Is the world championship battle open again? The e-formula.news driver rating for the Berlin E-Prix 2023

The first half of the 2023 Formula E season is done. After the Berlin E-Prix, the world championship standings of the electric series are tighter than ever: Porsche lost important points to its direct pursuers in Germany, including the race-winning teams Jaguar and Envision. Only four points now separate Pascal Wehrlein and Nick Cassidy in the drivers' championship. This is also due to the next outstanding individual performance of the New Zealander.

This evaluates e-formula.news after each race weekend of the season in the driver rating. For this our editors give points on a scale between 1 and 10 for all pilots. They are then sorted according to their average "rating score", and the best ten performances are commented on by our Formula E reporter Tobias Bluhm. Only the individual driving performances are included in the rating, not the car's potential or external circumstances.

The e-formula.news Driver Rating for the Berlin E-Prix 2023

1st Mitch Evans | Jaguar TCS Racing | 8.8 points

As in Sao Paulo, Jaguar driver Mitch Evans managed to defy the slipstream chaos in Berlin. Admittedly, the battle for the race win now partly resembles a lottery. But in Germany, too, Evans always managed to be in promising positions to attack at the right moments. This is partly due to his good car, but also to his undisputed talent in the Formula E car.

SUMMARY: A victory, a fourth place - what more could you want? The next top weekend from Mitch Evans.

2nd Nick Cassidy | Envision Racing | 8.8 points

It's surprising that hardly any fans have had Nick Cassidy on their radar so far this season. Thereby, the victory of the New Zealander, which he celebrated on Sunday completely deserved, was already in the offing for weeks. His results in the previous races: 2nd place in Hyderabad, 3rd place in Cape Town, 2nd place in Sao Paulo, 5th place on Berlin Saturday - and then 1st place on Berlin Sunday.

Cassidy had been in the running for weeks.

Cassidy's anticipatory driving and Formula E routine enabled him to keep his head "above water" at all times in the slipstream races of recent weeks. At exactly the right moments, he increased the pace and kept up with the leaders in full-power sprints. He is now just four points behind the world championship leader Wehrlein. Who would have thought that after the first three E-Prix of the year?

SUMMARY: Constantly good individual performances finally brought Cassidy within striking distance of the world championship in Berlin.

3rd Maximilian Günther | Maserati MSG | 8.3 points

The knot has finally been broken! After a grueling start to the season full of bankruptcies, sheet metal and breakdowns, Maximilian Günther - at his home race in Berlin, of all places - managed to exploit the potential of his Stellantis powertrain. This had been known since Jean-Eric Vergne's Hyderabad victory in the DS sister car.

Günther, who started 8th and 21st respectively, always behaved smartly over the course of both races, saving valuable power in the slipstream. Then, when Sebastien Buemi (Envision) ran into energy trouble shortly before the end on Saturday, Günther beat him by 0.111 seconds in the final sprint. On Sunday, Günther finished eighth after a fabulous recovery and took home a bonus point for the fastest race lap.

SUMMARY: An overdue, completely deserved result. From zero points in the world championship stand Günther made in Berlin 24 points.

4. Sebastien Buemi | Envision Racing | 7.5 points

You just have to take your hat off to Sebastien Buemi. Shortly before the weekend, the Swiss admitted that, contrary to what was initially thought, he had broken his right hand in his rear-end collision in Sao Paulo. With a bandage under his racing glove, he initially only wanted to compete in the 1st free practice session to see how badly the lack of power steering in Formula E cars would affect him.

Happily, the Envision car handled better than Buemi had feared. In fact, the Swiss driver handled it so well that he drove the car to pole position on Saturday! It was his 16th in the electric series - a new record.

By a hair's breadth, it would even have worked out with a podium for Buemi. However, he ran out of power in the closing stages, which is why he lost third place to Günther on the home straight. That he was left with zero points on Sunday after an early pit stop is the only blemish on Buemi's weekend.

SUMMARY: Once again, the Swiss outgrew himself in Berlin. He is also still a race victory to be trusted this season.

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5th Jean-Eric Vergne | DS Penske | 7.3 points

The next podium from the two-time Formula E champion! Although Jean-Eric Vergne is a self-confessed opponent of the powerful Gen3 slipstream effect, the Frenchman used the car's characteristics in his favor, especially on Sunday. He almost perfected the game of driving ahead, dropping back and investing energy at the right moments. In the end, it was probably chance that brought him "only" 3rd place - even a win would have been possible.

SUMMARY: The next top weekend of Jean-Eric Vergne, who is now in 3rd place overall in the drivers' world championship. Only 19 points separate him from Wehrlein.

6th Jake Dennis | Avalanche Andretti | 7.3 points

Attempting to overtake in Saturday's race, Dennis' "emergency brake" presumably went off, causing the Briton to lose control of his car and shoot down fellow Porsche driver Antonio Felix da Costa, of all people. Neither of the two scored any points. On Sunday, however, Dennis took advantage of the expected slipstream duels to finish on the podium from 7th on the grid.

SUMMARY: Jake Dennis drove a solid weekend that was rewarded with fewer points than it might have deserved. In the world championship fight, however, he needs to step it up a notch.

7th Sam Bird | Jaguar TCS Racing | 7.3 points

No other driver has "lost out" more often in his Formula E career than Sam Bird. Whether in title decisions, individual races or in duels with his teammates, the Briton has often had to get in line. Already in Sao Paulo, Bird was beaten on the track by Mitch Evans when they finished in 1st and 3rd place after the slipstream battle they had fought together. A similar thing happened in Berlin, when Bird finished second behind Evans.

However, the fact that the Briton was overshadowed by his teammate in Berlin should not discourage him at all. In Germany, he collected an important 18 points that keep him within striking distance of the world championship leaders. Bird is still fully with the music.

SUMMARY: Even though he probably won't be in the title fight, a lot is still possible for Sam Bird this season.

8th Nico Müller | ABT Cupra | 6.8 points

Nico Müller and ABT Cupra took ideal advantage of the rain on Sunday morning to provide the next of the ABT coups familiar from the DTM. Directly behind his teammate, the Swiss started the race from second place, in which - unlike Frijns - he never lost touch with the top 10. In the end, Müller crossed the finish line in 9th position and collected his first points of the year.

SUMMARY: Especially on Sunday, Müller drove a fantastic qualifying and race. He has worked hard for these points and more than deserved.

9. Robin Frijns | ABT Cupra | 6.5 points

It's an old motorsport truism: in bad weather, good drivers make all the difference. Certainly the setup of the ABT racer played a role in his pole position lap. But the confidence with which Robin Frijns piloted his car in Sunday qualifying set him apart from all his rivals. With tears in his eyes, ABT celebrated Frijns' success - and it is completely deserved!

SUMMARY: Even if it only went to the back in the races, Frijns can be satisfied with his Berlin weekend. In the rain, the Dutchman is a real bank.

10th Pascal Wehrlein | TAG Heuer Porsche | 6.3 points

After the rocket-like start to the season, some in the Formula E paddock already believed Pascal Wehrlein had a hand on the world championship title after just a few races. But a handful of mediocre results, combined with the ever-improving pace of Jaguar's powertrains, ensured that the German would be in trouble.

Only four points now separate him from Nick Cassidy at the top of the drivers' standings. Although Wehrlein drove two good races in Berlin, he fell victim to the expected slipstream duels and remained without a top-5 result.

SUMMARY: Porsche missed the right moment to increase the pace in the races. In the full-power finishes, Wehrlein thus had no more opportunities to attack.