Bursting onto the scene, the young Dutchman Robin Frijns was clearly blessed with a talent for consistent results and a bold driving style. The Dutchman has jumped from team to team yet that elusive world championship seems to have eluded him so far.
Early Career
Frijns grew up in the picturesque, Dutch town of Maastricht located on the southernmost tip of the Netherlands. With no local circuit and a seemingly uninterested family, it took a family friend to inspire Frijns to start racing.
It became apparent that this was Frijns’ calling as he progressed through the single-seater ranks, securing a plethora of trophies. The 2012 season saw the Dutchman stamp his mark on international racing as he won the 2012 World Series by Renault 3.5 on his first attempt something only he and Robert Kubica can claim.
Formula One career
He finally got his first taste of Formula One machinery as he tested for both Sauber and Red Bull in the 2012 Abu Dhabi rookie test. Following his success in the junior series, Frijns got the chance to be the Sauber F1 reserve driver for 2013.
Alongside his F1 duties, the Dutchman claimed a race win in GP2 amid a field that consisted of drivers such as Marcus Ericsson and Jolyon Palmer. As a result the following season he was signed as the Caterham F1 reserve driver.
As Caterham bowed out of Formula One the following season, Frijns was on the move again and he made the jump to GT racing for the 2015 season. A fruitful move, as the Dutchman claimed the Blancpain GT title in his debut year.
Early Formula E years
Despite a rewarding 2015 season, the 22-year-old made the jump to Formula E for Season 2 with Andretti.
With Formula E still evolving, Frijns managed to claim seven-point finishes across his debut season including a podium in Putrajaya. While not in direct contention for the world championship Frijns had established himself early on as one to watch.
The following year saw Frijns stick with the Andretti outfit. But, despite a points finish in round 1, the top ten eluded the Dutchman for the majority of the season.
Instead of Formula E, Frijns made the switch to DTM driving for Audi Sport in 2018.
His break didn’t last long though and Frijns was back in Formula E, this time with Envision Racing.
It was as if he had never left the series, Frijns claimed four podiums and two race wins. Arguably, had it not been for the back-to-back retirements in Bern and New York, Frijns could have contested the championship further. However, he ended the season fourth, 30 points off champion Jean-Eric Vergne.
Sticking with Envision, Frijns was hopeful for a championship charge in Season 6. But five retirements overshadowed his four-point finishes in a reliability-plagued season for Frijns.
Despite this, he maintained faith in the British team and stuck with the Silverstone based outfit. While the team sorted its reliability issues, the team’s pace was poor and Frijns ended the season 100 points off the top spot. To add to his pain, he was beaten by teammate Sam Bird in the championship.
The following season proved to be his last with the Envision outfit. After a seventh-place finish in the championship, the Dutchman opted for the rebranded ABT Cupra Formula E team.
GEN3 Formula E era
But an awful opening race saw Frijns sufferer a broken hand. As a result, Frijns had to miss the following five races. He returned for Round 6 in Cape Town but his season had already been tarnished. The highlight of the season was being on pole in Berlin, a position he couldn’t reciprocate into a win. Just two-point finishes all season meant he propped up the championship in last place.
One season at ABT Cupra proved enough and the Dutchman returned to his old team Envision.
Optimism was high for Season 10, especially following Round 3 as the Maastricht-born driver claimed second place. Frijns was now in seventh place and in firm championship contention.
Yet this hope fizzled out as the season progressed and a string of poor results, alleviated by two back-to-back podiums in the penultimate trip of the year, meant he rounded the season off in ninth place.
Current Formula E season
The start to Season 11 has proved challenging for Frijns and his British outfit. A DNS in the opening race in Brazil, followed by a pointless finish in Mexico City means the Dutchman remains at the tail end of the championship order.
With teammate Sebastian Buemi sitting thirteenth in the championship standings, there is still hope for Frijns .
For now the world championship trophy has eluded him but the veteran is still at the peak of his career. Provided his team can supply a competitive car, there is no reason as to why he can’t return to the top of the order.
Formula E returns for a doubleheader in Jeddah on the 14th of February. Frijns will be looking to secure his first points of the campaign and start a charge-up the order.