Formula E pre-season testing returned to Valencia after a year away and gave hosts Andrew van de Burgt and Sam Smith several headaches during the traditional guessing game of who might be favourites for the coming season.

Was there any kind of hierarchy forming? What are the chances of Oliver Rowland going back-to-back? And just where does Stoffel Vandoorne fit in to the Gen4 driver market?

These are just some of the questions that are tackled in the latest episode of The Race Formula E podcast, which sees Smith getting trackside at Valencia where he was especially impressed by one manufacturer.

The second women’s test is also picked over, as are several listeners' questions as our team discuss Jacques Villeneuve’s questionable Formula E legacy, Felipe Massa’s poor choice in picking fights, and why a Chinese manufacturer is yet to be seen in recent Formula E action.

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A slightly different episode of The Race Formula E podcast takes an intriguing flight of fancy as hosts Andrew van de Burgt and Sam Smith detail their fantasy calendars for the world’s only all-electric world championship.

Two very special New Year events are included in a sensational couple of calendars that will have the Formula E accountants sweating just at the thought of them.

In addition to this fun interlude, we also hear from new Jaguar TCS Racing driver Antonio Felix da Costa, who gives his first interview since being announced alongside Mitch Evans at the Big Cat.

Da Costa speaks about his renewed hope to add a second drivers title and also speaks openly about his own reputation as a heart on sleeve racer.

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The top three teams – Nissan, Jaguar and Porsche are analysed as the big three manufacturers went wheel-to-wheel across an action-packed season.

Van de Burgt and Smith continue their report with Allan McNish as the big questions such as ‘will Porsche be satisfied with winning two titles despite winning just a single race’ are asked.

The surprise package of Mahindra is discussed ahead of McNish joinig Smith and van de Burgt by choosing his top five drivers of the season. That comes in addition to a re-visit of the season predictions which were made ahead of the campaign beginning last December, which a particularly smug van de Burgt was keen to emphasise.

The surreal mess of Maserati MSG’s collapsed takeover is dipped in to, as is the increasingly frosty relationship between Porsche pairing Antonio Felix da Costa and Pascal Wehrlein, something which is also directly put to Porsche Formula E boss Florian Modlinger who joins Smith for an exclusive chat.

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In the first of a special two-part review of the 2024-25 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship season, host Andrew van de Burgt and regular paddock insider Sam Smith are joined by FE TV commentator and former Audi team boss Allan McNish.

They go through the teams one by one to appraise and pick apart their performances with special emphasis on collective performance and who punched above their collective weights and who hit the canvas during the 16 races.

The overall change in racing with the advent of All-Wheel-Drive, new Hankook rubber and the much heralded Pit Boost is also discussed, with McNish giving a racers and team bosses eye on the changing Formula E landscape.

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The finale of the 2024-25 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship season saw total domination by Nick Cassidy and the Jaguar TCS Racing team as they swept to their fourth and fifth victories in the last six races.

It guaranteed them second place in the teams’ standings and Cassidy the runners-up position just before he leaves the team for a Stellantis flavoured drive next season. The wins in London also saw Jaguar boss James Barclay sent off in style as he will join the McLaren Hypercar operation later this year.

Porsche’s success in capturing of the manufacturer and teams’ titles despite only winning one race this season is dug in to, as is the performance of Mahindra which captured fourth position in the standings after solid performances by Nyck de Vries and Edoardo Mortara.

The ongoing saga of Antonio Felix da Costa’s future at Porsche is debated as the knock-on of his decision stalls drivers’ futures and the whole complexion of the grid for next season.

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Newly confirmed ABB FIA Formula E World Champion Oliver Rowland joins Sam Smith and Andrew van de Burgt, fresh from his memorable crowning at Berlin Tempelhof.

The Nissan driver talks about how he achieved his dream and the background to a brilliant season he has generally dominated.

