Formula E is back in Red Hook, Brooklyn for two 45 minutes plus one lap races around the challenging street circuit around the ferry terminal.
Last time we were here, Jean-Eric Vergne wrote his name into the history books becoming Formula E's first two-time and back-to-back champion - lifting his championship trophy high into the air in an almost imitation of the State of Liberty raising her torch in the background.
PREVIEW: Everything you need to know ahead of the ABB New York City E-Prix
A lot has happened since that weekend in 2019, but let's cast our minds back and look at some top performers from past races in New York City and some drivers who could be stars in Brooklyn.
For the win
After an absence of just over 120 years, motor racing returned to the streets of New York City in 2017 as Formula E made its inaugural visit to Red Hook in Brooklyn.
That first trip saw Sam Bird steal the headlines taking both legs of the double-header; the Brit becoming the second and the last driver to accomplish this feat. After taking his first victory with Jaguar Racing, could another be on the cards this weekend?
IMAGE ID: /nyc-2017-sam-bird IMAGE CAPTION: /Sam Bird is joined by Richard Branson as the Virgin squad celebrated their success in NYC back in 2017
Robin Frijns (Envision Virgin Racing) left that thrilling Monaco race as Drivers' title leader, but a difficult set of races in Puebla dropped the Dutchman one place back to second. His rise to the top of the standings was through consistency and solid point scoring positions, Frijns' last win was over a season ago after he closed out the 2018/19 season with a win right here in NYC.
Sharing the victories with Frijns in New York City that season was Sebastien Buemi. Much like the aforementioned Dutchman, Buemi is also without a win since Season 5, however the Nissan e.dams driver has been a shadow of the leading man he played a few seasons ago, sitting 22nd down in the standings. But NYC has been good to the Swiss driver, on top of his victory he has three podium finishes here, the most of anyone.
Top qualifiers
Sticking with Buemi, the Swiss driver has been imperious in qualifying for the New York City E-Prix. Since missing the first edition of the E-Prix, he has taken the subsequent four Julius Baer Pole Positions, and started third on the grid for the one race he didn’t take pole.
Alexander Sims (Mahindra Racing) will be one to watch in qualifying. The Brit flew to a debut pole in the final race of the 2018/19 season, this started a hat-trick of poles that continued at Diriyah at the start of last season. He'll have a favourable group in NYC this year, with plenty of rubber laid down for his flier.
One man who has been unafraid to attack the track no matter the grip levels is Oliver Rowland. In Puebla the Nissan e.dams driver featured in both Super Pole sessions, making it four visits to the pole shootout this season. Maximilian Guether (BMW i Andretti Motorsport) has featured in Super Pole on more occasions with five appearances, but Rowland has had the best average grid position and the most top ten starts in 2020/21.
Fast laps
Rene Rast has succeeded in making Jack Nicholl's title of 'Rastest lap' honours stick in Season 7, after the Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler driver scooped up both of the TAG Heuer Fastest Lap bonus points last time out in Puebla. The German is one of the top choices in Predictor this season, picking up three fastest laps and being the highest grid climber in two races.
The fastest lap is anyone's guess this season, Rast has mastered it in the most races, but other than the rapid Audi man it's been a different driver in each E-Prix. This weekend the stars may align for Buemi to end his winless streak, but even more notable the Nissan driver hasn't had a fastest lap in 51 races - the longest drought for any driver in the series.
After his two podium visits, including a long awaited win in Puebla, Edoardo Mortara (ROKiT Venturi Racing) is riding on a high.The Swiss-Italian is a renowned street circuit specialist, even picking up the moniker Mr Macau for his 10 wins around the iconic Guia Circuit. Let's see what he can do as we move back to the city streets in NYC.
Wildcards
On his Formula E debut in the 2017 New York City E-Prix, Alex Lynn stunned with a maiden pole position after being drafted in by Virgin. The Brit retired from both races, but he will get another chance with Mahindra Racing this weekend. Lynn registered his first podium finish with second place in the dry at Valencia, can he go one better in Brooklyn?
The early championship leader, Nyck de Vries (Mercedes-EQ) has dropped down from the top of the standings. But with the top 12 all covered by 25 points and the Dutchman the only driver to take two victories this season, all it could take is one solid weekend to jump right back to the top. Who knows, it could be fate for De Vries to find success here, after all the first three letters of his first name are NYC...
TAG Heuer Porsche and Pascal Wehrlein may have left Puebla without any silverware, despite taking victory in Round 8. But the German outfit has a lot to take away from this loss, heading to New York City with the knowledge that they have the pace to win.