After Techeetah's Jean-Eric Vergne cruised to victory in his hometown of Paris - escaping the chaos that unfolded behind him - the ABB FIA Formula E Championship arrives in Berlin for the fourth time in the series four year history.
Formula E - the story so far
But, before we get down to business in Berlin, let's take a moment to rewind and recap on all that's happened in the season so far. Starting off in Asia with a doubleheader on Hong Kong's Harbourfront where Sam Bird (DS Virgin Racing) and Felix Rosenqvist (Mahindra Racing) emerged victorious, the championship moved to Africa for the race in Marrakesh. Here, Rosenqvist scored his second victory of the season. All looked to be going so well for the Swede until the series moved to South and Central America, where Rosenqvist's luck turned, failing to finish in Mexico City due to technical issues, alongside teammate Nick Heidfeld. While Mahindra lost momentum, Techeetah went on the offensive with Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne (JEV) and Andre Lotterer clinching the series' first-ever one-two finish in Santiago. From there, JEV has gone from strength to strength, having accumulated a total of 147 points so far this season, putting him at the front of the Championship. In Mexico City, Daniel Abt (Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler) snatched his first-ever victory in the series, while the end of the South American leg was marked with a return to form (and points) for his teammate Lucas di Grassi who, after a miserable start to the season, scored his first points in Punta del Este. Since then, the reigning champ looks to have returned to form, having scored points consistently.
Moving on to Europe with the inaugural race in Rome, British driver Sam Bird clinched victory in Italy's capital, before JEV went on to win in Paris in front of a sold-out home crowd. And...take a breath - that's the story so far.
Back in Berlin - top five storylines to look out for
Now that you're fully up to speed, let's turn our attention back to Berlin. Measuring 2.375km, the ten turn course is nestled on the apron section of the city's Templehoff Airport, where all 20 drivers will need to complete 45 laps of the track before a winner is crowned. Who will it be? Tune in to find out.
In the meantime, here are the top four storylines to look out for on race day (Saturday, May 19).
Fantastisch four
For the race in Berlin, we've got four German drivers from four different teams all looking to place on the top step of the podium for their home race. "It’s probably the best place for me to race," said Daniel Abt. "It's super cool and super nice to be here."
For Venturi Formula E's Maro Engel, who posted the fastest lap of the race last year, "it’s definitely an interesting circuit. One that’s probably not so difficult for me as it's relatively wide...we’re confident that we can have a quick here...we need to try to get the most out of everything," said Engel.
Relative newcomer Andre Lotterer will have his work cut out after receiving a 10-place grid penalty for an incident in the last race in Paris. Having never raced on the circuit before, "it's a great place but it's a different style of track compared to all the others," he says. "At the end of the day, it’s awesome to have a race in Germany. Motorsport is big in here and it’s very important to have one for the whole car industry considering the message that we're trying to pass on. Hopefully, I’ll do well!" added Lotterer.
Last but not least is Mahindra Racing's Nick Heidfeld. Currently placed 13th in the championship, the German driver had a good start to the season but has since failed to finish in three races, leaving him with just 21 points. "Obviously a home victory for me in Germany would be amazing," said Hiedfield ahead of the race. " I enjoy the city massively - I've said it before but I see it each time I come here, it's the most multicultural city I know in the world. I love it."
Added to that, it's the fourth time Formula E's raced in the German capital in its four-season history. In short, let's just say four's the magic number here in Berlin.
Tricky track
There's not many race series in the world that can claim to race in the grounds of an iconic disused airport. But, then again, this isn't just any old race series - this is Formula E. With the race taking place directly in front of the imposing Templehoff airport terminal buildings and hangers, the 2.375km circuit is wide, with plenty of space for overtaking but tough on the tyres. "We need even a different driving style on this type of track and this type of tarmac," said Audi's Lucas di Grassi. "You have some undulation and the grip level varies but it's the same for everyone - you just need to be better than the others!" With a slightly amended course, with changes to the layout of Turn 6 this year, the track is marginally longer than last season's. "You have long corners, long straights and high-speed corners, which are normally longer than you have in a normal environment. But in the end, it's a track that we know," added the Audi driver.
Future thinking
With the debut of Formula E's Gen2 car driven by German driver Nico Rosberg and the debut drive of Jaguar's I-Pace E-Trophy race car, that will feature as a support series for the championship in Season 5, Berlin is a glimpse at what the future of the series will look like.
"Formula E is the future," said Rosberg after piloting the Gen2 car through the streets of central Berlin. "It's sending out a very strong message to the world and it's cool. It's great because it's racing, it's a great championship, with some good battles out there - it's really entertaining, so it's a great package," added Rosberg.
New but familiar faces
Welcoming back Tom Dillmann to Venturi Formula E - who's standing in for Edoardo Mortara - and Stephane Sarrazin at MS&AD Andretti Formula E, who used to race for Techeetah and Venturi, the Berlin race sees some new but familiar faces return to the championship. "I was disappointed not to be on the grid this year after it went quite well last year," said Dillmann. "I'm glad to have another shot to show what I can do here." For Sarrazin, "It's great. A good opportunity for me to drive with Andretti. I’m really happy and excited to start tomorrow," said the Frenchman. "I last drove the car in July but this is the Season 4 car, so we will see what I can achieve. It will be challenging."
With Berlin as the penultimate round in the European campaign, the driver's will be fighting to better their position before the championship reaches its conclusion in New York City on July 14 and 15. Don't miss out on all the action in Berlin - click here to tune in.