Pascal Wehrlein of the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team steered his 99X Electric GEN3 car to two wins over two days at the 2023 CORE Diriyah E-Prix, once again pipping Avalanche Andretti Formula E Team driver Jake Dennis to the line, while Rene Rast secured a first podium for NEOM McLaren in Formula E.
Qualifying in fifth rather than ninth in the first day’s race (Round 2), Wehrlein made things easier on himself ahead of Round 3 under the bright lights of Diriyah, venue of the street circuit in Saudi Arabia for the all-electric Formula E series. This year, the more than 35,000 fans who attended the race weekend saw the Middle-Eastern debut for the all-new GEN3 car – the world’s fastest, lightest, most powerful and efficient electric racing car.
The 2023 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship sees an entirely new generation of all-electric single-seater racing cars, dubbed ‘Gen3’. This third generation of racing cars for the series, which has completed 8 seasons, will be the fastest and most advanced ever, designed and optimised specifically for street racing.
Among the entrants is the Jaguar TCS Racing team which will enter its new Jaguar I-TYPE 6, the most advanced and most efficient electrically-powered Jaguar racing car ever. Lighter, more powerful and faster than the Gen2 racing car used by the team in earlier seasons, the I-TYPE 6 will set new performance benchmarks for an all-electric racing car with a top speed of 322 km/h.
It was not surprising that Nissan was the first Japanese carmaker to enter Formula E, the all-electric single-seater championship series. After all, the carmaker could be considered the pioneer in starting mass production of electric vehicles (EVs) with its LEAF. However, when it first participated in 2018, the fifth season of the series, it did so with the e.dams team.
Following its entry that year, the team was a regular each season and in March 2021, Nissan confirmed further commitment to Formula E until the end of Season 12 (2025/26). Earlier this year, Nissan decided it was ready to take on a direct involvement in the team and acquired it in April. It finished off the season with the Gen2 racing car as the all-new Gen3 version was being developed for 2023.
Season 9 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship – the series for all-electric single-seaters – will see big changes when it starts in January 2023. Not only will the new Gen3 racing cars be used for the first time but there will also be new teams, new sporting formats, new venues – and even a new Formula E sound.
The inaugural championship was run in 2014/2015 with the first race held in Beijing, China. As more venues were added with each season and the series had met the criteria of having 4 manufacturer competitors and races on 3 continents, it was granted World Championship status by the FIA.
As reported last year, McLaren Racing will join Formula E and Extreme E, the two series which run all-electric racing cars. The team for Extreme E has already started competing in the second season which started earlier this year, and next year, McLaren Racing will enter the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in its ninth season.
Acquiring championship-winning team
The McLaren Formula E Team will be formed through the acquisition of the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team, expected to complete later this year, following agreement between McLaren Racing and Mercedes-Benz. The Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team won last year’s championship and will exit at the end of this season.
Ian James, Team Principal of the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team, will continue to lead the team, enabling a smooth transition as the team prepares to join the series which will be using the new Gen3 cars.
McLaren Racing will have a ‘ready-to-race’ team when it takes over the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team which is in its final season this year. The German team won Season 7 of championship last year.
McLaren Racing’s participation is said to be squarely aimed at accelerating the organisation’s understanding of EV technology as part of their sustainability journey while reaching a new, more diverse global audience.
More manufacturers joining Formula E
McLaren will join the growing number of car manufacturers such as Porsche, Jaguar, Maserati, Nissan and DS in the series which continues to become more popular. However, it is not the first involvement by the organisation as McLaren Applied (a subsidiary) has been Formula E’s exclusive Gen2 battery supplier under a 4-season contract.
“McLaren Racing always seeks to compete against the best and on the leading edge of technology, providing our fans, partners and people with new ways to be excited, entertained and inspired,” said Zak Brown, McLaren Racing CEO. “Formula E, like all our racing series, fulfils all those criteria. As with all forms of the sport we participate in, Formula E has racing at the centre but will be strategically, commercially and technically additive to McLaren Racing overall.”
“I firmly believe that Formula E will give McLaren Racing a competitive advantage through greater understanding of EV racing, while providing a point of difference to our fans, partners and people, and continuing to drive us along our sustainability pathway,” he added.
