Category: Formula E

Formula E has started a promotional campaign, declaring “It’s On” ahead of its landmark 10th season.

The lighthearted campaign, a result of a collaboration between Formula E and Uncommon Creative Studio, showcases highlights from Season 9, as well as dropping a number of easter eggs relating to the series and the upcoming season.

It begins with a short film set in a Tokyo antique store, highlighting the upcoming races in the Japanese capital which will mark the first time an FIA World Championship series has raced there.

“The ‘It’s On’ campaign captures what makes Formula E so special,” said Jeff Dodds, Formula E’s chief executive officer. “It’s more than a line, it’s a bold promise of another season of high drama and high excitement motorsport.

“Season 10 is another step towards defining the future of motorsport as we set new standards of innovation, whilst showcasing our commitment to sustainable, high-performance racing. As the only sport certified net zero carbon since inception, we uniquely show the world that high performance motorsport and sustainability can powerfully co-exist.”

Henry Chilcott, Formula E’s chief marketing officer, added: “With eight different champions in nine seasons and a world championship title race that has gone down to the last race weekend for the last three seasons, Formula E delivers the world’s most competitive motorsport.

“In our 10th anniversary year, this campaign celebrates our championships’ fiercely competitive DNA and invites motorsport fans all over the world to experience Formula E and see what true competition looks like. Season 10. It’s on.”

Formula E’s 10th season will kick-off in Mexico City on January 13.

Formula E might only be in the second year of its Gen3 formula, but attention is already turning to what will come next with the announcement of suppliers for the all-electric series’ four iteration of car.

The Gen4 car, which will be introduced at the start the series’ 13th season in 2026-27, will follow the experimental GENBETA car (pictured above) that was showcased earlier this year. That car, effectively an “unlocked” Gen3 car featured an increased battery output of 400kW (up from 350kW), a new softer racer tire that warmed up quicker and offered increased peak grip, and 3D printed bodywork elements.

“GEN3 brings a host of innovations, but we’re committed to going a step beyond. We’re already thinking of the evolution we can bring through the four-year cycle,” FIA technical manager and GEN3 Project Lead Alessandra Ciliberti said upon the Gen3 cars launch last year. “We’re investigating using the front powertrain kit in traction as well as regen to allow for four-wheel drive-in specific scenarios and then looking even further to GEN4 we have to ensure Formula E remains at the forefront as the laboratory for future mobility.

“We will work through and understand the challenges the manufacturers face from a technical perspective to make sure it remains the perfect platform for them.”

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Gen4 will once again be produced by Spark Racing Technologies, who have built the chassis for each generation so far.

Batteries, however, will come from Podium Advanced Technologies, replacing WAE. The Italian company has extensive motorsport experience, including working with Glickenhaus on its Nurburgring and Le Mans Hypercar projects. Marelli will continue to work with Formula E in supplying the front powertrain to all teams, the rear again being supplied by individual OEMs.

Formula E has firmed up the calendar for its upcoming 10th season, expanding its U.S. event into a doubleheader and confirming the location for the planned twin-bill in Italy.

After racing on the streets of Rome since 2018 (except for 2020 when the COVID19 pandemic forced its absence), Formula E will move to Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in the Emilia-Romagna region.

“We are excited to race at the historic Misano track for the first time and introduce the huge local motorsport fan base to Formula E’s uniquely competitive racing,” said Alberto Longo, co-founder and chief championship officer of Formula E. “Everyone associated with the track and region has been incredibly enthusiastic in welcoming Formula E to the area, and I would like to thank them for their support.”

Misano will be one of four permanent tracks on the street circuit-centric series’ schedule next season, with Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City hosting the season opener, the Shanghai International Circuit hosting the series’ return to China, and Portland International Raceway (pictured above) again the location for the series’ only U.S. visit.

However, the Portland event will be expanded to a doubleheader — one of five on the schedule — creating a 17-race calendar, the longest in Formula E history.

