The problems laid bare by Mercedes' impending Formula E departure

Mercedes' planned withdrawal from Formula E at the end of the 2022 season will contribute to the big hole left by fellow automotive manufacturers Audi and BMW on their departures. Although the team may stick around under a different guise, the exit of the now-reigning teams' champion underlines FE's current issues...

Matt Kew Aug 18, 2021, 9:56 AM

Upd: Aug 22, 2021, 6:17 PM

Formula E’s survival is not dependent on any one manufacturer or team. But the doomsday clock has undeniably ticked closer to midnight after the Daimler boardroom finally decided in the last two weeks that Mercedes should quit the series at the end of the 2022 season.

Last weekend’s Berlin E-Prix, when Nyck de Vries took Mercedes to a drivers’ and teams’ title double, also marked the final outings for BMW and Audi. Yet losing the Three-Pointed Star from the grid feels like a more punishing blow. Not only is it the most high-profile marque on the grid but, at the time of the decision, the board opted for the exit door after fewer than two complete seasons in Formula E, a championship which will come to define a significant chunk of the legacy of its key architect and outgoing FIA president Jean Todt.

Share Or Save This Story

Author Matt Kew

Matt Kew is Autosport’s F1 Editor, a role he has held since March 2022 following stints covering Formula E, Extreme E and the British Touring Car Championship.

Matt joined Autosport in 2018 to work predominantly on the magazine, but his relentless quoting of Alan Partridge meant office colleagues soon thought he would be better-suited to increased field work.

Needless to say, Matt had the last laugh when he won the Motorsport UK Young Journalist of the Year Award in 2019.

His interest in motorsport was sparked by regular trips to watch ASCAR crash around Rockingham’s banked oval.

Matt read politics and philosophy at the University of Sheffield - receiving first-class honours for his dissertation assessing the lack of female participation in top-tier motor racing.

He covered a wide variety of national race and rally meetings for Autosport as a freelancer before joining full-time. His best efforts to argue the merits of historic racing are undone by a questionable taste in music and James Bond actors.