 Round 3 & 4: Jeddah Produces New and Repeat Winners of Season 11

It is safe to say that rounds 3 & 4 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship was one of a kind with records broken and the debut of attack mode.

Round 3

Round 3 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship got underwear at the track of Jeddah with Maximilian Guenther leading the pack away from pole with a chaotic lap 1 esculating ehind the German. Nico Mueller and Antonio Felix Da Costa collided with the German being shot up and ultimately having to DNF. Mitch Evans also collided with champion Pascal Wehrlein and ended up causing a puncture for Wehrlein and his own front wing getting stuck on his tyre and having to pit to fix it.

The piece of Da Costa’s rear wing which came off emerged near the activation zone of attack mode and, with the addition to other carbon fibre scattered across the track, brought out a very brief safety car.

We went racing again on lap 9 which saw Guenther lead from Rowland and De Vries. As laps counted down, overtakes went up including Da Costa on Ticktum nd De Vries passing Barnard for P3.

Pit Boost then opened up for many drivers with Hughes, Barnard and Da Costa all being the first drivers to take pit boost. Ticktum and Mortara followed in their wheel marks, however Ticktum suffered an issue which ultimately compromised his race. Guenther dropped 2 places due to the pit boost and staying out longer while Barnard stayed ahead and actually jumped up by 2 places.

After everyone took their pit boost, Rowland had a big lead over Hughes and Barnard with De Vries managing to make his way up to P2. In the background, however, Guenther was flying his way through the field with the DS Penske German driver managing to pass De Vries for P2 and setting his sights on the race win.

As the race drew to a close, there were 2 major battle going on: De Vries vs Barnard for P3 and Rowland vs Guenther for P1. The latter of those 2 battles emerging victorious with Guenther making a 3rd last corner overtake on Rowland for the win.

Maximilian Guenther led Oliver Rowland from Taylor Barnard for the top 3. Season 7 Champion Nyck De Vries finished P4 with Maserati MSG Racing driver Jake Hughes in P5, Two Time champion Jean-Eric Vergne in P6, Edoardo Mortara in P8, Barnard’s teammate Sam Bird in P8, Antonio Felix Da Costa in P9 with Season 8 champion Stoffell Vandoorne in P10.

JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA – FEBRUARY 14: Race winner Maximilian Gunther of Germany and DS Penske Second placed Oliver Rowland of Great Britain and Nissan Formula E Team Third placed Taylor Barnard of Great Britain and NEOM McLaren Formula E Team on the podium during the Jeddah E-Prix, Round 3 of the 2025 FIA Formula E World Championship at Jeddah Corniche Circuit on February 14, 2025 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Joe Portlock/LAT Images) Image Credit: Formula E Media Bank

Round 4

Round 4 begun with a record sitter: the younger ever Formula E pole sitter of Taylor Barnard. He set the record as 20 years and 259 days old. Before we went racing, we had a delayed start due to the Lola Yamaha Abt of Zane Maloney being out of position. After that was dealt with, we went racing with Barnard managing to stay P1 with Hughes moving up to P2 ahead of Rowland. Da Costa got a HUGE hit from the previous round’s winner of Maximilian Guenther and resulted in both of them retiring from the race.

Battles commenced up and down the grid with Hughes very near the rear wing of Barnard and Ticktum going against De Vries while Di Grassi went for an EXTREMELY early attack mode which saw him overtaking driver after driver and ending up leading the race after Rowland took over the lead from the McLaren of Barnard. Buemi ended up pitting which ultimately ruined his race too. Maloney ended up having 5% more energy than everyone but was over 50 seconds behind the leader. Soon, the leader was Frijns due to his attack mode and Bird later received a 5 time penalty for not following the race director’s instructions. A few brief yellow flags appeared during the race due to pieces of debris. The Jaguar of Mitch Evans had to pit during the race which was a disaster for the debut winner of Season 11.

Barnard managed to go for an overtake for P2 on Hughes and make it stick, however, Hughes was putting a battle on Barnard who had a slide. Hughes then goes for an overtake on Barnard for P2 but gets pushed wide and has to go over the turn 1 run off. Positions remained as they were as Rowland won the E-Prix after being denied win the previous day.

Oliver Rowland led Taylor Barnard with Jake Hughes making a jump up to the podium, his first with the Monaco based team. Season 9 champion Jake Dennis finished P4 to make it al all brit 1-2-3-4. Nick Cassidy scored his first points of the season in P5, Stoffel Vandoorne finished P6, Jean-Eric Vergne in P7, reigning champion Pascal Wehrlein in P8, Cupra Kiro’s Dan Ticktum finished in P9 with Edoardo Mortara finishing the points positions of this double header.

JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA – FEBRUARY 15: Sebastien Buemi of Switzerland driving the (16) Envision Racing Jaguar I-TYPE 7 leads Pascal Wehrlein of Germany driving the (1) TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team Porsche 99X Electric Gen3 during the Jeddah E-Prix, Round 4 of the 2025 FIA Formula E World Championship at Jeddah Corniche Circuit on February 15, 2025 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Mark Sutton/LAT Images) Image Credit: Formula E Media Bank

Writer’s Predictions

Before the weekend began, I (Kieran) attempted to predict the weekend’s results and….they didn’t exactly go to plan. My pole position predictions were Wehrlein and Evans which…wasn’t ideal. I was close for Wehrlein but I wasn’t so for Evans. 

My winner predictions, however, turned out to be a jinx. I predicted an Andretti driver to win round 3 and they both retired from that race. For round 4, I went with Antonio Felix Da Costa and he retired too.

For the podium in round 3, I went with a Cupra Kiro and a Nissan powered car. There were 2 nissan powered cars on the podium but not a singular one. As for Cupra Kiro….I’m sorry Cupra Kiro fans. Round 4 then went worse as there was only stellantis and nissan powered cars on the podium all weekend. 

What did you think of the 2 rounds? Formula E’s World Championship resumes in April with the Miami E-Prix. Let us know on our social media or on the writer’s social media which is linked below! 

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