Vernon Kay picks Formula E drivers to watch in 2019/20: "He's like a pitbull!"

Defending champion Jean-Eric Vergne is back to defend his title this year, but he isn't the only driver eyeing up the grand prize.

TV presenter Vernon Kay is backing Vergne to enjoy a strong season as well as picking out some of the drivers you should look out for.

In an exclusive chat with RadioTimes.com, he said: "We have a broad spectrum of drivers, a lot who come from single-seater racing, from Formula 3 and Formula 1.

"We've also got a handful who do endurance racing in the touring cars, DTM and WEC and all that kind of stuff, so we have a lot of drivers with different types of skill-sets.

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"For me the drivers to look out for are the likes of Jean-Eric Vergne or Andre Lotterer, Vergne's team-mate at Techeetah, who has now gone over to the new Team Porsche.

"It's those guys – the wily, old foxes – who are the ones to look out for because they've been here before.

"You've also got Sam Bird, a veteran of Ferrari touring cars and single-seater racing and he's always in the mix.

"He's like a pitbull, he always likes to get stuck in, get involved, and he's got an aggressive yet finessed driving style."

From one end of the age scale to the other, Kay picked out a string of younger drivers threatening to upset the odds in 2019/20.

He said: "Last year we had a handful of young drivers coming into it. Pascal Wehrlein at Mahindra is this real young, plucky driver who brings his own aggressive style.

"There's Oliver Rowland at Nissan whose rookie season last year was phenomenal.

"And then Alex Sims at BMW, another great driver, another young British lad to look out for."

Kay believes the similarity of every car in Formula E makes for a fantastic spectacle, and puts pressure firmly on the drivers to perform if they are to emerge victorious.

"I'm competitive, I hate losing, the reason why Formula E drew me in is because the drivers actually race – the drivers actually compete.

"They have got to be better than their opponent. It's not about how much more brake horsepower they can develop out of the engine because everyone's car is the same."

Season six kicks off with a double-header in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia on Friday 22nd November and Saturday 23rd November. The races will be live on the BBC Red Button, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website from 11:30am-1:00pm GMT.

Experience the thrill of electric racing at Formula E’s season finale on the 25th and 26th July 2020 at ExCel London. Tickets on sale now at: www.FIAFormulaE.com/london