New teams, transfers… what will the Formula E grid look like in 2023?

Barely season 8 of the Formula E finished, that eyes are already fixed on next year. In 2023, Formula E will experience a new evolution, with the introduction of Gen3. Single-seaters that are more powerful, faster and lighter than those of Gen2, used between 2018 and 2022. 

If Formula E is going to experience an upheaval at the level of the cars, it will also be the case at the level of the crews. The 2023 grid will be very different from the one we have just experienced, with the coronation of Stoffel Vandoorne. And for good reason: between the numerous transfers and the arrival of two new manufacturers (McLaren and Maserati), everything should change for season 9. AUTOhebdo takes stock of the known team compositions for 2023.

• Neom-McLaren (ex-Mercedes): Hughes will support Rast

This will be the attraction of season 9 in Formula E: the arrival of the legendary manufacturer McLaren in the electric championship. After buying the stable Mercedes, reigning double world champion, the British firm is entering a 4th world-class championship, after the F1,IndyCar and the Extreme E. Powered by Nissan, McLaren was the last team to reveal its drivers for 2023.

The first seat was taken René Rast, ex-Audi driver and who will also race under the BMW banner in Endurance. For the 2nd seat, it is finally the former resident of Formula 2 Jake Hughes who will occupy it.

ALSO READ > René Rast first driver confirmed by McLaren

• Maserati (ex-Venturi): Mortara remains, Günther as reinforcement

Maserati will also make its return to competition car, more than 60 years after leaving Formula 1, replacing Venturi. The Trident brand, very ambitious for its first participation, will try to play the two titles with Eduardo Mortara. Coming 3rd in the 2022 championship, the Swiss remains within the ex-Venturi structure for the 6th season in a row.

For the second seat, Maserati would have liked to recover Nyck de Vries, world champion in 2021… but the latter finally joined Alpha Tauri in Formula 1 for 2023. It was ultimately Maximilian Günther who landed within the Italian team. The German has found a nice base after his difficult season with Nissan in 2022. The youngest winner in Formula E will accompany Mortara in the quest for world titles.

ALSO READ > Maserati reveals its driver duo for its arrival in Formula E

• DS Penske: Vandoorne, the champion changes sides

For the DS brand, 2023 will mark a new stage. Ended the (successful) partnership with Techeetah, now time for cooperation with the Penske team. The American team will join forces with the French manufacturer to seek a title. Jean-Éric Vergne will remain in the DS fold and is joined by Stoffel Vandoorne, the 2022 world champion. The Belgian will find refuge at DS after the departure of Mercedes from the FE. 

ALSO READ > Stoffel Vandoorne joins Jean-Éric Vergne at DS Penske

• Jaguar: stability above all

After a great 2022 season, Jaguar would like to go even higher for the arrival of Gen3. For this, the British brand is banking on stability by renewing its two drivers, vice-champion Mitch Evans and Sam Bird.

• Envision: Buemi as reinforcement

For the Envision team, 2023 marks the transition to Jaguar engines, after having used Audi power units for a long time. If Nick Cassidy is going to stay, Sébastien Buemi will join the British team after spending his entire career in FE with e.Dams. The 2016 champion has been with the French team since the beginning of the competition in 2014. He will replace Robin Frijns, who is leaving for the new ABT team.

ALSO READ > Sébastien Buemi formalized at Envision

• Porsche: the WEC in the back of my mind

At Porsche, we are preparing to lose one of its emblematic figures in Formula E. André Lotterer will not continue the adventure and will move to Andretti, in addition to devoting himself to the arrival of the brand in LMDh. To replace him, the German firm has secured the services of Antonio Félix da Costa, champion of season 6 of FE and also driver for Jota Sport in WEC. The Jota team which, moreover, will operate LMDh Porsches next season… For the second seat, Porsche will retain Pascal Wehrlein despite an up and down season.

ALSO READ > Jota Sport, the new customer of the Porsche 963 LMDh in WEC

• Andretti: Lotterer for experience

Andretti showed his ambitions at the dawn of Gen3: to win the Formula E world championship. Michael Andretti's team changed everything, or almost: new power unit with Porsche and new driver with André Lotterer. The German, emblematic figure of the Stuttgart brand, will continue the Formula E adventure while driving and the LMDh of the Baden-Württemberg manufacturer. In the other seat, Jake Dennis was kept for another year to experience his 3rd season within the American structure.

ALSO READ > André Lotterer signs with Andretti for 2023

• Mahindra: a new adventure for Di Grassi 

Mahindra already has its driver duo formalized for 2023. Along with Oliver Rowland, Lucas di Grassi will join the Indian team after his experience with Venturi. The season 3 champion will therefore have a third team in Formula E, he who was the first driver to pass the 1000 points mark in the championship at the end of Race 1 in Seoul.

ALSO READ > Mahindra secures the services of Lucas di Grassi

• Nissan: French duo for Gen3!

Exit Buemi and Günther, Nissan will be adorned with blue, white and red in 2023! For the transition to Gen3 in Formula E, the Japanese team will be represented by two French drivers. Sacha Fenestraz, current 2nd in the Super Formula championship in Japan, will participate in his first full season in the electric category. Norman Nato arrives from Jaguar, who already took part in the 2021 season with Venturi, and will wear the colors of the Yokohama brand in 2023.

ALSO READ > Nissan unveils its 2023 line-up, with Norman Nato and Sacha Fenestraz

• NIO 333: Sette Câmara arrives

Sergio Sette Câmara needed fresh air. The Brazilian driver leaves the Dragon Penske team in Formula E, whom he had worked with for three seasons, for the Chinese formation NIO in 2023. A little surprise, while the line-up for the 2022 season, composed of Dan Ticktum and Oliver Turvey, was well on its way to being kept for the transition to Gen3.

The mad dog of promotional formulas, Dan Ticktum, has found a place to establish himself in Formula E. After a first campaign with the NIO 333 formation marked by a 10th place on the streets of Rome in 2022, the double winner of the Grand Prix ​​de Macao kept his seat in FE for the 2022-23 season.

ALSO READ > Sette Câmara transferred to NIO

• Team ABT: Frijns and Müller back home

For the return of the ABT name after a year of absence, the German team has placed two “in-house” drivers. Robin Frijns should join the team from Envision, while Nico Müller, official Audi driver, would be well on his way to returning to Formula E. The two drivers know each other well since they were teammates between 2018 and 2020 at ABT in the German touring championship, the DTM. The duo will be on board the new Gen3 powered next season by a Mahindra unit.

The summary table of the 2023 Formula E grid:

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