Rowland also discusses the encouraging message he got from friend Max Verstappen on the eve of his title Judgement Day, and the unforgettable message from his daughter Harper on his victorious slowing down lap.

In addition to Rowland’s triumph, the double win in Germany for Jaguar is also discussed, as is the performance of stand-in drivers Felipe Drugovich and Sergio Sette Camara.

The news agenda includes the imminent departure of McLaren, Gabriele Mini’s performance in the rookie test and how the poor relationship between Antonio Felix da Costa and Pascal Wehrlein blew up in Porsche’s face at their home event.

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On the back of Dan Ticktum’s momentous and breakthrough Formula E victory in Jakarta, the managing director of the CUPRA KIRO Formula E team, Jeremy Tarica, talks about what the win means for Formula E’s newest team ownership.

He joins Andrew van de Burgt and Sam Smith to discuss how the team went from near extinction to winners in less than a year. Tarica also talks about the wider points of what he and his fellow investors have learned since they took over the team and also Dan Ticktum’s metamorphosis in to paddock curio character to bona fide winner.

The Jakarta EPrix is analysed including Nyck de Vries’ bizarre and ill-fated chop on Jake Dennis, Edo Mortara’s return to the podium and how Robin Frijns went from towing the medical car at the start to somehow finishing ninth

All this and the catacomb-like puzzle of the 2026 drivers’ market is delved in to with forensic detail.

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We look back on an intriguing Shanghai E-Prix double-header in which Maximilian Guenther and Nick Cassidy took surprise wins as mixed conditions again visited Formula E.

Sam Smith and Andrew van de Burgt ask whether, despite a relatively poor weekend by his own high-standards, Oliver Rowland now just has to play the percentage game to wrap up the title in Berlin with two rounds to spare next month.

Additionally, Cassidy’s first win for a year came when The Race broke news of his impending exit from Jaguar at the end of the season. This is explored deeply, as is his victory in wet conditions in China, something on which we gauge Jaguar boss James Barclay’s reaction.

The tactical masterclass of DS Penske is dug in to as it celebrated a first ever 1-2 in the all-electric world championship, and morale boosting performances from Jake Hughes and Dan Ticktum are also analysed.

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A typically multi-threaded and all-action Formula E weekend played out in Tokyo with a first ever double-header on the streets of the Japanese capital.

Stoffel Vandoorne’s ending of his own personal fallow three seasons is analysed, as is Oliver Rowland’s seemingly unassailable rise to become Formula E world champion this year after winning his fourth race of the season.

Excellent performances by a rare zen weekend for Dan Ticktum and boy winder Taylor Barnard are also covered, while Porsche’s Director of Factory Motorsport for Formula E, Florian Modlinger, joins hosts Andrew van de Burgt and Sam Smith to talk over the finer points of TAG Heuer Porsches Tokyo weekend.

With added controversy coming via Jake Dennis’ black flag, a rash red flag for Maximilian Guenther’s DS Penske and a shunt-ageddon weekend for Mitch Evans and Jaguar, there is no shortage of talking points again in The Race Formula E podcast.

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The first ever Monaco E-Prix double header witnessed a plethora of typically fraught and controversial races in the Principality with points leader Oliver Rowland extending his lead after a win, second place and pole position.The Nissan driver's excellent form is delved into, as hosts Sam Smith and Andrew van de Burgt ask whether he is now the overwhelming favourite to be crowned champion this July.

The re-emergence of Sebastien Buemi as a Formula E winner is discussed as he and Envision Racing claimed a surprise but richly merited and well-deserved triumph. Also, on hand to analyse the weekends action is Andretti’s Jake Dennis who joins the analysis as to how the different conditions contributed to very different results for him and many of his competitors. The thorny issues of Pit Boost is delved in to, as is a packed news agenda which includes Gen4 testing, new venues for races in the 2025-26 schedule and Opel coming to Formula E to replace the Maserati brand next year.

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