A South African’s guide to Season 10 of Formula E

The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is already well underway, with the first two weekends of racing having already taken place in Mexico City and Diriyah, Saudi Arabia in the past month. Following a controversial call not to renew the Cape Town E-Prix, also voted the best race of the season, here is a quick recap ahead of the Sao Paulo event in Brazil in March.

Who are the title contenders?

Returning champion Jake Dennis will look to defend his title and become only the second driver in Formula E, after Jean-Eric Vergne, to win the title in back-to-back seasons. Dennis claimed his first Formula E title in front of his home crowd in London and set a Formula E record for the most podiums (11) in a season during his title success.

Dennis will be closely chased by several drivers, including Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team driver Pascal Wehrlein. Wehrlein and Dennis traded first and second place on the standings for much of last season, and the German driver will no doubt be looking to keep hold of first place until the end of this season, come 2023/24. His title offence has begun on a strong note, as the Porsche driver stormed to victory in the opening race of the season.

Related: The Hummer EV is Coming to South Africa But There is a Catch

One should also not discount the Jaguar TCS Racing pairing of Nick Cassidy and Mitch Evans, who finished second and third respectively in Season 9. Cassidy is a new arrival at Jaguar and is fresh off the back of leading Envision Racing to their first team championship in Season 9. Both drivers will be in the hunt for their first driver’s title and in the process will look to claim Jaguar’s first-ever Formula E team’s championship. Jaguar narrowly missed out on the Season 9 team’s championship to Envision Racing by only 12 points and will be hoping Cassidy can help them go one step further this season.

Are Any South Africans involved?

When Formula E visited the Mother City in February 2023, the talk of the town was undoubtedly South African driver Kelvin van der Linde. Van der Linde was set to race for ABT Cupra after filling in for the injured Robin Frijns but could not race due to mechanical issues. While Van der Linde doesn’t have a permanent seat in Formula E for Season 10, he is still the ABT Cupra reserve driver. Therefore, if one of Lucas di Grassi or Nico Müller is unable to race, the Johannesburg-born driver would temporarily return to the grid.

Staying on the Van der Linde front, there might also be some potential to see Kelvin’s younger brother, Sheldon behind the wheel of a Formula E car in 2024. Sheldon, who is three years younger than Kelvin, tested with Jaguar during the rookie test in Berlin, a free practice session in Rome, and the Season 10 pre-season rookie test.

Related: Major European Political Party Wants to Revise 2035 ICE Ban

One South African who is part of the moving circuits is Jaguar team principal James Barclay. Barclay was born in Kyalami in Johannesburg and joined Jaguar in 2013 as global head of sponsorship and brand partnerships and quickly rose through the ranks to his current position. He was promoted to team principal in 2015 when Jaguar joined Formula E.

You can catch all the Season 10 Formula E racing action on Supersport channel 215. Free practice sessions and race highlights are also available on the Formula E YouTube Channel and the official Formula E app.