The top 10 Formula E drivers of 2021-22

The 2021-22 campaign felt like the season where Formula E finally came of age as a racing category. The gratuitous randomness in results, thankfully, had been erased by the new qualifying system that crafted the key storylines of the season with a much more cohesive plot. Sure, the ending was a bit of a foregone conclusion, but the potential for a late-season twist at least existed in the finale’s permutations.

It was also a fine way to hand the venerable Gen2 machinery its swansong before being put out to pasture. The hyperactive 2020-21 season had thrown about 18 drivers into title contention by the Berlin finale, while 2021-22 made do with just four protagonists battling fiercely throughout the year. Unadulterated chaos might be some racing fans’ cup of tea, and we’re not here to judge, but most appreciate a proper title scrap – and the quartet of Stoffel Vandoorne, Mitch Evans, Edoardo Mortara and Jean-Eric Vergne were excellent in their starring roles.

The overall pecking order wasn’t too estranged from last year’s, however, as the two-season homologation of powertrains and other ancillary components preserved Mercedes’ baked-in advantage from last year prior to its departure from Formula E. But that hardly stopped the likes of Jaguar and DS Techeetah giving it a good run for its money, while the likes of Envision and Andretti – with powertrains sourced from the already-departed Audi and BMW – still had a crack.

And, let’s not forget Porsche’s absolute dominance of the round in Mexico City either. The Stuttgart manufacturer had the race so tightly wrapped around its little finger, that Pascal Wehrlein could stretch the race to an extra lap and throw the rest of the field into power-save modes.

But you’re not here for a recap of the season – you're here for our completely unqualified rankings of the top 10 drivers across the 2021-22 championship. Honourable mentions go to reigning champion Nyck de Vries, who slipped out of the top 10 after an inconsistent title defence, and Andre Lotterer - whose early omnipresence in the qualifying duels could not quite yield a long-overdue first Formula E win. Sorry chaps, but if it was a top 12...

10. Nick Cassidy

Cassidy just gets the nod ahead of de Vries for final top-10 spot

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Championship position: 11th
2020-21 driver ranking: N/C

A coin-flip with de Vries, but Cassidy just makes the cut ahead. While de Vries had the best machinery on the grid, New Zealander Cassidy had to contend with an Envision-run car that was no longer receiving works support. Difficult qualifying sessions in the early part of the season prompted strong recovery drives but, as ever, the tight midfield battles would often leave Cassidy the worse for wear and stunted his early points haul. Rome’s second race, for example, was typical of that; Cassidy started 18th but had worked his way through the pack (and a series of incidents for others) to get up to seventh. But a clash with Sam Bird late on ended the hopes for more.

Cassidy also struggled with a new engineering team in the opening half of the year, and further points finishes were denied by a Mexico City gamble on attack mode strategy – which didn’t pay off - and a hefty battery penalty in Berlin. With six races left, Cassidy had just 16 points, but the turnaround from New York onwards was exemplary.

In truth, Cassidy could have won both NYC races. Whether or not the Saturday race should have been restarted after the sudden downpour, which put Cassidy, Lucas di Grassi and Stoffel Vandoorne into the wall, the Kiwi had been assured in the lead. And, without Sunday’s penalty for a battery change, Cassidy would have likely been on for a repeat given the pace he showed throughout the second race. That, plus his strong showings in London and Seoul, just gets him ahead of de Vries.

9. Pascal Wehrlein

Wehrlein was masterful in Mexico but struggled to reach those heights again

Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images

Championship position: 10th
2020-21 driver ranking: N/C

It was a season that promised so much in the early stages, but Wehrlein’s campaign rather petered out somewhat as the Porsche rather lost momentum after his retirement from the lead in Monaco.

Wehrlein led Porsche’s rout in Mexico to claim his first Formula E win, which was a masterclass in management; although the German had pole, he sensibly elected not to fight Edoardo Mortara too hard in the early phase and graciously conceded the lead. But, with Porsche running to a target of 40 laps, and the rest running to 39, Wehrlein was able to get back ahead and exert his influence on the race. But that was as good as it got.

The potential Monaco win was denied by a faulty DCDC converter, which left the previously potent #94 car limply trickling through the streets. After that, Porsche rarely looked like doing the same again, and was too often in the lower reaches of the points despite promising flashes of pace throughout the year.

