What do the Miami E-Prix drivers expect Saturday? ‘Pure racing.’ ‘Chaos’
A new track. The air 15 to 20 degrees cooler than usual, the 60s for Saturday morning qualifying and Saturday afternoon’s race. A 50% chance of rain and a wind advisory in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area.
What’s that mean for Miami E-Prix electric car race at the Miami International Autodrome in Miami Gardens? Chaos.
Which for ABB Formula E World Championship races is, well, Tuesday (figuratively).
READ MORE: What you need to know about the 2026 Formula E Miami E-Prix
”These Formula E races are always chaos,” Lola Yamaha ABT’s Zane Maloney said. “If you stay out of trouble, do the right job, you’ll be somewhere near the points.”
Nissan’s Oliver Rowland, the defending world champion, said Saturday, “It’s just going to be pure racing.”
While Rowland would’ve preferred a longer track, perhaps incorporating some of the Formula 1 course, he thought temperatures in the 60s lessened concerns about equipment wear and tire degradation. Liberated from those worries, drivers can let it all hang out even more than usual.
“The race will be good. You’ll really enjoy it,” Rowland said in the confident tone of a local recommending a favorite restaurant to a visitor.
Formula E co-founder and Chief Championship Officer Alberto Longo figures drivers will get comfortable with the course and race conditions, then “the end of the race is going to be quite crazy. I expect the last 10 to 15 minutes to be an absolute nut case.”
Here’s a few facts about those involved in the insanity.
Who are the drivers to watch?
Nick Cassidy leads the points after two races, his first two with Citroen Racing after coming over from Jaguar TCS Racing. Though Cassidy’s with a new team, his thrid and win this season looks like a continuation of his 2024-25 finish: wins in the last three races and four of the last six.
“It was quite a big change for me,” Cassidy said of Jaguar to Citroen. “Envision to Jaguar was the same powertrain and now, I’ve said a few times, is like Mac to Windows. I just worked very hard in the offseason to get comfortable, help in development as much as I can.”
Andretti Formula E’s Jake Dennis runs second to Cassidy in points after a win in Sao Paulo and a fifth in Mexico City: “I’m feeling good inside the car, which I haven’t done the past couple of years.”
Nissan’s Oliver Rowland carries the No. 1 as 2024-25 series champion, and sits third so far this season. But he built his championship run on four wins in the first nine races, then went winless in the last seven.
“I feel more relaxed than ever before,” Rowland said about being defending champion. “ “Once you’ve done it, you’ve kind of ticked it off, you know that it’s happened. I’m just motivated to do it again.”
The only win last season for 2023-24 series champion Pascal Wehrlein came at Homestead-Miami Speedway. While Wehrlein held limited like for the Homestead course, he loves the Miami metro area and came in early to hang out here before handling his business.
Also, there’s less tension in the Porsche garage this year. The collapse of Wehrlein and Antonio Felix Da Costa’s relationship devolved over a couple of years into a intrateam Cold War last season, Porsche brought in Nico Muller and Da Costa moved on to Jaguar TCS.
“Our relationship is super good. We don’t live far from each other,” Wehrlein said. “We have a good understaindg of th car, similar feedback, which is always nice because the team can develop in one direction.
“On the personal side, we have a really good relationship,” he smiled. “We’re in a similar place in our careers and our private lives.”
As a 20-year-old, Taylor Barnard raced with chutzpah and still blooming talent in getting two poles and five podium finishes for Neom McLaren. Barnard’s first full Formula E season was McLaren’s last and Barnard’s now with DS Penske.
“The adjustment has been difficult, that’s for sure,” Barnard said. “The difference between the powertrains is a lot bigger than people think. The first race was a little bit of a challenge. Mexico City was a little bit better. I was fighting for pole and P4 in the race was quite okay. This race should be another step in the right direction.”
Barnard ran fastest in Saturday morning practice, 55.531 seconds and second fastest Friday, getting around the 1.4-mile course in 55.596 seconds.
Barnard’s time trailed only Cupra Kiro’s Dan Ticktum, 55.503 seconds. Nobody questions Ticktum’s speed and he pulled off a win and a third for Cupra Kiro last season. Ticktum exploded at the officiating after he got taken out of both the Sao Paulo and Mexico City races, what he said (consequences for unnecessary, damaging collisions) gaining consensus approval more so than how he said it (publicly and profanely).
“In all honesty, he could be sitting here after with 20 points which would put him fifth in the championship, but he’s got zero,” Cupra Kiro Team Principal Russell O’Hagen said. “At the moment, it’s just Keeping him supported. The car’s been in a good window. Dan’s been in a good window.”
Are there any U.S. drivers or teams racing in Formula E?
Drivers? No. Teams? Yes.
Indianapolis-based Andretti Formula E carries the name made famous in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s by Mario Andretti and best carried on by son Michael Andretti in the 1980s and 1990s. Andretti, which had a red, blue and white livery, used Miami Beach’s Ocean Drive as an automotive catwalk Thursday night to premiere the yellow and black livery from new sponsor TWG AI.
“A little bit less red on the grid is welcome,” chuckled Dennis, throwing friendly shade to his left at Cassidy, whose Citroen Racing is one of the three teams with red heavy liveries.
Another famous racing surname adorns DS Penske Racing, but it’s not yet another limb of Penske Racing, known for IndyCar, NASCAR and sports car success since the 1960s. That’s Roger Penske. Jay Penske, son of Roger, runs Southern California-based DS Penske.
The most famous person with a piece of the Cupra Kiro team is British, actor Idris Elba, but most of the money comes from lead investors David Kaplan and Bennett Rosenthal of Los Angeles.
This story was originally published January 30, 2026 at 6:21 PM.
