One of the ongoing refrains in the racing world is that pay drivers are a plague on the sport. Basically, folks aren’t all that impressed by a driver who got into something like Formula 1 just because they’ve got a ton of money and the right connections — and it’s also pretty common to hear fans complain that these drivers are ruining motorsport. So why aren’t those fans turning to Formula E?
(Full disclosure: Jaguar TCS Racing invited me to attend the Portland ePrix as a guest of the team, during which time I conducted as many interviews as humanly possible with team personnel.)
FE, the world’s first and only all-electric form of open-wheel motorsport, is also one of the few motorsport series that requires teams to pay its drivers a wage for competing. And yes, that means every single driver. Each and every one.
During June’s inaugural Portland ePrix, I had a chance to speak with James Barclay, team director for Jaguar TCS Racing, who drove home the fact that FE’s payment format is one of the greatest selling points of the Championship — alongside things like sustainability and innovation.
“No one brings any money [to Formula E], and that makes for one of the most professional driver lineups in the world. That doesn’t exist in any other category,” Barclay said.
“We’re giving an opportunity to incredible drivers that couldn’t get into Formula 1 because they didn’t have several million euros. That means our driver lineup is made of phenomenally talented drivers who absolutely should be competing at the top of sport.”
And it’s not like the quality of Formula E’s competitors is anything to shake a stick at. In 2023, the field featured six drivers with F1 experience, four overall champions at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and winners of races like the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring, the Bathurst 12 Hour, and the Rolex 24 at Daytona. There are GT champions, stock car victors, and international legends.
One of those very drivers is Sam Bird, a Jaguar TCS racer who easily should have competed in F1 but only got as far as being a test driver for Mercedes AMG Petronas. Bird may not have won a Formula E Championship despite competing in the series since the very first season, but his success in endurance racing and junior single-seater categories should have qualified him for a Formula 1 seat; he just didn’t have the money required to entice a team to sign him for a year. Instead, he’s found a competitive home in FE, which he called “one of the best drivers’ series in the world” thanks to its position as a landing zone for talent, not money.
Because each FE driver is paid a salary, there isn’t such a worry about quality dilution. There isn’t a concern that an unqualified racer has just bought their way into a Championship. Instead, you can count on each team seeking out racers of quality. Some drivers may have more skill and a beefier resumé than others — but there’s a guarantee that each team has vetted its candidates and chosen the right one for it.
I get it. Formula E has had a rocky first decade in the racing world, but if we’re being honest with ourselves, no series has had a great time in its first years. Formula 1 teams couldn’t afford to build cars and reverted to F2 specifications within a handful of years of the sport’s introduction. IndyCar has fractured more times than most folks can count. All things considered, Formula E’s dedication to advancement and its ability to draw top-tier talent from around the world should earn it a little more grace than fans are willing to give it.