McLaren is among the great names in motorsport, collecting 20 Formula 1 World Championship titles and more than 180 Grand Prix wins since the team was founded by Bruce McLaren in 1963. In addition to Formula 1 racing, it has three Indianapolis 500 victories and won the Le Mans 24 Hours at the first attempt.
McLaren Racing has been taking part in Formula 1 since 1966 and this year, it also entered the Extreme E all-electric off-road series (below).
In Formula 1, it was also the first team to be awarded FIA Three-Star Accreditation for sustainability and is a signatory to the UNFCCC Sport for Climate Action framework established to drive the climate agenda in the sports industry.
For Formula E Founder and Chairman, Alejandro Agag, McLaren’s arrival is the culmination of a long-term objective, and the beginning of an exciting new chapter. “I wanted McLaren to be part of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship since Season 1, and I’m delighted we finally made it happen. But it is so much more than just deciding to go racing. Being part of Formula E signals a strategic investment in the future of electric vehicle development. I welcome Zak’s belief that Formula E provides a cutting-edge environment for a proven innovator like McLaren to accelerate their EV experience and performance,” he said.
New generation of electric racing cars
The Gen3 racing cars will be used from the 2022/23 season, bringing performance and efficiency advances including more powerful, lighter cars and faster charging as well as a set of technical and financial controls aimed at reinforcing the business case for Formula E’s ecosystem of teams and manufacturers.
With more automotive manufacturers on the grid than any other motorsport, the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is not only one of the most compelling racing series on the planet but also an unparalleled proving ground for race-to-road electric vehicle and sustainable mobility technologies.
Season 9 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, which will run in 2023, will see all-new racing cars being used in the fully electric single-seater series. Referred to as Gen3, signifying them as third generation designs, the cars are designed and optimised specifically for street racing.
Developed by engineers and sustainability experts at the FIA and Formula E, the Gen3 is intended to show the world that high performance and sustainability can co-exist without compromise. At the same time, cutting-edge technologies (especially for electric vehicles), that are developed for the racing cars will eventually transfer to road-going production models.
While aerodynamic development programs have been central to driving incremental improvement in motorsport for decades, the Gen3 propels software engineering forwards as a new battleground for motorsport innovation and competition. Performance upgrades to the Gen3 will be delivered as software updates directly to the advanced operating system built into each car.
With a disruptive design inspired by the aerodynamic form of a fighter jet, this will be the fastest Formula E car yet, capable of over 322 km/h. Yet it will also be the most efficient formula racing car ever: more than 40% of the energy used within a race will be produced by regenerative braking. The powerful electric motors will have around 95% power efficiency as it generates up to 350 kW (equivalent to 470 ps), compared to approximately 40% for an internal combustion engine.
This will also be the first-ever formula car with both front and rear powertrains. A new front powertrain adds 250 kW to the 350kW at the rear, more than doubling the regenerative capability of the current Gen2 to a total of 600 kW. There is ultra-high speed charging capability of 600 kW for additional energy during a race, almost double the power of the most advanced commercial chargers in the world. There will be no rear hydraulic brakes with the addition of the front powertrain and its regenerative capability.
Linen and recycled carbonfibre will be used in bodywork construction for the first time in a formula car featuring recycled carbonfibre from retired Gen2 cars and reducing the overall amount of virgin carbonfibre used. This will reduce the carbon footprint of the production of the Gen3 bodywork more than 10%. All waste carbonfibre will be reused for new applications through adoption of an innovative process from the aviation industry.
Natural rubber and recycled fibres will make up 26% of new Gen3 tyres and all tyres will be fully recycled after racing. Only sustainably-sourced minerals will be used and battery cells will be reused and recycled at end of life.
The carbon footprint of the Gen3 has been measured from the design phase to inform all reduction measures taken to reduce environmental impact, while all unavoidable emissions will be offset as part of Formula E’s net zero carbon commitment.
Seven automakers have registered with the FIA to race the new Gen3 in Season 9. They are DS Automobiles, Jaguar, Mahindra, Maserati, NIO, Nissan and Porsche.
