Formula E – The teams and drivers of the 2014-2015 season

After discovering [the discipline and its calendar](https://formule-e-presentation-de-la-discipline-et-du-calendrier-2014-2015.html), we invite you to discover its main players, the teams, and their drivers.

On this level, the Formula E grid is relatively original compared to other disciplines involving single-seaters: of course, the so-called lower categories often aim to serve as stepping stones for young talents and do not have the same promotion as this championship which is, just like F1, WRC, or Endurance, an FIA-recognized category.

However, it must be noted that the discipline has managed to attract big names: thus, thirteen out of twenty drivers have already competed in a Grand Prix in Formula 1, and a large majority have had the opportunity to drive in an F1. Most of them have also had experience in Endurance racing, notably at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Even more so, some of them are truly reliable figures in global motorsport, like the “veterans” such as Jarno Trulli, Nick Heidfeld, and Stéphane Sarrazin, as well as younger drivers like Sébastian Buemi or Lucas di Grassi.

Amlin Aguri (Japan)

Takuma Sato / Antonio Félix da Costa #55

Translate: Katherine Legge #77

Aguri is, of course, not an unknown name in the world of motorsport: indeed, Aguri Suzuki was the first Japanese driver to stand on an F1 podium, during the 1990 Japanese GP. Later, in the 2000s, he even founded his own Formula 1 team – Super Aguri – which competed from 2006 to early 2008 on the F1 grid, scoring a total of 4 points. For his entry into Formula E, he partnered with Amlin, a global insurance company that notably sponsors the European Rugby Challenge.

Regarding seats, while Formula 1 is in search of a female driver, Formula E will welcome two, the first being Katherine Legge (34 years old). The Briton conducted private tests in 2005 with the Minardi F1 Team and has spent the majority of her career in the United States in Champ Car and IndyCar, interspersed with a stint in DTM. She is expected to have Antonio Félix da Costa (23 years old) as her teammate: the young Portuguese is a test driver for Red Bull Racing in F1. After several years in lower categories (Formula Renault 3.5), he participates in the DTM championship. Moreover, due to commitments with BMW, he will at least give up his place in Beijing to Japanese driver Takuma Sato, who had raced for Super Aguri in F1 notably.

Andretti Autosport (USA)

Franck Montagny #27

Translate: Charles Pic #28

Directed by Michael Andretti – son of the 1978 F1 world champion Mario Andretti –, himself a former driver in the premier category for McLaren, the American team has taken on the electric challenge. Its boss can boast a track record as long as your arm in single-seaters across the Atlantic: four titles in IndyCar, two titles in Indy Lights, and three victories in the 500 miles of Indianapolis, where the team is based.

These are two former French Formula 1 drivers who will be in the seats of Andretti Autosport. Consultant for Canal+ on F1 Grand Prix, Franck Montagny (36 years old) will discover the Formula E championship after having experienced the premier discipline as a test driver with Renault and then as a main driver in 2006 – 7 GPs for Super Aguri – he notably raced at Le Mans with Peugeot but also in IndyCar with… Andretti! The other driver is none other than Charles Pic (24 years old), an F1 driver for Marussia in 2012, Caterham in 2013, and currently the third driver for the Lotus team.

Audi Sport ABT (Germany)

Lucas di Grassi #11

Translate: Daniel Abt #66

Five titles in DTM, that’s the impressive record of the ABT team, founded by Johann Abt, which continues in single-seaters after stints in Formel ADAC and Formula 3. Just as in German touring, where ABT is its factory team, Audi will lend its name to the structure engaged in the electric world championship.

At the wheel of the cars will be Lucas di Grassi (30 years old), a Brazilian driver who participated in the 2010 F1 season driving a Virgin, then joined Audi’s Endurance program in 2012, participating in the last two editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He was also a test driver for Pirelli in 2011 and for Formula E in 2012-2013. His teammate will be Daniel Abt (21 years old), the son of team principal Hans-Jurgen Abt, who is currently finishing his second season in GP2 after finishing 2nd in GP3 in 2012.

China Racing (China)

Nelson Piquet #88

Ho-Pin Tung #99

This is not the first experience in single-seaters for the structure that participated in the 2004 A1GP championship, with the authorization of the Chinese Minister of Sports. Subsequently, the team developed and competed in Superleague Formula and FIA GT1. Led by Steven Lu and Yu Liu, the team will be managed by Adrian Campos, owner of a GP2 team.

Another former F1 driver behind the wheel, as Nelson Piquet Jr. (29 years old) has been hired by the Chinese team for this first season. From his one and a half year stint in Formula 1 with Renault, only the scandal of the Singapore Grand Prix 2008 Crashgate remains. However, the Brazilian had secured a podium in 2008 in Germany. After F1, he turned to NASCAR in the United States. He will have as a teammate the Chinese driver Ho-Pin Tung (31 years old), a former test driver at Renault F1 Team in 2009, who participated in Le Mans in 2013.

