Start of the season with new drivers & new team - The XXL preview of the 2025 Sao Paulo E-Prix

It's the beginning of December again, but it's not just the start of Advent - Formula E is also celebrating the start of a new season. Once again, a warm Brazil welcomes the now 20 drivers and ten teams to the first race on the street circuit in Sao Paulo. The defending champion in season 12 is Oliver Rowland, but the competition for the world championship could be closer than ever in the second and final season of the Gen3 Evo era!

Where exactly will the Formula E race take place?

Sao Paulo is located in the south-east of Brazil. It is close to the Atlantic coast, but does not border the ocean. Instead, the city centre of the Brazilian metropolis is located around 80 kilometres further inland. With around twelve million inhabitants, Sao Paulo is the largest city in Brazil and the most populous city in the southern hemisphere. Despite these impressive figures, the state capital is Brasilia and not Sao Paulo.

Brazil is particularly famous for its colossal carnival celebrations. The grandstand street of the Anhembi Sambadrome is the centre of the festivities in Sao Paulo. Instead of colourful floats, however, Formula E races through the Sambadrome in December. It is one of the most remarkable venues for the start-finish straight of a race track and a real highlight of the season!

Who will be broadcasting the Formula E race in Sao Paulo on TV & livestream?

The Sao Paulo E-Prix will be a single race. The sole race day is therefore Saturday, 6 December. As usual, the 1st free practice session will be held on Friday. Due to the time difference to Brazil, the race and the first practice session will start in the European evening. The 2nd free practice session will be held at 11:30am CET on Saturday, followed by qualifying at 1:40pm CET. Race start is at 6:05pm CET

The broadcasters for the race and qualifying will depend on your region. But as usual, e-Formula.news offers English-language live streams for the free practice sessions. On top of that, you can follow all sessions of the E-Prix in our popular Formula E Live Ticker.

All data in Central European Time (CET)

What characterises the race track in Sao Paulo?

I have already written about the special start-finish straight across the Anhembi Sambadrome. This eye-catcher brings with it another special feature - a large-scale change of surface. Over its 2.933 kilometres, the race track changes its surface from concrete to asphalt and back to concrete. However, it is not only the change of surface that makes the street circuit treacherous, but also the large number of bumps that have been encountered here in recent seasons. Particularly on the approach to turn 4, these made for a technical challenge.

The Sao Paulo Street Circuit nevertheless remains a high-speed track. With just eleven corners and three extremely long straights, it is one of the fastest tracks of the season. Turns 1, 4 and 7 have been the best points for an overtaking manoeuvre in recent years. In 2024, the right braking point in the first corner was the biggest challenge for the drivers and a crucial source of error in qualifying and the race.

What will the weather be like in Sao Paulo?

The weather for the season opener couldn't be much better than currently forecast. We can expect temperatures of around 23 degrees Celsius on Friday and 26 degrees Celsius on Saturday. It will also remain dry and sunny on both days. The forecast rain front is likely to wait until the start of the week.

What has happened since the season finale in London

The Formula E off-season has been turbulent. McLaren Racing ended its involvement in Formula E with the last season finale. Taylor Barnard moved from the British racing team to DS Penske. Sam Bird, on the other hand, lost his regular seat in the electric series and will take on the role of reserve driver at Nissan in future. Jake Hughes and Stoffel Vandoorne are also no longer on the grid. Maserati has become Citroen, with the team relying on a completely new line-up with Jean Eric Vergne and Nick Cassidy.

Felipe Drugovich, Joel Eriksson and Pepe Marti will line up as regular drivers for the first time in season 12. Nico Müller makes way for Drugovich at Andretti with his switch to Porsche. Robin Frijns and David Beckmann have to make way for Eriksson and Marti, who do not have a regular seat this season. Antonio Felix da Costa has also left Porsche and will drive alongside Mitch Evans at Jaguar TCS Racing in future.

In addition, a lot has already happened in the direction of Gen4: Formula E has unveiled the new car and Mahindra has signed up as a manufacturer for the Gen4 era. Porsche has announced that it will have two works teams on the grid from this point on. We have also used AI to simulate how the current designs of the cars could look on the Gen4 race car.

Who are the favourites?

The favourite remains Oliver Rowland as the reigning world champion. Nissan will probably also have the most powerful overall package this season. They will have to work their way back to the front after a weaker end to the season. However, this will be made more difficult by the fact that Rowland will have to move down three places on the grid after his crash in London. Jaguar TCS Racing, on the other hand, is entering Formula E season 12 with four wins in a row. They too will be among the front runners if Felix da Costa can perform as well from the start as Nick Cassidy did recently.

Porsche and Mahindra were both very convincing in pre-season testing. Nyck de Vries and Edoardo Mortara could spring a surprise in Sao Paulo and lay the foundations for a season in which both will be fighting for the title. However, Pascal Wehrlein particularly likes the track in Sao Paulo. With two pole positions in a row, the former world champion has proven that you first have to get past him to win the race.

Do you think another driver will win? Then sign up for our free community prediction game on Kicktipp.