Formula E returns to the streets of Sanya after seven years

It feels like an eternity, doesn't it? When Formula E last tore through the streets of Sanya in 2019, the world was a completely different place. Jean-Eric Vergne was on his way to a second consecutive title, and Oliver Rowland was putting his Nissan on pole. Of the current grid, only nine drivers—Lucas di Grassi, Sebastien Buemi, Vergne, Antonio Felix da Costa, Rowland, Mitch Evans, Edoardo Mortara, Maximilian Gunther, and Pascal Wehrlein—have experienced this venue before.

Now, over seven years later, the championship finally makes its return to the tropical coastline. But for 11 drivers on the grid, this is completely uncharted territory. It is fascinating to look back at where these newcomers were during that last visit: from Taylor Barnard racing in karts at just 15 years old to Zane Maloney dominating British Formula 4 and Nyck de Vries clinching his FIA Formula 2 crown.

With more than half the field facing the Haitang Bay circuit for the first time, the variables for this weekend’s Round 11 are immense. We are looking at a proper test of nerves and machine. The veterans have the data in their heads, but the hungry newcomers are looking to make their mark on a track that has been absent from the calendar for far too long.