Dragon Racing (USA)

Oriol Servià #6

Jérôme d’Ambrosio #7

The American structure founded in 2006 and led by Jay Penske – son of the famous Roger Penske, an iconic figure in motorsport in the United States – is not new to single-seaters since it raced in the Indianapolis 500 from 2007 and from 2009, it was entered full-time in the IndyCar championship. In /f1/actualite/18519-formule-e-presentation-de-la-discipline-et-du-calendrier-2014-2015.html, it fielded Sebastian Saavedra and Sébastien Bourdais.

Like almost all Formula E teams, Dragon will rely this season on a former Formula 1 driver, Belgian Jérôme d’Ambrosio (28 years old), who raced for Virgin in 2011 and for Lotus during the Italian GP in 2012. Oriol Servià (40 years old) will be the other driver of the team: the Spaniard has spent almost his entire career in the United States, starting in Indy Lights before discovering Champ Car in 2000 – finishing as runner-up in 2005 – and then IndyCar in 2008.

e.dams Renault (France)

Translate: Nicolas Prost #8

Translate: Sébastien Buemi #9

The only French team in the discipline, e.dams is the brainchild of Jean-Paul Driot, founder of team Dams present in GP2 and Formula Renault 3.5 (revealing among others Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen), and Alain Prost, four-time Formula 1 world champion. The two men have teamed up and received support from Renault.

On the drivers’ side, we find Nicolas Prost (33 years old), who learned his craft in lower categories such as Formula 3 or Formula 3000 in single-seaters but is now specialized in Endurance racing. He was also a test driver for Lotus F1 in 2013. His teammate, Sébastien Buemi (25 years old), has completed three seasons of Formula 1 with the Toro Rosso team. After leaving in 2011, the Swiss driver became a test driver for Red Bull and, in parallel, joined Toyota’s Endurance program.

Mahindra Racing (India)

Karun Chandhok #5

Translate: Bruno Senna #21

President of a multinational company specializing in the development and production of electric vehicles – Mahindra Reva Company – which is valued at 16.2 billion dollars and employs over 180,000 people worldwide, Indian businessman Anand Mahindra ventured into Formula E after creating his team in the Moto3 category of the World Motorcycle Championship.

The team will welcome an Indian driver, Karun Chandhok (30 years old), a former F1 driver with HRT during the 2010 season (10 GPs) and Team Lotus as a test driver for the 2011 season. In 2012, he joined the World Endurance Championship with JRM. At Mahindra, he will reunite with one of his teammates from Formula 1 at HRT, Bruno Senna (30 years old), who also drove for Renault and Williams. His best result is a 6th place in 2012. In 2013, he joined Endurance with Aston Martin.

Trulli Formula E Team (Switzerland)

Jarno Trulli #10

Translate: Michela Cerruti #18

Registered at the last minute, the team based in Switzerland was founded by the former F1 Grand Prix winner Jarno Trulli (40 years old). The former Prost, Renault, or Toyota driver competed in 256 races in the premier category during his career and has since transitioned into a businessman in fields like wine and real estate. His goal, by participating as an owner-driver, is to help develop a technology for wireless charging of electric vehicles, which he hopes to implement as early as the second season when Formula E is no longer a single-make series.

The team will have a 100% Italian duo as Trulli Team will field the other woman in the discipline, Michela Cerruti (27 years old), currently 6th in the Auto GP championship. Jarno Trulli does not hesitate to praise her: he considers her a rising young star with a great scope for improvement.

Venturi (Monaco)

Nick Heidfeld #23

Stéphane Sarrazin #30

Based in Monaco, the Venturi team was born from the association between the French car manufacturer Venturi Automobiles—exclusively focused on electric vehicles since 2000, notably holding the speed record (495 km/h) for an electric car—and American actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who is very involved in environmental issues. The team has already announced that it will build its own vehicle for the 2015-2016 season, basing its powertrain on the 3000-horsepower Venturi VBB-3, which will attempt to reach the 700 km/h record in 2015.

Two experienced drivers have been chosen by the team: Nick Heidfeld (37 years old), who has a rich career in F1 where he drove for Prost, Sauber, Jordan, and Williams, securing 13 podiums. He later turned to Endurance racing. His teammate will be Stéphane Sarrazin (38 years old), a versatile driver who has experienced WRC, Formula 1 (1 GP), but who made his mark mainly in Endurance, with Peugeot or Toyota.

Virgin Racing (United Kingdom)

Sam Bird #2

Jaime Alguersuari #3

Directed by Alex Tai, involved in several projects for the Virgin company – founded by Richard Branson – in the fields of aviation, space, or car racing, the British team aims to continue engaging in innovative projects, and Formula E fits well into that. It also returns to single-seater racing after Virgin Racing’s brief stint in F1 in 2010 and 2011, which became Marussia.

Another well-known F1 driver will race for the British team, Jaime Alguersuari (24 years old), a former Toro Rosso driver from 2009 to 2011, where he was a teammate of Sébastien Buemi. He will team up with Sam Bird (27 years old), who finished 3rd in the Formula Renault 3.5 in 2012 and 2nd in the GP2 series in 2013, and was a former test driver at Mercedes.

Photo credits:

– FIA / Formula E

– Audi Sport ABT