The 2022 Formula E season ended in mid-August – so long ago that pre-season testing for next year’s championship is now just days away. But despite the unusual calendar, it is a fitting time to look back at a season which saw some standout performances as drivers grappled with the end of the Gen2 era.
A renewed qualifying format did its intended job of generating a more representative championship battle at the front, rather than leaving more than ten drivers vying for the crown at the last round. In the second year of a double homologation for powertrains, it was still Jaguar and Mercedes-powered cars at the front of the field.
Stoffel Vandoorne and Mitch Evans’ title rivalry was refreshingly respectful – unsurprisingly give the friendship between the two – and ran until the end of the final race, the two pushing each other to the chequered flag. The teams’ championship was equally fierce, with Venturi not letting their powertrain supplier Mercedes run away with the title. What might look like straightforward dominance from Mercedes, taking both championships for the past two years, was anything but.
10 – Antonio Felix da Costa – Techeetah
A final season at DS Techeetah was a little anonymous for Antonio Felix da Costa. The car, homologated for the past two seasons, was never as dominant as its two predecessors – a mid-season powertrain swap last year leaving the team scrabbling for answers. But Da Costa still took a win in the second New York round and poles in Marrakech and the final Seoul race.
Quick though he obviously was over a single lap, the Seoul round summarised what Da Costa was up against, as the Mercedes-powered Venturi of Edoardo Mortara passed him easily, early in the race. Da Costa also didn’t quite seem to be able to find the performance team mate Jean-Eric Vergne could, this season, often finding himself bogged into the volatile midfield.
9 – Lucas di Grassi – Venturi
Lucas di Grassi has held a lot of records over the course of his Formula E career. This year, the one he comes away with is being the last remaining driver to have competed in every single round of Formula E – quite literally a participation trophy. However, impressive as it is, it’s a record he’s unlikely to particularly treasure.
Di Grassi was forced to switch teams for the 2022 season, the first time he had ever driven in Formula E outside of the ABT-Audi squad….
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