Formula E’s Ten Most Unforgettable Moments from Season 9!

With Season 9 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship finished, we look back over the past 16 races to determine the ten most unforgettable moments!

Dennis wins first race of Gen3 era

All the way back at the start of the year, Avalanche Andretti’s Jake Dennis kicked off the new era of Formula E with a stunning victory in front of 40,000 ultra-passionate Mexican fans. Dennis delivered an energy management masterclass to kick his season off in the best possible way, and the result was one of just two wins for the British driver throughout the season as he went on to win his first World Championship in Formula E.

Rookie Fenestraz lands first FE pole with fastest-ever lap

In February, Nissan’s Sacha Fenestraz sealed his first Julius Baer Pole Position for the inaugural Cape Town E-Prix and set Formula E’s fastest-ever lap in the process. Fenestraz beat the time of Maserati MSG Racing’s Maximilian Guenther by over four tenths of-a-second to set a stunning time of 1m07.848s – the fastest lap of the day and with an average speed of 154.987km/h, the fastest lap in Formula E history. Fenestraz was unable to capitalise on his first ever pole, however, as he failed to finish and had to settle for just three points for the pole position and a place in the record books.

Sam Bird takes out his teammate

There are fine margins in Formula E and sometimes drivers do come into contact with each other, but the worst possible scenario is crashing into your own teammate. Unfortuantely for Jaguar’s Sam Bird, that is exactly what happened in the first round of the Jakarta double-header, when the Brit tapped the rear of Mitch Evans’ car, sending the championship contender into a spin and into the barriers, eventually forcing him to retire. It was the second time the Brit has broken the golden rule of racing – never hit your teammate – as he made the same mistake in Hyderabad when misjudging his entry into ATTACK MODE earlier this year!

Formula E touches down in India

There were a number of new venues and locations this year for Formula E’s most expansive season yet, and one of the most vibrant destinations on the calendar was Hyderabad, India! Driver’s had to battle intense conditions throughout a challenging weekend and it was DS Penske’s Jean-Éric Vergne that came out on top, claiming his one and only win of the season! The race also delivered a boost to the local economy as well, with a report conducted by Nielsen Sports Analysis finding an $83.7 million uplift to the Hyderabad economy as a result of Formula E’s Indian debut!

Guenther flies to consecutive Poles in Jakarta

After waiting 60 races to get his first Julius Baer Pole Position, Maximilian Guenther  of Maserati MSG Racing managed to secure two back-to-back after another dominant performance during the Gulavit Jakarta E-Prix qualifying. Guenther was on fire all morning, topping every single timed session and carrying his Round 10 form into Round 11. Guenther would go on to secure a third-place finish on the Saturday before claiming Maserati’s first victory in Formula E on the Sunday.

Cassidy leads the way after Monaco victory

As the fight for the World Championship got into full swing, Envision’s Nick Cassidy laid down a signal of intent with a storming drive from ninth on the grid to win the Monaco E-Prix. Arguably one of the tightest and most challenging circuits on the calendar, Cassidy surged through the order to eventually claim his spot out in front and also at the top of the Drivers’ Standings. The victory gave Cassidy a 21-point advantage over Wehrlein, with Dennis and Evans further back, but the Kiwi couldn’t hold onto his spot and eventually finished second behind Jake Dennis.

Jaguar takes maiden Formula E one-two in Berlin

Jaguar TCS Racing played a blinder with their race strategy to seal a Mitch Evans, Sam Bird one-two in a beautifully chaotic SABIC Berlin E-Prix Round 7 that saw 190 overtakes and a record 20 at-the-line lead changes and eight different race leaders. The one-two in Berlin followed a one-two-three for the Jaguar powertrain in São Paulo, as Mitch Evans led home Envision’s Nick Cassidy and teammate Sam Bird, with the trio just half a second apart!

Huge crash on the streets of Rome

In a race which saw Mitch Evans end the curse of not being able to win from the Julius Baer Pole Position in Rome, another story dominated. On lap 10, a high-speed crash wiped out several drivers, all of which were unhurt in the multi-car shunt. The start of the incident was initiated by the Jaguar of Sam Bird, who lost control of the rear of his car out of the rapid Turn 6. Bird was stranded in a vulnerable position, when Envision Racing’s Sebastien Buemi made contact with the back of his car, which launched Buemi up and into the wall at an angle before he landed back down. In the chaos, several cars all clipped their cars on that of Buemi or Bird. Seconds later, the Maserati MSG Racing of Edoardo Mortara hit into the side of Bird and understandably the race was immediately red flagged. After the 45 minute red flag period, only 13 drivers were able to continue in the scorching Italian heat before taking to the restart and finishing the full race distance.

Dennis wins his first Formula E World Championship

After a season of twists and turns, it was Avalanche Andretti’s Jake Dennis that claimed the Season 9 World Championship following a dramatic opening race of the London E-Prix double-header. With Cassidy leading the grid, Jake Dennis needed a six-point swing to clinch his first Formula E title, but disaster struck for Cassidy when damage to his front wing forced him to retire from the race. With Cassidy out, Dennis only needed a third-place finish, and despite two red flags throughout the latter stages of the race, Dennis kept his nerve to bring the title home, becoming the first British Formula E World Champion.

Cassidy’s title heartbreak causes epic outburst

As the Kiwi pulled into the pit lane and retired from the race in London, the title was all but confirmed for Jake Dennis. It was delight for Dennis but despair for Cassidy, who vented his frustration to his engineers over the team radio, claiming: “You know what the funniest thing is, man? I didn’t even need to give up the lead; I could have stayed in the lead and won this race. I tried to do the right thing for the team. I did the right thing for the team because that’s what I’ve done all year.” The broadcasting cameras followed Cassidy into the garage and he couldn’t keep his cool, asking them for space. Shortly after, the cameras peered round the corner into the Envision technical area to find Cassidy berating his team, and once he had realised he was being filmed once again, the Kiwi stormed over and ordered the cameras away. Tensions were high, but Cassidy kept his cool the next day, claiming the final race win of the season, although it was ultimately too little too late.