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Eriksson on his first Formula E podium and his rookie year learnings

INTERVIEW 24 Jul 2026 4 Mins

Joel Eriksson debriefs his first full season in Formula E with Envision Racing, and his podium in Shanghai last time out.

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Although he had completed a handful of Formula E races before this 2025/26 season, Joel Eriksson is still technically in his rookie campaign with Envision Racing. He’s been a great addition to the team partnering former champion Sebastien Buemi, who is also one of the most experienced drivers in the paddock, and last time out in Shanghai managed to secure his first piece of silverware in the all-electric series.

Speaking to Katy Fairman, Eriksson debriefed his third place in Shanghai and the one big lesson he’s learnt from his time in one of racing’s most competitive forms of motorsport.

“Last time out with the podium was great,” the 28-year-old began. “It’s something I've been chasing the whole season. I mean, it's not a secret that it was very, very close to get the win… never did I believe I would be disappointed with my first podium in Formula E, but I have to admit I was a bit because I was very close! The late yellow in the race cost us a lot, but obviously gave us a first podium and the most important thing was it was our home race.

“It was the most important race for Envision Racing, so being able to score such strong results for both cars with Sebastien in P5 as well, which then delivered great points for the whole team in the second race. All in all, it was a very positive race and a strong race for both of us.”\

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Ahead of the 2026 TDK Tokyo E-Prix, Rounds 14 and 15 this weekend, Envision are sat fifth in the Teams’ Championship on 130 points. Across the season so far, thanks to Joel and Seb, the team have picked up two podiums and a Julius Baer Pole Position.

“I didn't have a lot of time to celebrate, to be honest, but it has given me even more motivation going into the last four races of the season and being in more of a hunting mode kind of way!

“For the season overall, I think we've shown some strong pace and also gone to the Duels a few times plus scoring points quite consistently, which was the goal before the season. Obviously, you always want more as a driver, but as a rookie, when it's the fourth year of the GEN3 and others have a lot more experience with the cars and circuits and so on, I didn't expect to maybe score this amount of points.

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“Ultimately, you always want to score your first win as well. So still a few boxes to take off.”

As much as a first podium is a big milestone, Eriksson thinks it could have happened earlier.

“It's always easier to, in hindsight, to be smart afterwards. I think in Berlin, we were definitely in the fight for a podium when we were leading the race for a bit. It's just a little bit of luck and obviously I am learning how to race at this level.

“If I could give myself one piece of advice from 13 races ago, I would probably say race harder and just be more selfish on track. I've always tried to be a very fair driver. Like, never racing dirty or pushing drivers off the track, I never mind losing a position but people are at least saying ‘he’s a fair racer’, but in this championship, it's not enough by racing hard and fair.”

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“I think that that was just very much against my nature, and I think this is something that you need to experience first. I think it explains a bit when you watch the races, you know earlier in the season, you can see me, maybe not racing as hard.”

SCHEDULE: Where, when and how to watch or stream the 2026 TDK Tokyo E-Prix, Rounds 14 & 15

The fight for the 2025/26 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship heads to Tokyo for a showstopping nighttime double-header under the neon lights of the Japanese capital. With only four rounds of the season remaining and the title fight closer than ever, there’s zero margin for error.

Free Practice 2: Saturday 25 July, 13:30 local / 05:30 BST
Qualifying: Saturday 25 July, 15:40 local / 07:40 BST
Race: Saturday 25 July, 20:05 local / 12:05 BST

Free Practice 3: Sunday 26 July, 13:30 local / 05:30 BST
Qualifying: Sunday 26 July, 15:40 local / 07:40 BST
Race: Sunday 26 July, 20:05 local / 12:05 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.

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