History: who are all the Formula E champions from seasons 1 to 12?
History in Formula E always arrives with a twist. Looking back across the first 12 seasons reveals an incredible spread of talent, featuring champions like Nelson Piquet Jr, who secured the inaugural title for Chinese team Nextev by a single point over Sebastien Buemi during the final race around London’s Battersea Park. Piquet claimed wins at Long Beach and in Moscow alongside podiums in Punta del Este, Buenos Aires and Monaco.
Sebastien Buemi didn't wait long for his turn, taking the Season 2 crown in dramatic fashion after a first-lap collision with title rival Lucas di Grassi. Buemi won three races in Beijing, Punta del Este and Berlin, securing the title via a fastest lap in that final race. Buemi enters Season 12 on a multi-year contract with Envision Racing, tied with Jaguar TCS Racing's Mitch Evans for a record 14 wins. Meanwhile, Lucas di Grassi bounced back to claim the Season 3 crown after a fierce battle in the Montreal double-header. Di Grassi now races with Lola Yamaha ABT, holding 13 victories and 41 podiums.
The championship then saw French success with Jean-Eric Vergne, who became the first and only back-to-back champion by taking the Season 4 and Season 5 titles during dramatic New York City finales. Vergne joins Citroën Racing in Season 12 as the manufacturer enters single-seater racing. Antonio Felix da Costa captured the Season 6 crown after the pandemic forced the calendar into a frantic six-race dash at Berlin's Tempelhof Airport, and the Portuguese driver joins the Jaguar TCS Racing team for Season 12 after racing for Porsche.
Formula E achieved official World Championship status for Season 7, where Mercedes driver Nyck de Vries survived a chaotic Berlin opener marked by a start-line wipeout involving Mitch Evans and Edoardo Mortara, plus a mechanical retirement for Jake Dennis. De Vries secured two wins and two further podiums before spells in Formula 1 and a return to Formula E with Mahindra Racing. Mercedes then powered Stoffel Vandoorne to the Season 8 GEN2-era title in Seoul on the back of incredible consistency, finishing out of the points just once. Vandoorne serves as Jaguar TCS Racing's Reserve Driver for Season 12.