Ex F1 driver De Vries stars in Monaco E-Prix this weekend

Formula 1 will host the Monaco Grand Prix on the last weekend of May but the grandstands and pit boxes have already been prepared for the spectacle of Formula E through the streets of the city-state. Scheduled for this Saturday, and on the same iconic circuit that Formula 1 will tear across in a few weeks' time, the 22 Formula E drivers face the tough Monaco mission. Drive quickly, and stay out of the barriers.

Like F1, Monaco is one of the most prestigious events on the FE calendar. On Saturday - when both qualifying and the race are scheduled - there is likely to be glorious sunshine over Monte Carlo, the tax haven home to a host of FE drivers. They are all hoping to experience the unique feeling of a win through the narrow streets of Monaco; more realistic for some than others. In particular, the teams with a Porsche powertrain (Porsche and also Andretti) are surely looking ahead with a good feeling.

Indeed, in recent weeks Porsche has been fast. Last race weekend in Misano, the German factory team managed to cross the line first in both races, but a clumsy, technical infringement meant that Antonio Felix da Costa lost his win on Saturday. A day later, Porsche had fate in their hands, as on the very last lap of the race, Pascal Wehrlein managed to take the lead after Oliver Rowland stalled his Nissan after a miscalculation.

Porsche looks to be the strongest

In the overall standings, two Porsche-powered drivers are currently in the lead. Wehrlein and reigning champion Jake Dennis have accumulated 89 points each and, given the track layout and the power of their cars, should be able to add to their respective points tallies. Their Main rival Jaguar certainly needs a big points haul after the team squandered many in recent weeks following a variety of collisions and setbacks.

Ahead of the Monaco E-Prix, Jaguar at least had some positive news to report: as the second manufacturer (after Nissan), the English team have committed to the sport until mid-2030, thus well into Formula E's GEN4. It remains to be seen if, and when Porsche signs a similar agreement with the FIA and Formula E. In any case, Formula E is keen to keep the Volkswagen Group brand on board.

James Barclay, Jaguar TCS Racing's team principal, said on the eve of the Monaco E-Prix: “This is great news for Jaguar TCS Racing and for Jaguar. As a team we recently celebrated our 100th race in Formula E and, with Jaguar being reimagined as a pure-electric brand in 2025, the timing couldn’t be better. Our commitment to the next, GEN4 era of Formula E is a clear demonstration of the JLR Board’s confidence in the value of competition at the highest level, our race to innovate ethos and, importantly, how this aligns perfectly with our wider Reimagine business strategy."

De Vries looks forward to racing by Monaco

Mahindra's future is also still unclear. The Indian-based team has its eyes mainly on the short term, in which it hopes to stop being a backmarker. Nyck de Vries is certainly not to blame. A week after winning his first hypercar race on behalf of Toyota in the WEC, a challenge of a different kind awaits him. One that the Dutchman does look forward to with positivity.

"Every race is a new opportunity. It was a tough weekend for us in Misano for various reasons, and I am looking forward to racing," De Vries stated. "Everyone always likes to come to Monaco for the right reasons, it's a very special venue to race. Hopefully, we can have a better weekend and I'm looking forward to racing at home'."