“Formula E delivers street racing better than anyone, and our final season 10 calendar presents the ultimate challenge for teams and drivers in the second year of the GEN3 race car with the perfect blend of iconic street circuits and established tracks,” said Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds. “Misano will be a great new experience for everyone, while the additional race in Portland signifies our ongoing commitment to the US market alongside the potential for growth in the region.”

2024 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship calendar

Round 1. Mexico City, Mexico – January 13
Round 2 & 3. Diriyah, Saudi Arabia – January 26-27
Round 4. Hyderabad, India – February 10
Round 5. Sao Paulo, Brazil – March 16
Round 6. Tokyo, Japan – March 30
Round 7 & 8. Misano, Italy – April 13-14
Round 9. Monaco – April 27
Round 10 & 11. Berlin, Germany – May 11-12
Round 12 & 13. Shanghai, China – May 25-26
Round 14 & 15. Portland, Ore. – June 29-30
Round 16 & 17. London, UK – July 20-21

Formula E will begin its tenth season by attending the United Nations’ COP28 Climate Change Conference in Dubai from November 30 until December 12 in a bid to persuade other sports to follow its lead on sustainability.

The open-wheel series was the first in motorsport to embrace all-electric drivetrains in 2014, and became a fully-fledged FIA world championship by its seventh season. In 2020 it became the first sport of any kind in the world to have its emissions reductions targets validated by the Science Based Target Initiative (SBTi), and is on course to achieve that target (a 45 percent overall reduction) by 2030.

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Now, a delegation representing the series, its team, and partners will attend the UN summit to call on other elite sport leaders to “give it everything” in their sustainability efforts.

“Elite sport reaches a global audience of billions every week,” said Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds. “Athletes are among the most-followed and influential people on the planet. Collectively, we have the potential to make positive changes for a more sustainable future and encourage fans to do the same. To use popular football manager parlance, we need to ‘give it everything’.”

Formula E’s first race in 2014 took place in Beijing, and will return to China in the upcoming season for the Shanghai ePrix. In the time since that inaugural race, Formula E cars have become 75 percent more powerful, with half of the energy used in the current car – which debuted last season – coming from regenerative braking. The series has also done away with mid-race car changes (since 2018), and will introduce fast charging mid-race this season, putting the series at the forefront of electric mobility development.

But Formula E hasn’t just been about sustainability and technology development – it has been able to back both of those things up with a quality sporting product, too. Last season saw Formula E break every one of its records for overtakes, lap times, and speeds achieved in races.

Formula E hasn’t even raced in Tokyo yet, but it is already eyeing a second race in the Japanese capital. The first Tokyo ePrix will take place on March 30, 2024, but a preliminary date of May 17, 2025 has already been targeted for season 11.

Like the upcoming Season 10 event, the second Tokyo ePrix will be hosted in cooperation with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and will help the city promote its aim of banning new combustion vehicles from 2030.

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A Tokyo ePrix has long been in the works, with the city being among the first to express an interest in hosting a race of the all-electric series when it debuted in 2013. The news of it already locking in a second event comes as the track layout for the first Tokyo ePrix was revealed.

“We are excited to unveil the track for the inaugural Tokyo ePrix and are confident it will create a unique challenge for the 22 drivers in Formula E to showcase their elite driving skills and give fans in Tokyo an experience they will never forget,” said Alberto Longo, co-founder and chief championship officer of Formula E. “We are honored to be the first motorsport world championship to race on the streets of Tokyo.”

The 2023-24 Formula E season officially began last month with a four-day test in Valencia, but the first race won’t take place until January 13 in Mexico City.

From then, a double-header event will take place on the streets of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia two weeks later, followed by trips to Hyderabad in India and Sao Paulo Brazil before the inaugural Tokyo race.

Afterwards another double-header event will take place at a yet-to-be announced location in Italy, with rounds in Monaco and back-to-back double-headers in Berlin, Germany and Shanghai, China following. The season will conclude with a round in Portland, Oregon, and two races in the UK and London’s ExCeL.