8. Robin Frijns

Difficult middle part of the season was costly for Frijns

Photo by: Alastair Staley / Motorsport Images

Championship position: 7th
2020-21 driver ranking: 6th

A consistent podium finisher in the opening flurry of rounds, Frijns was the fifth Beatle in the early championship stakes, with a second-place finish in Diriyah’s second race and back-to-back podiums in Rome. Fourth in Monaco hinted at Frijns having the pace in his Envision machinery to enjoy a consistent run through the year, but it simply didn’t translate into a difficult middle part of the season.

Instead, Frijns’ campaign hit a speedbump at Berlin as he struggled with changes to the braking system. Abject races at Jakarta and Marrakech ended his hopes of creating a five-way title battle, as the Envision package was difficult to manage in the hot conditions. But New York showed the team’s return to form, and Frijns might argue that it was he who should have won race one instead of Cassidy.

Regardless, despite an upturn in results in the final six races, Frijns was unable to stop his slide to seventh in the drivers’ championship – albeit tied with Lucas di Grassi and Jake Dennis ahead.

7. Lucas di Grassi

Di Grassi battled a change in team to finish with a flourish

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images

Championship position: 5th
2020-21 driver ranking: 8th

Had to get to grips with his Venturi move for 2021-22, but a podium from the opening weekend was a strong start. Regardless, in a year where his key rivals all had experience of their own cars, di Grassi argued that it was the most difficult year to make the switch to a new team – and he’s probably right.

Clumsiness in the early races hit di Grassi’s points haul, as he made contact with Vandoorne in Mexico, and endured a somewhat scruffy run in Rome. His Monaco clash with Venturi team-mate Mortara meant that the team had to extinguish a few fires internally – but this did not stop the Brazilian’s progression with the Mercedes powertrain and systems.

He was on top of the car by the end of the year, with his crash-and-podium in New York preceding victory in London. There, di Grassi denied Jake Dennis a double London win and helped the Monegasque squad with a very real shot at the teams’ title, while becoming Formula E’s first centurion in the Seoul finale. Despite finishing only 11th in that race, having picked up a puncture into the first corner, di Grassi’s improved form in the second half of the season underlined that, 100 races in, he’s still got it.

6. Antonio Felix da Costa

Qualifying form held da Costa back

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images

Championship position: 8th
2020-21 driver ranking: 4th

Overall, da Costa struggled for race pace relative to his impressive qualifying form throughout the season. Statistically the best qualifier with the highest average grid position of the year, da Costa seemed allergic to the podium until Marrakech, where his season finally turned around.

Da Costa’s start to the year was miserable, with no points from Diriyah after a first-corner clash with rookie Dan Ticktum in the opening race. Performances improved thereafter, but the 2019-20 champion was not quite able to get onto level terms with Techeetah team-mate Vergne and spoke of tiny details contriving to keep him away from a rostrum visit.

The hoodoo finally ended in Marrakech with pole, but was unable to see off Mortara and had to be content for second, although da Costa had admitted that a second title had already slipped away at that stage.

Victory in New York showed the Portuguese at his imperious best, although his subsequent dive into the harbour was perhaps not the most sanitary way to celebrate! A consistent force in the points, da Costa will be a huge asset for Porsche as he moves to the German squad for next season.

5. Jake Dennis

Dennis impressed as Andretti battled on without BMW's support

Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images

Championship position: 6th
2020-21 driver ranking: 3rd

With BMW’s departure, Dennis no longer had a manufacturer underpinning his and Andretti’s efforts, but the lofty Briton was still able to pick up his form from last year. Third at the Diriyah opener suggested that Andretti had not lost too much relative to its competitors, but the team began to struggle as the other squads made software advances that it could not match sans-manufacturer.

Andretti’s biggest bugbear was energy management on the faster circuits, although Dennis was still able to rescue 10th from Mexico. No points from Rome despite two impressive qualifying results exemplified the American team’s weaknesses, but Dennis was able to rally and kickstart a streak of eight points finishes from Jakarta and beyond.

London, of course, was the high-water mark. A win from pole in the first race showed Dennis at his best, as he dazzled the home fans to become a two-time London E-Prix winner. Pole for race two suggested a double was in the offing, but di Grassi proved too fast to overcome. His continued excellent form at Seoul ended with a podium, despite a penalty for a clash with da Costa, and Andretti has done well to keep him on board and away from the advances of other entities on the grid.

4. Jean-Eric Vergne

Vergne impressively stayed in the title mix

Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images

Championship position: 4th
2020-21 driver ranking: N/C

The form man at the start of the year, early consistency made Vergne a very real contender for a third Formula E title. A third place at Mexico put the Frenchman in contention, and second places at Rome, Berlin and Jakarta thrust Vergne kept him in the picture. But, crucially, a win continued to elude him.