“Both technologically and environmentally, Gen3 sets new standards in the sport. The FIA and Formula E development teams have done a superb job, and I thank them for their hard work on this project. I am delighted to see so many leading manufacturers already signed up to the championship’s next era and await Gen3’s competitive debut in Season 9 with great anticipation,” said Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the FIA.
Formula E Gen1 racing car (above) and Gen2 (below), which is currently used in the final season this year.
|Photographer: Wiebke Langebeck|Event: Preseason Testing|Circuit: Circuit Ricardo Tormo|Location: Valencia|Series: FIA Formula E|Season: 2021-2022|Country: Spain|Keyword: season 8|Keyword: season eight|Keyword: S8|Keyword: motorsport|Keyword: electric racing|Keyword: single seater|Keyword: open wheel|Keyword: 2021|Driver: Sebastien Buemi|Team: Nissan e.dams|Number: 23|Car: Nissan IM03|Car: Spark SRT05e|
Just as this year’s Formula 1 season sees major changes in technical regulations (including change in tyre sizes) that have required the teams to redesign their cars, Formula E – the all-electric single seater series that has been upgraded to World Championship status – will also see a similar change in 2023 which will be Season 9.
While the first season saw all the teams being supplied the same car (Spark-Renault SRT_01E), subsequent seasons allowed each team to further develop the electric motor, gearbox and suspension. The chassis for the Gen2 racing cars was maintained as a single type, produced by Spark Racing Technology, so that costs would be kept low.
A Gen1 Formula E racing car at Putrajaya in 2014, the only time a Formula E round has been held in Malaysia.
Evo version of the Gen2 racing car in Mexico this year.
The Gen2 cars run their final season this year, after which will come the new Gen 3 cars. The organisers will unveil the new car at the Yacht Club de Monaco on April 28 prior to the 2022 Monaco E-Prix.
The teams will be able to take a close look at the racing car while fans around the world will be able to watch via championship’s digital channels. While the world will see the Gen3 race car for the first time, Formula E has its sights further into the future of the series. In Monaco, Formula E and the FIA will host a roundtable event bringing together leaders from manufacturers across the automotive sector. This summit will focus on the potential innovations and technology roadmaps for the Gen4 era as Formula E affirms its position as the pinnacle of electric mobility development and racing.
“Formula E’s Gen3 race car represents a leap forward for motorsport and electric mobility,” said Jamie Reigle, CEO of Formula E. “Designed to demonstrate that high performance, efficiency and sustainability can be packaged together without compromise, the Gen3 car is our most powerful, lightest, and fastest racing car to date. We look forward to finally taking the covers off the Gen3 in Monaco, a location steeped in motor racing history, and seeing the car light up city streets around the world next season.”
The Gen3 car will show the impressive progress in EV development achieved in the championship. Formula E has worked closely with the FIA and industry-leading engineers and experts in sustainability to ensure the Gen3 will also set the benchmark for sustainability in high performance racing cars. The car is the first Formula car aligned to Life Cycle Thinking, with a designed second life for tyres, broken parts and battery cells. Additionally, the Gen3 will be net-zero carbon – reinforcing Formula E’s status as the first sports series to be net-zero carbon from inception.
Overview of technical details
Formula E has now provided this overview of the new racing car’s technical details:
An electric motor delivering up to 350 kw of power (equivalent to 470 bhp), giving a top speed of 320 km/h, with a power-to-weight ratio that is twice as efficient as an equivalent 470 bhp internal combustion engine.
At least 40% of the energy used within a race will be produced by regenerative braking during the race.
The first Formula car with both front and rear powertrains. The new front powertrain adds 250 kW to the 350 kW at the rear, more than doubling the regenerative capability of the current Gen2 to a total of 600 kW.
The first Formula car that will not feature rear hydraulic brakes due to the addition of the front powertrain and its regenerative capability.
Lighter and smaller than the Gen2, it will be faster and more agile.
“The arrival of the Gen3 is the latest momentous step of an incredible journey for the championship,” said Alejandro Agag, Formula E Founder & Chairman. “We have come a long way – as electric vehicles have – in less than a decade. And we are not stopping as we bring together industry leaders to imagine the possibilities of the future of all-electric single-seater motorsport.”
