Formula E is considered by many to be the most competitive grid in motorsport.
That’s why so many drivers from categories around the world want to take part, and why some of the drivers who have reached the pinnacle of motorsport in F1 will be joining the series.
Here are six current Formula E drivers who have previously driven in F1, courtesy of Mirror.
Read more: What is Formula E? Calendar, top speed, London race, tickets, TV channels
Read more: “I was dismissed as a driver by the F1 academy – I made a mistake when I was 15 and I’m still stuck with it.”
sebastian buemi
Swiss star Buemi has had an impressive career in top-level motorsport. He won his FE title in 2016, becoming his second champion of the series, and in the famous Le Mans 24 Hours race he has won three times.
Sadly, his F1 career was short-lived. Although he competed in 55 races for Toro Rosso between 2009 and 2011, he never joined the main Red Bull team. He currently races in Formula E with defending constructors’ champion Envision Racing.
Nick de Vries
The most recent entry into F1 on this list, de Vries is also a past FE champion. He won the title in 2021, but it was his famous one-off appearance for Williams the following year that helped him secure a race seat at AlphaTauri last year.
Sadly, the Dutchman struggled and was replaced after just 10 races. ‘Quick Nick’ returns to FE with a point to prove, but his workday will be split between driving for the unfancied Mahindra Racing team.
Lucas di Grassi
Of everyone on this list, only de Vries has less F1 experience than di Grassi. The Brazilian racer competed in just one season for Virgin in 2010, competing in 18 races.
Although his F1 career did not go as planned, he continued to race in FE since the series’ inception, winning the first-ever championship race in 2014 and taking the title in 2017. That success came when his team drove ABT Sportsline in partnership with Audi Sport. This year he returns to the team in his current form, his ABT and his Cupra.
Stoffel Vandoorne
Vandoorne, the 2022 FE champion, has now won back-to-back titles with Mercedes EQ, following teammate De Vries’ win last season. He joined DS Penske last year after Mercedes withdrew from the sport, but had a difficult year as the new team struggled.
The Belgian, who drove 42 F1 races for McLaren between 2016 and 2018 and is currently a reserve for Aston Martin, will continue to drive for DS Penske this year, this time with a more competitive I want to drive the machine.
Jean-Eric Vergne
Yes, I’m the FE Champion again!
In fact, Frenchman Vergne is the only driver in the series’ admittedly short history to win the title twice, successfully defending his 2018 crown the following year. F1 fans will remember the 33-year-old from his 58 starts for Toro Rosso. He is the driver with the most F1 experience on this list.
Like Buemi, he too failed to get the chance to step up to Red Bull and turned to the Electric Championship. He is Vandoorne’s teammate at DS Penske and, like the Belgian, wants to drive a faster car this season.
Pascal Wehrlein
Wehrlein is the only one on this list who hasn’t yet won an FE title, but he’s still a top-notch racer. He started his F1 career with Manor in 2016 as a former Mercedes junior, scoring the only points in the team’s history.
The following year he moved to Sauber, but after just one season he was replaced by Charles Leclerc and that was the end of his F1 journey. Wehrlein is currently preparing for his fourth FE season.
After losing the championship to Dennis last year, he hopes to return with Porsche, where he is expected to fight for the title.