Season-on-season Formula E continues to deliver and Season 8 was no exception. In a year that saw the series reach a milestone of 100 races and bid farewell to the Gen2 era; here's eight reasons why Season 8 was another classic that will go down in the history books.
1. Four-way title fight
It wouldn't be Formula E if we didn't have a title fight running down to the very final race. This year it was a four-horse race for a the bulk of the season with Stoffel Vandoorne swapping the standings lead with Edoardo Mortara and Jean-Eric Vergne, with Mitch Evans closing the gap to the top trio.
Vandoorne's year can be summed up with the word: consistency. The Belgian only scored one victory with Mortara and Evans both scoring four apiece. The important factor was that when his rivals faltered, the Belgian was racking up the points in every race - bar one when he was spun off the track at the Foro Sol section back in Mexico City.
Evans did his best to keep the title fight alive, after dominating by taking two victories in the Rome double-header. More wins were to follow in Jakarta and then in the penultimate race in Seoul to keep the battle going to the very end. Vandoorne kept it smooth and cool, crossing the line in second in the final race in Seoul to take top honours in Season 8.
2. Mercedes-EQ's victorious farewell tour
Mercedes-EQ went big for their 16-stop farewell tour in Formula E, as the marque heads away from the series for now with McLaren set to assume its operations. Nyck de Vries kicked off their title defence in winning style, leading Vandoorne for a 1-2 finish under the lights in Diriyah.
This set the ball in motion with wins, podiums and more for Vandoorne and de Vries, putting the legendary German marque in a prime position to continue their dominance. The strength of the powertrain was demonstrated by both the silver factory outfit but also with the customer ROKiT Venturi Racing outfit - half of the races in Season 8 were won with the Silver Arrow 02.
Mercedes took its second Teams' title in the series and in succession, by a 24-point margin. Collecting double digit points in all but one race in the season, that consistency was the key to their success the second time around.
The squad will be around a different guise next season, changing their colour palette to papaya as NEOM McLaren Racing take over the outfit for the Gen3 era.
3. David versus the Goliaths
In the four years that has marked the Gen2 era, only two teams have gone on to claim the top honours in the Teams' World Championship with DS TECHEETAH and then Mercedes-EQ, as above, the latter wrapped up back-to-back titles this season, but ROKiT Venturi Racing put in their all to push the Silver Arrows all the way in 2022.
Growing from mid-pack player and potential podiums to expected winners and championship contenders in three short seasons has been a great story to follow. This year ended with the Monegasque outfit in second, surrounded by three factory run outfits and only bested by the powertrain supplier.
Experienced minds and race-winning hands have propelled them to success, and there's no surprise why Maserati have partnered with them for Season 9.
4. Duelling for pole position
New for Season 8 was an all-new qualifying format to shake up the action on a race day, and it was a winner.
To begin with the all-new format splits the field into two groups with the top for of these then progressing to the Duel stages. Here it all goes down to a one-shot lap for the teams and drivers to showcase their speed and skill to pull a fast time out of the bag and fire themselves to pole
It brought edge-of-your-seat action as the face-offs saw two drivers out on the track with the lead car setting the benchmark and the second chasing them around each sector. We saw equal times set, drivers pipped by thousandths, flying lap heroics and some true tense moments. Bring on some more of that in 2023 please.
5. Exciting new locations and capacity crowds
The Season 8 calendar saw some usual suspects across the 16 rounds, we were excited to return to Mexico City and see the packed Foro Sol, there was another trip around the legendary full Monaco circuit and some familiar sights racing with the Manhattan skyline for company in New York City.
But on top of this there were two new race destinations as we ventured across the globe to visit Jakarta, Indonesia and Seoul, South Korea.
The inaugural Jakarta E-Prix was an exciting affair, under sweltering conditions the Formula E drivers put on a thrilling display for the passionate and welcoming fans. This track delivered some great racing with passing aplenty - bring on the next one, or make that two as we're returning for a double-header in 2023.
Then Seoul hosted the season finale double-header with a stunning circuit that skirted around the compound that hosted 1988 Seoul Olympics. It was a fitting location for the finale with the pack racing in and around the stadium.
We welcomed the return to capacity crowds this season, too, and it was truly a great sight to see and hear. The packed Foro Sol brought goosebumps hearing the chants in support of the drivers as they jostled for position in the stadium, then we brought the all-electric racing festival to Indonesia and seeing the smiles brought to the faces of new fans was a reminder of why we do this.
And then there was London, we witnessed why Formula E fans are so special, with cheers and support from the front to the back of the pack. Jake Dennis (Avalanche Andretti) had the biggest roars from the home crowd as he lead the 22 drivers through the grandstands, but there was also encouragement for Mortara after the ROKiT Venturi Racing driver was forced to pit with a broken car and work with his up from the back of the pack. We love you all, and can't wait to see you in the grandstands again next season.
6. A season of record breakers
In a record-breaking 16-round calendar there were some impressive accolades achieved in a historic season as Formula E marched towards its 100th race.
In a statement of Vandoorne's consistency, the Belgian stood on the rostrum an incredible eight times, his 2022 trophy collection setting a new record for the most podium visits in a season.
To add Vandoorne's point scoring prowess was steadfast, only dropping one pointless finish in his whole campaign. A result of his reliability, the new champion clocked up the most points scored within a season. Testament to his title winning performance.
Lucas di Grassi is Mr Formula E - with his name featuring heavily in the record books and etched alongside even more accolades this year. With his victory in the second race in London, the Brazilian notched his 13th victory to equal Sebastien Buemi at the top. It was fitting that in Formula E's season-finale in Seoul, di Grassi surpassed 1,000 points scored and followed that up with becoming the first driver to start 100 races.
In the qualifying record books, Jean-Eric Vergne demonstrated his one-lap strength this year as the Frenchman stormed to a record-breaking 15th pole position in Jakarta to become the all-time best qualifier.
7. Rising talent
We're seeing a new generation rise in Formula E with a host of stars coming to the fore this season.
Jake Dennis' second season kicked off the year with a podium in Diriyah's double-header in the dark.There were also top finishes at the bookend of 2022 with a clean sweep of poles in London alongside a return to the top step at his home race. The Brit then closed out the season with third place in Seoul. With a shift to Porsche power in 2023, Dennis will be one to watch in his third season in Formula E.
There was another sophomore who impressed in Season 9. Up until NYC, Nick Cassidy was an unassuming driver for most of 2022 but arrived at a circuit that suited him from his rookie campaign. He was rapid in qualifying and picked up a debut win in Formula E - albeit after crashing out of the red-flagged wet race.
Another star is Sergio Sette Camara. A favourite for his one-lap heroics and all-out driving style, the Brazilian driver was forever the thorn in the side of the frontrunners as he knocked some big names out of the group stages in qualifying to book his place into the Duels. Unfortunately these efforts would be plagued with misfortune in the race but they would finally pay dividends with two points in London.
Season 9 will see more additions to the grid, we've already got race-winner Norman Nato and rookie Sacha Fenestraz confirmed at Nissan and Rene Rast returning for McLaren. It's set to be another stacked grid of talented runners.
8. The introduction of Gen3
The covers were pulled off the Gen3 race car this season, the future of all-electric high-performance motorsport was unveiled by Formula E and the FIA in Monaco.
The futuristic machine will take to the city streets and is a balance between performance, efficiency and sustainability - created specifically for the wheel-to-wheel street racing.
Developed by engineers and sustainability experts at the FIA and Formula E, the Gen3 is designed to show the world that high performance and sustainability can powerfully co-exist without compromise, the Gen3 pioneers cutting-edge technologies that will make the transfer from race to road.