Jack Nicholls' Season 7 preview: 'Formula E’s unpredictability is the only predictable thing about it'

Seventy-seven months ago, I was in a hotel in Beijing – ranked 27^th of 6,164 hotels in the Chinese capital city. I have to say that rating felt generous, but my main memory of sitting in that hotel room was simply having no idea what was about to unfold at the first ever Formula E race.

The world is a different place now. Electric car sales have eight times the market share they had in 2014, a global pandemic has changed how we live and perceive our lives, and Formula E has firmly established itself at the top end of international motorsport – as an FIA World Championship, no less. Yet something remains the same; for the seventh year in a row, I am sitting in a hotel room with no idea what is about to unfold at the first Formula E race of the season.

Having said I have no idea what's about to happen, I am of course willing to make some educated guesses, otherwise this piece wouldn’t really have been worth your attention. As far as the basics are concerned, there are no major changes to the format of the action: 45-minute plus one lap races around iconic city streets, ATTACK MODE strategy and FANBOOST voting will all still play their part. The championship-ordered qualifying groups are back too, meaning those at the top of the standings have the toughest task to get a good grid slot.

WAYS TO WATCH: Where and how to watch every minute of Season 7

The added variable in Saudi Arabia is going to be Formula E’s first ever night race. It won’t be the first time Formula E cars have been driven in the dark - some of the teams have been known to strap lights to their cars to maximise running in testing, and who could forget the freezing cold dark morning tests in Marrakesh. A full-on race underneath the floodlights, though, will be an entirely new experience for the series. Not only will the action look spectacular, but there will be a host of new challenges for the teams to contend with, in particular the dropping temperatures throughout qualifying and the race which will really reward those who get it right.

Who'll be at the sharp end?

Antonio Felix da Costa (DS TECHEETAH) was the stand out driver last season - bold claim, I know. Season 6 was make or break season for Da Costa. The Portuguese pedaller has always shown flashes of brilliance, but he was beaten over the course of Season 3 by Robin Frijns (Envision Virgin Racing) when they were teammates, and wilted somewhat as the team leader of BMW i Andretti Motorsport in Season 5.

If he was comfortably bested by teammate Jean-Eric Vergne at DS TECHEETAH, his reputation as a real top line racer could have been in jeopardy. But he wasn’t. In fact, he beat the double reigning champion to the crown by a record margin.

To be clear, Vergne is a class act. When I watched Season 6 back during lockdown - I do love the sound of my own voice - I was reminded of just how unlucky the Frenchman was, especially over the first half of the season, so there is no doubt that DS TECHEETAH remain the team to beat, and is home to the drivers to beat heading into this campaign.

READ MORE: Why Diriyah's set to dazzle in Season 7

Formula E’s unpredictability is the only predictable thing about it. That’s why I’ve spent 15 minutes trying to decide who to write about next. After another five minutes deliberation, my decision is Nissan e.dams. They're an understated team. Sebastien Buemi and Oliver Rowland are not your most flamboyant of racing drivers, and we haven’t yet had the chance to learn much about Nissan’s new Director of Global Motorsports Tommaso Volpe, but the team and brand have impeccable pedigree.

In Season 5, Nissan took six of 13 pole positions before their innovative dual-motor powertrain was outlawed, so last season became a process of recovery. We also won’t be able to fully judge them until we get to Rome in April, as they are one of three teams, alongside DS TECHEETAH and DRAGON / PENSKE AUTOSPORT, running last year’s powertrain for the opening double header. Our 2015/16 champion Sebastien Buemi won 12 races in the first three seasons of Formula E, but only once in the last three campaigns. Despite that, I feel the outfit have to be among the favourites for titles this year.

Then we have the obvious contenders. Stoffel Vandoorne in the Mercedes-EQ is a fearsome foe, illustrated by his lights to flag victory in the final race of last season to secure second in the standings. The Silver Arrows’ mighty, historic rivals at TAG Heuer Porsche have an all-German line-up this year, with Pascal Wehrlein joining Andre Lotterer, and another German brand, BMW i Andretti Motorsport, have a rookie in Jake Dennis joining Season 6’s breakout star Maximilian Guenther.

Speaking of huge brands, Jaguar Racing love a big name signing, don’t they? First, they nabbed Season 1 champion Nelson Piquet Jr. a few years back, and now they’ve caught their prey in convincing Sam Bird to fly the nest from Envision Virgin Racing. So, they’ll be looking to soar to the top of the standings, helped they hope by a strong performance in Diryah in a bid to catch the worm and good points early on this season. Mitch Evans will be convinced that he too can play at that game, and will be a championship contender if the car’s underneath him with his credentials clear to see through the first half of Season 6.

Will it be Alexander the Great or Alex the Great at Mahindra Racing, as Sims and Lynn join the team who have a brand-new powertrain built by ZF? Sergio Sette Camara excited in his six races in Berlin at the end of last year with DRAGON, Norman Nato gets his shot at ROKiT Venturi Racing and NIO 333 will hope to revive their fortunes with new running gear.

Finally, Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler. Last year was the low point in their long Formula E history. Both they and 2016/17 champion Lucas di Grassi finished outside of the top three in the standings for the first time, winding up down in sixth place, but this year is the first time Audi have designed and built their own complete powertrain and there are some really positive noises coming out of Ingolstadt.

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If it is indeed the beast it has the potential to be, this could bring four cars in to the equation. Not only di Grassi and his new teammate Rene Rast, but also the Envision Virgin Racing pairing of Robin Frijns and rookie Nick Cassidy, who use customer Audi powertrains. The outfit actually beat Audi in the Teams’ Championship last year.

So, those are my thoughts on what’s set to be a storming season. There’s just something indescribable inside of me that fancies Nissan e.dams for the title. The chances of me being right are incredibly slim, as we are heading into the most competitive season of Formula E ever, by all accounts. If it does come to fruition, though, expect multiple references back to this paragraph in my Season 8 preview, which will be written in a yet to be decided hotel in a location to be confirmed...

I will leave you with my Formula E Predictor tips for Round 1 in Diriyah. Make sure you play along here, and get your family, friends and colleagues involved in a league. Who doesn't want Formula E bragging rights, and a chance of winning some once-in-a-lifetime prizes?

Winner: Lucas di Grassi (Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler)

Julius Baer Pole Position: Jake Dennis (BMW i Andretti Motorsport)

TAG Heuer Fastest Lap: Sam Bird (Jaguar Racing)

First to use ATTACK MODE: Norman Nato (ROKiT Venturi Racing)

Highest Grid Climber: Lucas di Grassi (Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler)