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Seven years later: How the grid has changed since Formula E last raced in Sanya

FEATURE 17 Jun 2026 7 Mins

With 11 drivers making their Sanya debut this weekend, the Chinese circuit is an entirely new challenge for half the paddock. But what were they up to back in 2019 when Formula E last rolled into town?

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feature season 12

When Formula E last raced around the streets of Sanya in 2019, the championship looked very different.

The inaugural Sanya E-Prix saw Jean-Eric Vergne take victory on his way to a second consecutive championship, whilst (future) champion Oliver Rowland secured pole position for Nissan. Of the current grid, only nine drivers competed that weekend: Lucas di Grassi, Sebastien Buemi, Vergne, Antonio Felix da Costa, Rowland, Mitch Evans, Edoardo Mortara, Maximilian Gunther and Pascal Wehrlein.

A planned return in 2020 was later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Sanya has not featured on the calendar since, until now...

PREVIEW: Formula E heads back to Sanya for Round 11

More than seven years later, the world's leading all-electric championship returns to Sanya with 11 drivers set to race at the venue for the first time. Here’s what they were doing when Formula E last visited the tropical coastline.

Pepe Marti

At just 21 years old, Pepe Marti is the youngest driver on the current Formula E grid and the only Spaniard to have claimed silverware in the series.

Back in 2019, however, Marti was still making a name for himself in karting. Driving for fellow Spaniard Fernando Alonso’s team, he won the Spanish Karting Championship in the Junior category before progressing onto the international stage.

His rise continued with a seventh-place finish in the OK category of the CIK-FIA Karting World Championship in 2020, before he made the leap into single-seaters with Formula 4 UAE the following year.

Joel Eriksson

While Joel Eriksson may be one of Formula E’s newest faces, he arrived in the all-electric championship with an impressive racing resume already under his belt.

Following a runner-up finish in the 2017 FIA Formula 3 European Championship behind Lando Norris, Eriksson stepped into DTM with BMW in 2018 and immediately turned heads by claiming victory in a rain-soaked night race at Misano. The result made him the second-youngest race winner in DTM history.

By 2019, the Swede was entering his second season with BMW and added another podium to his tally at the Norisring. He finished 11th in the championship that year with his DTM journey coming to an end the following year before he found a new home in GT racing.

Nyck De Vries

In 2019, Nyck de Vries produced the defining season of his junior career. After several years establishing himself as a title contender in the junior formulas, the Dutchman finally put everything together with ART Grand Prix, securing multiple victories and podium finishes throughout the campaign.

The result was the FIA Formula 2 crown, opening the door to opportunities in both endurance racing and Formula E, where he would later become World Champion in 2021 and a 24 Hours of Le Mans winner in 2026.

Zane Maloney

Long before becoming Formula E’s first driver from Barbados, Zane Maloney was busy dominating British Formula 4.

The 2019 season saw the young Barbadian claim 10 victories and secure the championship title, establishing himself as one of the most exciting racing prospects outside Europe.

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Having started karting on the 0.9km Bushy Park circuit in Barbados, Maloney’s move into the European racing circuit exposed him to grids larger than anything he had experienced before. He adapted quickly, and his Formula 4 title was the crowning achievement of Maloney's 2019 season.

Norman Nato

Norman Nato may be one of the grid’s most experienced drivers today, but in 2019 his Formula E journey was only just beginning.

Already serving as reserve driver for ROKiT Venturi Racing, Nato was balancing his Formula E commitments with a growing endurance racing career.

That year, he competed in both the FIA World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series, finishing second in class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and ending his WEC campaign third in the standings.

A year later, he earned his first full-time Formula E race seat with Venturi, and the rest is Formula E history!

Jake Dennis

Jake Dennis had already established himself as one of Britain’s leading GT drivers when Formula E visited Sanya in 2019.

RACE REPLAY: The last time Formula E raced in Sanya

Following his move away from single-seaters, Dennis was building a successful career in GT competition and secured a GT World Challenge victory at Silverstone that season.

However, his DTM campaign proved more challenging, with the Briton finishing 17th in the standings during his debut year in the series.

Few could have predicted that just a few years later, Dennis would become Formula E World Champion in 2023.

Felipe Drugovich

The 2019 season represented Drugovich’s first step onto the feeder series ladder.

Competing for Carlin in the inaugural FIA Formula 3 Championship (previously known as GP3), the Brazilian endured a difficult rookie campaign, scoring points on only one occasion with a sixth-place finish at the Hungaroring.

Although he finished 16th overall, there were already glimpses of the speed that would later define his career.

Those signs became impossible to ignore in 2020, when Drugovich stepped up to FIA Formula 2 and claimed three victories in his rookie campaign.

Dan Ticktum

Dan Ticktum’s route to Formula E has been anything but straightforward. After impressing in the Formula 3 European Championship, Ticktum moved to Japan in 2019 to race in Super Formula with Team Mugen.

His campaign began with an eighth place finish at Suzuka, but results proved difficult to come by and his season was cut short after three rounds.

Rather than disappearing from the spotlight, Ticktum quickly regrouped. Later that year, he returned to FIA Formula 3 testing with Carlin and made another appearance at the Macau Grand Prix.

Nick Cassidy

In 2019, the Kiwi completed Japanese motorsport’s coveted ‘Triple Crown’ by securing the Super Formula title, adding to previous success in Super GT and Formula 3 Japan. The achievement came just a year after narrowly missing out on championships in both Super Formula and Super GT.

His Formula E debut followed in Season 7, when he joined Envision Racing as Sam Bird’s replacement.

Taylor Barnard

Having only just turned 15, Taylor Barnard was still firmly in the karting ranks when Formula E last raced in Sanya.

The British driver had only recently stepped onto the European stage, competing in the OK Junior category and winning the WSK Final Cup in 2018. His progress continued throughout 2019, when he graduated to the OK Senior category, won the WSK Champions Cup and finished runner-up in the Karting World Championship.

Mentored by Formula 1 World Champion Nico Rosberg, Barnard was already building the foundations of a career that would eventually take him to Formula E.

Nico Müller

Unlike the other names on the list, Nico Muller was actually preparing for a Formula E debut when Sanya disappeared from the calendar.

The Swiss driver joined GEOX Dragon for Season 6 alongside Brendon Hartley, but the series' planned return to Sanya in 2020 was ultimately cancelled due to the pandemic.

Away from Formula E, Muller remained a key figure in Audi’s DTM programme while also serving as the manufacturer’s reserve driver.

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The future race winners pace in electric machinery was already evident, having topped the timesheets during Formula E’s rookie test in Marrakesh.

A new chapter

Formula E’s return to the streets of Sanya brings a new generation of drivers to a circuit many have never raced at before. While a handful of veterans know what to expect, more than half of the grid will be entering the unknown.

Who will come out on top when Formula E finally returns to Haitang Bay circuit this weekend?

SCHEDULE: Where, when and how to watch or stream the 2026 Lianxin Sanya E-Prix, Round 11

Formula E is back in action, and the championship fight is on! This weekend, we return to Sanya for Round 11 of the 2025/26 season. It’s been seven years since Formula E has raced on this Chinese island, and with only eight drivers on the current grid having raced here before, anything can happen.

Free Practice 1: Friday 19 June, 16:30 local / 09:30 BST
Free Practice 2: Saturday 20 June, 08:30 local / 01:30 BST
Qualifying: Saturday 20 June, 10:40 local / 03:40 BST
Race: Saturday 20 June, 15:05 local / 08:05 BST

View the full schedule in your time zone and check the broadcaster listings or tap the Ways to Watch button above to find out where to watch all the racing action where you live.

Follow the race LIVE on web and in the Formula E app!

Keep across Live Timing – which includes a real-time interactive track map and the ability to follow your favourite driver during every session of every E-Prix – plus highlights, detailed session reports, exclusive interviews, all the standings and results as well as data, insight and reaction from trackside.

LIVE: Follow every lap live, with reaction and coverage at fiaformulae.com/live

Additionally, Formula E’s social media channels, website, and app will provide session reports, exclusive interviews, and behind-the-scenes insights from trackside during the five-day event.