Formula E's centurions: Which drivers have hit the 100-race mark?

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Formula E's centurions: Which drivers have hit the 100-race mark?

The FIA Formula E World Championship held its centenary 100th race in Seoul last season. Here are the drivers who have now passed that 100-race milestone in the all-electric championship too!

Di Grassi Formula E champion

Lucas di Grassi: 118 races

It’s no secret that ABT CUPRA's Lucas di Grassi has played a big part in the championship, even before it had its first race. The Brazilian racing driver was one of the first to drive the Spark-Renault SRT_01E, testing it around a circuit in France just under a year before the inaugural event at the 2014 Beijing E-Prix.

He also won that very first Formula E race, after a last-corner tussle between Nico Prost and Nick Heidfeld took them both out of the lead in dramatic fashion. Since then, he’s won another 12 races over nine seasons, meaning both he and Envision Racing’s Sebastien Buemi hold the record for the most wins in the championship - both with 13, respectively.

As well as his 40 podiums and four Julius Baer Pole Positions, di Grassi also won the Drivers’ title in Season 3 of Formula E. Despite Buemi leading the standings for most of that season, di Grassi managed to overturn the championship results during the nail-biting 2017 Montreal E-Prix weekend to take home the title.

He has been present for every Formula E race, however an issue with the Mahindra's rear suspension saw di Grassi miss his first start at the 2023 Cape Town E-Prix.

Lucas di Grassi Formula E driver

Jean-Eric Vergne: 117 races

Frenchman and DS PENSKE driver Jean-Eric Vergne is the only man to have won the Formula E crown twice, and the only one to have done it in succession. Securing back-to-back titles in Season 4 and 5, Vergne made his Formula E debut slightly later than others on this list. Starting his career at the 2014 Julius Baer Punta del Este E-Prix, the third round of that first season, Vergne has taken part in every race since then - 117 in total.

Although his first two seasons didn’t provide JEV with any wins, he made the move to the Techeetah team in Season 3 and soon started totalling up the victories. During Season 4, the year he won his first Formula E championship, Vergne managed four wins out of the 12 races available, as well as six podiums and four pole positions. In fact, Vergne is a pole position master, achieving 15 over his time in the all-electric series. 

Despite competing in over 100 races in Formula E and reaching 1000 championship points, JEV shows no signs of slowing down.

Jean-Eric Vergne Formula E champion

Sebastien Buemi: 116 races

Despite having the same number of victories as di Grassi, 13, Seb Buemi has a slightly higher win percentage as he has started 116 races during his incredible Formula E career. Representing Renault during their dominant era in the early stages of the championship, winning the Teams' title consecutively in the first three seasons, Buemi has 31 podiums and 16 poles to his name.

Winning the Drivers’ Championship during Season 2, he continued to double down on the electric racing series despite a drop off in big results. He has remained winless since Season 6, but found himself back on the podium as recently as Mexico City this season. With the competitive Jaguar powertrain in the back of his Envision Racing car, Buemi is ready for some redemption.

Buemi Mexico City

Sam Bird: 115 races

The only man on this list not to win a Formula E championship, NEOM McLaren's Sam Bird has seen it all. From taking part in the first Formula E race in Beijing until now, the Brit has some seriously impressive stats to his name. As well as his six pole positions, and 26 podiums, he’s also got 11 victories - not easy in such a competitive field!

Having won a race in every season until Season 7, Bird has been a consistent threat to the highly-talented field and is given a huge amount of respect by the drivers. Bird reached the 100-race milestone at the 2022 Diriyah E-Prix when he started for Jaguar, and finished it by reaching the podium.

“I can't tell you, it's been a rough 12 months for me,” Bird said at the time, finally getting his hands back on some silverware. As well as the lack of win in Season 8, Bird was also forced to sit out the double-header finale in Seoul after sustaining a fracture to his left hand during the London E-Prix. A clash in qualifying during the Cape Town weekend also meant Bird was forced to watch the race from the sidelines after his car was damaged and required a chassis change.

Sam Bird wins Formula E race

Antonio Felix da Costa: 115 races

With 115 starts to his name, TAG Heuer Porsche’s Antonio Felix da Costa is the latest member of the 100 club. Also making his debut in Season 1, the Portuguese racer wasn’t around for the first race but has been a part of the Formula E family since the second-ever race in Putrajaya. Although he missed out on a few races early on, including the London doubleheader finale in 2015, da Costa has distinguished himself as one of Formula E’s key players.

This was also helped when he clinched the Drivers’ Championship in Season 6, locking in three wins, three pole positions and six podium finishes on his way to win the title. Earning his championship crown in round nine of the 11 race calendar affected by the pandemic, da Costa also holds the record for the earliest in the season a title has been won, with two races to go.

Making the jump to Porsche for the new GEN3 era of Formula E this season, da Costa was back to finishing in first place when he pulled off two incredible overtakes for the lead to win the inaugural Cape Town E-Prix. Once again, proving that all this experience still makes him one of the best out there on the grid.

Antonio Felix da Costa Formula E champion

Who's next?

Well, unless former NIO 333 driver Oliver Turvey makes a comeback (88 starts), the next in line to hit the 100 mark is Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans. The Kiwi has taken part in every race since Jaguar made their motorsport comeback and joined Formula E in Season 3, and currently has 98 E-Prix starts to his name. He should reach that 100 race mark at the 2024 Tokyo E-Prix.