A mix-up with the team over battery management arguably cost him a chance of a victory at the Indonesian round, and the lack of a top-step visit eventually came to punish “JEV”. Miserable New York and London events whittled away at his hopes, and scoring no points in either of those four races put him all but mathematically out of the running.

Vergne arrived in Seoul needing every single point available and for Vandoorne not to score, but that ultimately proved to be far beyond the realms of reality. Regardless, his early consistency kept him in the title fight until the final weekend – and that deserves credit.

3. Edoardo Mortara

Mortara's season was filled with highs and lows

Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images

Championship position: 3rd
2020-21 driver ranking: 7th

When leading from the front, Mortara was a master of managing a race, and would usually work his way to the top if qualifying was strong. The driver with a record wait for a Formula E pole, Mortara’s chance of deposing Wehrlein from the front of the Mexican grid ended with a spectacular slide out of the final corner. Finally, his patience was rewarded in Berlin at the 52nd attempt – and, like the old British proverb about London buses, he claimed pole for the second race at the Tempelhof too.

Having missed out on the 2020-21 title by seven points, Mortara was aiming to go one better in 2021-22 – and grabbed a first win of the season in Diriyah’s second race. After adding to his points tally in Mexico and Rome’s opener, the second race in the Eternal City ended with a broken driveshaft after contact, while Monaco concluded in retirement after he and Venturi team-mate di Grassi came to blows.

Mortara hit back in thrilling fashion in Berlin, and battled valiantly against Evans and Vergne for victory in Jakarta before winning in Morocco. But New York was iffy, and London was a disaster – and those two rounds took him from the top of the championship and killed his title ambitions. Phenomenal when qualifying went well but, when it didn’t, the Swiss was often worse off in the close-quarters battles through the field.

2. Mitch Evans

Evans refused to give up on his title dreams

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images

Championship position: 2nd
2020-21 driver ranking: 1st

Evans was tied for wins with Mortara, took the championship to the final round with arguably a marginally lesser car than Vandoorne’s Mercedes, and consistently showed excellent racecraft. In any other season, it’d probably be enough to take him to the #1 spot – but Evans’s season was simply lacking completion owing to his qualifying results.

On the weekends where Jaguar had strong pace, Evans could be devastatingly lethal, as evinced by his domination in Rome. The Kiwi’s other two wins in Jakarta and Seoul were also excellent, both from third on the grid, but his weaker weekends cost him relative to new champion Vandoorne, particularly in the opening three races at Diriyah and Mexico.

The most impressive part of Evans’s game was his unwillingness to give up on the title, particularly as his heartbreaking retirement in London would have knocked the wind out of any mere mortal’s sails. That he could hit back with that triumph in Seoul and keep the title alive until the final race was testament to his class. If Jaguar can build a strong Gen3 package, you’d bet that Evans will get everything he can out of it.

1. Stoffel Vandoorne

Impressive consistency was key to Vandoorne's title charge

Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images

Championship position: 1st
2020-21 driver ranking: 7th

That the Belgian only needed to win one race to take the title underlined his ubiquity among the top 10. A paragon of consistency, Vandoorne recognised how to minimise the damage on the lesser weekends to metronomically add to his growing points tally – no mean feat in Formula E.

There are distinct parallels to how Will Power won his IndyCar title. Both men claimed just one win but treated the rest of the season as an opportunity to gather up points, and avoid the allure of taking unnecessary risks to win at all costs. Could Vandoorne have tried to go for victories in New York and London instead of settling for second? Sure, but one mistake in either scenario could have turned a certain 18 points into a non-score tinged with regret.

Building a championship sometimes requires a driver to sacrifice a headline result for the certainty of points, or, as Vandoorne himself opined, “I turned up and I didn't want to leave anything on the table, nothing, and that's what I did all season. I gave it all and controlled it when I had to control.”

Equally, Vandoorne’s title was built on digging deep on the worse days and salvaging something from them. In the first of the two Berlin races, for example, Vandoorne had a miserable start and dropped to 12th. But through a series of carefully calculated moves and getting his attack mode strategy right, he completed the race in third. “Those moments, they made the championship,” Vandoorne assessed after the Seoul finale.

PLUS: The trait Vandoorne rediscovered to claim Formula E's era-ending title

Vandoorne’s season was a masterclass in how to win a championship in an evenly matched arena, and that gives him the top ranking in our books – surely, more desirable than a world title...

Vandoorne celebrates being chosen as number one in Autosport's ratings

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images