In the Monaco post-race press conference, Motorsport Week’s Jack Oliver Smith asked Sébastien Buemi whether this win had reignited his passion for the championship. The question followed a lengthy gap between victories and growing rumours that some of the more experienced drivers might soon step away from Formula E.

While Buemi didn’t directly address the speculation, his response offered some insight:

“You know, I’m competing in different championships as well, and at some point that will be down to the FIA and Formula E what they want to do. If they want to clash with other championships, then at some point you have to make a decision.”

“I think everyone’s selfish enough to make the right decision for themselves. I still strongly believe that when you have 11 years of experience, 11 weekends, when you have set your championship by more than 4 or 5 months, you should still manage to not have clashes. But who knows, in a few months’ time we’ll know whether it’s realistic to continue to do both championships or if it’s not.”

It raises the question whether drivers like Buemi — who’ve been part of the series since the beginning and may not be performing at the same level as before — could use another scheduling clash as a reason to step away from Formula E.

Currently, several drivers juggle dual commitments between the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and Formula E. These include Sébastien Buemi, Jean-Éric Vergne, Nyck de Vries, Robin Frijns, and Stoffel Vandoorne, just to name a few. With calendar conflicts potentially increasing, many may be forced to choose one series over the other — and for some, that decision might take them out of the Formula E paddock.

A New Generation Coming in?

With potential exits on the horizon, we’re already seeing a new generation arrive from Formula 2. This season features two rookies from F2, including Taylor Barnard, who is making a strong impression. In his short Formula E career, he has already become the youngest point scorer, youngest pole sitter, and youngest driver to lead a race. Who knows — he might soon become the youngest race winner as the season continues.

 © Simon Galloway/LAT Images for Formula E

With limited opportunities in Formula 1, many young drivers are now turning to Formula E. Last season, Zane Maloney and Taylor Barnard held reserve and development roles before earning full-time seats. This year, drivers like Alex Dunne, Kush Maini, and Jak Crawford have taken on reserve roles in the series.

We spoke to Jak Crawford ahead of the Monaco E-Prix about why drivers like him are embracing these opportunities.

“It’s a great series to learn in. I think the engineers and the teams are at such a high level.”

“Especially me, I’m able to learn a lot from just being in this role. Learning from the drivers who have a lot of experience, and the teams who have a lot of experience as well and operate at a very high level.”

A Step Sideways, Not Down

We’ve already seen an example of a successful switch in the case of André Lotterer. After concluding his final season with Andretti and choosing to prioritise endurance racing over Formula E, he went on to win the 2024 WEC Drivers’ Championship alongside Laurens Vanthoor and Kevin Estre. So, leaving Formula E isn’t necessarily a step down.

But as always in motorsport, only time will tell — especially as we wait for the provisional calendars to be released.