Yesterday we began our rundown of the Top 25 Formula E Drivers from seasons one to five by naming Tom Dillmann, Maro Engel, Alex Lynn, Oliver Rowland and Maxi Günther in our ranking, occupying positions 25 through to 21.
We climb a little further up the grid today by tackling positions 20 through to 16 and as always, please let us know on our social channels if you agree or disagree!
20. Nico Prost
45 races for Renault, 304 points, 5 podiums, 3 poles, 3 wins
Given the disappointing end to his Formula E career, it’s easily forgotten that only four drivers in the championship’s history have won more races than Prost. Entering the series with a name weighing even heavier on him than that of Daniel Abt, Prost’s achievements were mostly overshadowed by his father’s presence in the team he raced 45 times for.
Nevertheless, despite losing his seat at the end of season four, Prost still possesses the sixth-highest points-per-race average (6.8) of any driver and he undeniably left his mark on the championship, both with his on-track achievements and the extraordinary success of his partnership with Sebastien Buemi – with whom he secured three consecutive Formula E teams’ titles for Renault e.dams.
19. Stéphane Sarrazin
37 races for Venturi, Techeetah & Andretti, 128 points, 3 podiums
Consistency is frequently extolled in Formula E as a key to success, and Sarrazin’s consistent streak is one for the record books. The seasoned French racer scored points in every race in season two while driving for Venturi, one of two drivers to have achieved this in the history of the championship (the other being Jean-Eric Vergne in season three).
While it took some time for him to get up to speed with a new team, his move to Techeetah in season four as a replacement for Esteban Gutierrez eventually paid off, and soon Sarrazin found his way back to the podium with two third-place finishes. In lieu of a full season seat the following year, Sarrazin parachuted in for one final swansong replacing Tom Blomqvist for the final four races at Andretti.
18. Andre Lotterer
25 races for Techeetah, 150 points, 4 podiums, 1 pole
A less than auspicious start for Lotterer soon came good when with a bit of patience and nurturing from team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne, he played his part in the first one-two finish for a team in Formula E history in Santiago just four races into his rookie season.
His partnership (and much-publicized bromance) with Vergne proved fruitful for the former Le Mans winner, gaining confidence through diligent simulator work and capitalizing on the Frenchman’s knowledge of the series. Consistency followed with a string of top 10 finishes, powering Techeetah to second place in the teams’ championship in season four.
The German made up for being one of the heavier drivers on the grid with the right combination of qualifying speed and a bellicose driving style. More podiums followed in season five and he came within a second of beating Mitch Evans to the flag in Rome but that elusive first Formula E win continues to evade him.
17. Edoardo Mortara
22 races for Venturi, 81 points, 3 podiums, 1 win
Venturi’s sole race-winner to date, Mortara made an astonishing debut in Formula E by almost winning in only his second Formula E race but for an overcooked spin while trying to take the fastest lap late on. His subsequent tearfulness in the press conference showed how seriously the opportunity was being taken by a man whose incredible Macau record had failed to land him a regular single-seater drive prior to his arrival in Formula E.
Mortara made up for it by claiming a somewhat fortuitous win (following Daniel Abt’s disqualification) during a chaotic Hong Kong E-Prix at the beginning of last season, but the man with the bluest eyes in the Formula E paddock struggled to build on that highpoint and his performances were significantly marred by a relentless string of retirements in the second half of season five.
Now in his third year – and with Venturi supplied with a Mercedes powertrain – he has a good opportunity to improve on last year’s two podiums.
16. Alexander Sims
13 races for BMW, 57 points, 1 podium, 1 pole position
One of the more reserved personalities on the Formula E grid, Sims if definitely a driver who prefers to do his talking on the track.
Sims had a tough job going up against his vastly more experienced friend and team-mate Antonio Felix da Costa during his rookie season with the BMW i Andretti team, but he showed some strong pace in the opening rounds to hint at his long-term potential.
A clumsy incident with da Costa cost him a near-certain podium in Marrakesh and his progress thereafter slowed when a string of unfortunate retirements him pointless between the Mexico City E-Prix in February and the Monaco E-Prix in May.
Sims deserves massive credit though for turning his season around and he ended it with a flourish, scoring a hatful of points at the season finale in New York including a first pole position and podium finish.
Note: The race statistics shown for each driver featured in this article are based on seasons one to five, and do not include any races from the current season (2019/20)…
Our rankings so far…
25. Tom DILLMANN
24. Maro ENGEL
23. Alex LYNN
22. Oliver ROWLAND
21. Maxi GÜNTHER
20. Nico PROST
19. Stéphane SARRAZIN
18. Andre LOTTERER
17. Edoardo MORTARA
16. Alexander SIMS
Keep your eyes peels for part three of our top 25 formula e drivers feature tomorrow…
