Can Formula E Drivers Be the Key to F1 Success?

With Formula One changing regulations and placing a much bigger focus on energy consumption and battery deployment, could Formula E drivers be the key to Formula One drivers’ success?

(Image credit to Formula E Broadcast)

 The new Formula One regulations have been making headlines for both good and bad reasons. They are also changing how drivers conserve, deploy, and manage energy compared with previous years. With the first four races completed, there have been clear challenges for drivers in building speed, deploying power, and recharging the battery. This raises an interesting question: could Formula E drivers be the key to helping Formula One teams conquer the new regulations?

On both sides of the Formula E and Formula 1 paddocks, there has already been debate over the new F1 regulations. Drivers, including Max Verstappen, have spoken openly, saying, "This isn't Formula 1, it's Formula E on steroids. I don't enjoy driving these cars." Jeff Dodds, CEO of Formula E, even invited Verstappen to drive the Gen3 Evo car, although Dodds’s invitation was met with radio silence. Since then, with the new Gen4 car introduced, Verstappen has spoken more positively about Formula E, according to António Félix da Costa.

The comparison comes from the fact that Formula E races are built around energy management, with features such as Attack Mode and Pit Boost playing a major role in strategy. With Formula One’s new hybrid regulations, these same areas are more important. From 2026, the balance between engine power and battery deployment will shift, as race starts require more electrical power to get the cars moving.

The two series are still fundamentally different. Formula E races are shorter, focus more on city circuits, and have a very different racing environment. The energy comparison, though, is harder to ignore, and Formula E drivers may have a bigger part to play.

We saw this just after testing, with Arvid Lindblad being spotted in the Nissan Formula E Team garage. A surprise to some, maybe, but former world champion Oliver Rowland has been Lindblad’s mentor throughout his junior career, so it makes sense that he would want to see how he works. Testing was full of conversations around energy management and battery conversion, so maybe Lindblad was to be shown the ropes.

We have already seen the links happen. Nyck de Vries has jumped from Formula E to Formula 1 and back again, while former Formula 1 drivers like Stoffel Vandoorne, Pascal Wehrlein, and Jean-Éric Vergne, amongst others, are now established names in Formula E. The links between the two championships have always been there, and they continue to grow stronger.

The downsizing of the Formula E grid in 2025 has also left several drivers without full-time seats, including Vandoorne, who still has links with Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team as a reserve and test driver, and Jake Hughes, who, alongside driving in ELMS, also works as a simulator driver for McLaren Formula 1 Team. The list goes on, with De Vries remaining involved in testing at McLaren, while drivers like Jake Dennis and Sébastien Buemi continue simulator and development work at Red Bull. Even younger drivers like Zak O'Sullivan, the reserve driver at Envision Racing, have already been seen working with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team in the simulator.

So why does any of this matter?

Because even if a car is not the quickest on the grid, energy management can make all the difference to strategy. Simulator drivers spend hours learning tracks, finding overtaking opportunities, and working out where drivers can push more. Those with Formula E experience already understand how to manage electric performance, and that experience could become even more valuable as Formula One enters its new regulations.

Of course, simulator data is often kept secret. We rarely know exactly what turns a difficult weekend into a strong one, and the work of reserve and simulator drivers goes unnoticed. But as Formula One moves further into this hybrid power, the experience that Formula E drivers bring could become one of the sport’s biggest hidden advantages.

Article Written by Amy Powis