The signs that point to another season of electric chaos

The 2019-20 Formula E season might have only visited two cities so far, but its one quarter mark is not far off.

After two races in Ad Diriyah and one in Santiago, BMW Andretti sits at the top of the teams' championship - thanks to its two races wins respectively from Alexander Sims and Maximillian Guenther. This is pretty uncharted territory for the team, which has been in FE since the start and became the works BMW squad after four seasons.

BMW got off to a winning start in 2018-19, with Antonio Felix da Costa - now of DS Techeetah - victorious at the first attempt in Riyadh. But from there, although both da Costa and Sims showed rapid form at times, a combination of bad luck, the championship order qualifying groups and that crash in Marrakech (when Sims and da Costa crashed into each other while first and second) cost the team momentum.

This time, though, it's converted sparkling speed from testing to two victories in the first three races. While Sims's Riyadh race two drive was all about managing a constantly interrupted race - something he did very impressively - Guenther's come-from-behind triumph last weekend in Santiago really showed BMW has produced a strong package.

It's certainly too early to say if it is the class of the field, but there's no doubt it can get the job done - judging by Guenther prevailing in the scorching temperatures in the Chilean capital while others wilted.

"You win Riyadh two years in a row, and then [it could be] nothing," says team boss Roger Griffiths. "So I was like: 'We've got to back it up'.

"We were strong in Valencia two years in a row, we were strong in Riyadh two years in a row - and then the Marrakech situation happened last year. But for us it was it was super important to demonstrate that we have a competitive package on different tracks for both drivers - that it wasn't just one driver that was out there scoring points.

Had Evans not overconsumed when faced with no energy readings on his dash in the early laps, he might have been able to resist his challengers

"The mood right now is very positive. The team is super well connected together - just the way the team has gelled has been great this season and everybody's pulling hard and everybody's hungry for success."

Another squad that can be feeling pleased with its results so far is one that isn't exactly familiar with underperforming. Mercedes might still be waiting for its first FE win, but it sits just four points behind BMW in the teams' championship, and Stoffel Vandoorne leads the drivers' equivalent by three points over Sims.

Although its highlights so far are only a pair of podiums from the season opener, at least one Mercedes car has moved up the order in every race so far. And had it not been for his battery coolant being chilled just a little bit too much, Nyck de Vries would have kept Mercedes' podium streak alive in Santiago. Mercedes first stab at an FE powertrain clearly works.

Behind the two German giants comes Envision Virgin Racing which, despite a scrappy weekend in Santiago - Robin Frijns's 250kW full spin through the first two corners, barely avoiding the barriers was, bizarrely, surely one of the team's highlights - remains well in the hunt.

Sam Bird recovered from an early spin - triggered by Oliver Rowland launching into Daniel Abt - and further clashes in the pack, but felt his pace was seriously strong. Good enough, he felt, to win had he not been in the wars. This slickly-operated team always does well when the temperatures rise - a true test of FE machinery, which must also encourage Audi.

The 2017-18 teams' champion may not have so far hit the heights to which it has become accustomed in previous FE seasons, but the package - which the team feels remains one of the most efficient on the grid - is clearly strong.

Lucas di Grassi has provided silverware already with second in the second Riyadh race (boosted by Guenther's post-race penalty), and his rise from 22nd to seventh last time out - aided by a fairly high attrition rate, it must be said - was impressive nevertheless.

Jaguar can be very encouraged by Mitch Evans's pole in Santiago, and while it will be disappointed to have lost out on the win after leading most of the first half of the race, there are reasons for encouragement. Had Evans not overconsumed when faced with no energy readings on his dash in the early laps, he might have been able to resist his challengers.

Remarkably, given it has been the class of the last two seasons, its only now that we arrive at DS Techeetah, which is sixth in the standings, 35 behind BMW. But watching Jean-Eric Vergne and da Costa surge up the order in the second half of the Santiago race showed the team's strength has not disappeared. However, if it hopes to win a third consecutive drivers' championship - and retain its teams' prize - it must find a way to escape the chaos of the pack.

Dragon Racing and NIO 333 once again bring up the rear of the field - no surprises there - but there's one team that is really yet to show what it can do

Vergne staged a strong comeback last season, but two retirements allied to one eighth place (which was boosted by post-race penalties in the second Riyadh event) mean it's already starting to look as if the tale of his season will be one of a struggle to hold back the winds of change.

Harder to read are the strengths of Porsche, Mahindra Racing and Venturi Racing.

While Andre Lotterer gave Porsche a dream debut podium, it hasn't scored a point since. Still, he made solid progress in the second Riyadh race before being demoted for a safety car overtaking infraction, so there is clearly something in the technology Weissach has produced. Both Mahindra and Venturi have shown promise, but they've not followed through with standout results just yet.

Dragon Racing and NIO 333 once again bring up the rear of the field - no surprises there - but there's one team that is really yet to show what it can do.

Nissan e.dams produced something of a miracle to switch from its controversial twin-motor powertrain down to a single-motor approach in time for testing and the start of the campaign, but it is yet to sparkle in the manner befitting a four-title team (Buemi's 2015-16 triumph and its three teams' successes in 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17).

Oliver Rowland's persistence to grab good points in Riyadh offers some encouragement, and Sebastien Buemi has had reliability issues and a crash. But Buemi's lack of progress from a decent starting spot in Santiago was faintly alarming.

But here's the thing. Buemi's second place finish in the 2018-19 championship demonstrated that nobody is ever really out of contention in FE's Gen2 era - a point emphasised again by Sims's Santiago dramas not dropping him out of the top spots in the championship. Which, ultimately, is where you want to be heading to each race.

One bad result does not equal disaster, so there's plenty of reasons to suggest FE could be in for another unpredictable season - particularly if the Vergne/DS Techeetah supremacy act takes a while to get together.