Analysis: Why Di Grassi is the key to the Formula E driver market

Paris last weekend was a hive of activity, with more than one current driver paying a visit to Motorsport.com to see what might be the latest movement in the driver market.

As one team boss remarked: "You can tell the silly season has officially opened because Julian [Jakobi, manager to Jean-Eric Vergne and Sebastien Buemi] is in the paddock!"

The questions were bouncing off the tight paddock walls that partitioned the Avenue des Invalides: Just how many offers has Antonio Felix da Costa had? Were Jaguar testing the week after Paris? Who was the British driver yet to race in Formula E that had multiple offers?

When would the Andretti-BMW deal become public? Has DS Virgin already made up its mind to replace Vergne? Were Neel Jani and Pipo Derani really there just as tourists? Which other team was Magneti Marelli supplying in season three?

Inevitably, there were more questions than answers.

The biggest surprise, however, came when Motorsport.com chatted to Audi-contracted Lucas di Grassi on Friday afternoon and the championship leader was open in his fluid plans for next season.

It will perplex many to imagine di Grassi racing for anyone other than ABT in Formula E next season. But the Brazilian has been arguably the most consistent performer in the series so far and is a man in high demand.

Also, as brutal as it sounds, he could end the season being denied another title because of a mistake by his team. So, in the hard-nosed world of international motorsport should we really be surprised that he is weighing up his options?

After the Mexican disqualification, di Grassi was publically cool and professional, but privately he seethed after seeing another 25-point haul disappear.

With Sebastien Buemi and the Renault e.dams team having thrown away their own big points at both Buenos Aires and Long Beach, di Grassi had to make hay in order to negate the clear performance advantage that the Renault enjoys at most circuits.

Late-night events in Mexico could, like Berlin last season, therefore come to be one of the defining moments of the season two campaign.

Of course, the ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport squad and di Grassi laid to rest at least a part of the Mexico City nightmare by fighting back supremely at Long Beach, and made it back-to-back wins with last weekend’s Paris triumph to pull 11 points clear of Buemi in the title chase.

The ABT team is among the best in the championship, and has proved it on many occasions. So, what to make of di Grassi’s comments? A thinly veiled reminder to his team, or merely a call to arms for a rival to get him on board?

The silly season in Formula E is in full swing. It was Felix da Costa who had previously appeared to be the lynchpin in the driver market, with multiple offers coming in to secure the Portuguese driver's services for the 2016/17 season.

But now, with di Grassi’s looking at alternative potential programmes, the musical chairs could be set for an even more frenetic shuffling.