Gen4
Formula E Notebook (FEN) has discovered some details of the look that the Gen4 car will feature from the 2026/27 season onwards. The design will include a longer than usual nose and will be an open wheel design, despite rumours that the car might return to the closed-wheel look of its Gen2 predecessor.
FEN can also reveal that the first specification of Gen4 Bridgestone tyre has already been circuit tested on a ‘mule’ single-seater car in Europe recently. The test is believed to have been completed in Spain last month but no further details are known on mileage, the driver conducting the test or the specific car that the rubber was tested on. The Japanese company will return to top-line international single-seater racing since it left F1 in 2011. Engineers from Bridgestone were in the Formula E paddock throughout last season gaining knowledge of Formula E circuits and entrants.
Potential Circuit Returns
Sanya could make a return to the Formula E schedule if recent talks between the holiday resort on Hainan Island in the South China Sea come to fruition. A specially made track on beachland in the southern most city of Hainan hosted a round of the championship in March 2019.
Formula E has also been talking to Cape Town about re-igniting the race that was a sporting success in February 2023 but fell off the calendar in Season 10 due to a financial disaster. Talks were said by one insider to be “moving forward” but that the commercial framework for a deal was “hampered by previous difficulties” and that any notion of a return to the Mother City was not viable in the short-term.
Team News
FEN understands that CUPRA will not be a part of the Abt Lola Yamaha package going forward. The VW Group brand has been a sponsor of the Abt team since 2023 and has close automotive links with the German team. It is believed that CUPRA is exploring options of staying within Formula E via a fresh programme with an alternative operation in 2025.
A new chair of the Formula E Teams and Manufacturers Association will be selected ahead of the Valencia test in November. Out-going chair Ian James has been in the position since 2022 but will hand over to a newly voted in individual to cover the last two seasons of the Gen3 rules set. Secretariat for the last decade, Jim Wright, will stand down from his position and be replaced by an as yet unnamed new administrator.
Maserati MSG is making several changes to its team structure for the new season with current deputy team principal Cyril Blais likely to be promoted to team principal. The MSG element of the entity is continuing its quest for additional investment and/or new ownership ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
Maserati MSG will have a new Head of its motorsport division – Maserati Corse, next month as Maria Conti replaces the outgoing Giovanni Srgo. Conti has been promoted from her position as Chief Communication Officer and will report to Maserati CEO, Davide Grasso and Stellantis Motorsport VP, Jean-Marc Finot.
The decision by Stellantis on whether or not DS Automobiles will continue in Formula E beyond the 2025-26 season has not yet been made public and is not expected until next month at the earliest. A possible switching of brands is believed to have been considered but yet to be approved.
Off Season Testing
In action at Mallorca this week is Sam Bird and Taylor Barnard with the Nissan development Gen3Evo car. Bird ran with headlights on Tuesday morning before dusk as Nissan ran to the regulatory 6 am to 11pm maximum of available testing per manufacturer day.
DS Automobiles tested at the Ales Circuit in the south of France earlier this month with Maximilian Guenther making his first appearance since signing with the DS Penske team. DS continued its Gen3Evo running at the Majorca circuit recently with Guenther and Maserati’s Jake Hughes in attendance. It will conclude its pre-season manufacturer testing prior to Valencia with further running at the Circuit Paul Armagnac in Nogaro, France later this month.
A plethora of other testing sessions have also taken place since London including Porsche completing two days in Varano in late August where Antonio Felix da Costa, Pascal Wehrlein, Jake Dennis and new signing Nico Mueller ran.
Two weeks after this test Nissan, Jaguar and Lola were also in action at the Circuit Ricardo Paletti in Varano with Oliver Rowland and Taylor Barnard in action with the Nissan Gen3Evo, while Jaguar used both its race drivers. Lola had Lucas di Grassi on hand, while recent signing Zane Maloney undertook his first running with the re-born British manufacturer.
Maloney in Formula E
Maloney completed his deal with the team at the beginning of September after Abt ceased talks with sometime DS tester Robert Shwartzman. The team also spoke to Dan Ticktum, Sacha Fenestraz and Frederik Vesti before deciding upon Maloney for the seat alongside di Grassi.
Abt Lola will move on to the Majorca Circuit facility this week where Maloney will get additional running alongside di Grassi. Lola owner Till Bechtolsheimer will be in attendance at the test as the re-born British manufacturer gears up for its return to international motorsport at Sao Paulo in December.
Talking to FEN about his test at Varano, Maloney said that he “came straight from Monza in F2 for the test” and was “really motivated because it’s a new project.
“They (Abt) have been involved in Formula E for a long time, so the base of the team is already well organized,” added Maloney. “The will is there for everyone and the steps that we’re moving forward already are promising. Of course, until we get to round one in Brazil, we don’t know where we where we are, but I can be confident to say that everyone’s putting in the work and very motivated to get the car towards the front at some point.”
Movements in the Paddock
Robin Frijns got his first running in a Gen3Evo car aboard the Jaguar development car at Abingdon Airfield facility this week. The Dutch ace was confirmed as staying with the Silverstone based team for a second season earlier this month along with Sebastien Buemi. Read the back story to the announcement HERE.
Former engineer to Jean-Eric Vergne at DS Techeetah and DS Penske, Thibault Arnal, has joined the Maserati MSG team where he will look after Stoffel Vandoorne next season. New signing Max Guenther is tipped to work with an as yet unnamed new recruit at his Maserati MSG challenge.
Vergne will be engineered by Kyle Wilson-Clarke, who formerly worked with Vandoorne at DS Penske, and prior to that was a long-time collaborator with Pascal Wehrlein at Porsche.
Valencia Pre-Season Test
Envision Racing will run team regular Alice Powell and one other driver at the Valencia session allocated to women on Thursday November 7. At least two other teams are set to run a brace of female talent at the test, which is scheduled for Thursday, November 7 with three hours of running between 2-5pm.
Formula E Personnel
Former F1 and Manchester United marketing chief, Ellie Norman, will take up her position at Formula E Operations at the end of September. She will also oversee a wider team consisting of Marketing and Brand, Communications, Digital and Content.
Formula E are looking at hiring a new Ticketing Sales Director, who will work with Senior Managers and Race Promotion to drive ticket sales in each market that Formula E races in. New positions of Business Development Directors for various markets across the globe may also be created in Formula E. They will have the task to create a business strategy to increase revenues in key markets.
Long-time Formula E Partnership Development Director, David Warren, left his position last summer to head up the Alpine F1 teams marketing department. A former Great British Olympic 800m athlete at the 1980 Moscow games, Warren was instrumental in many of Formula E’s commercial partnership deals over the last decade.
FE and TV
FEN understands that Formula E has been talking to UK terrestrial broadcaster, Channel 5, about a potential re-emergence of races on terrestrial UK TV next season. The independent channel covered the series in seasons three and four (2016-2018) before it was then covered erratically by the BBC and Channel 4.
Formula E is considering whether or not Jermaine Jenas will be kept on as its anchor-man for TV coverage of the 2024-25 season. The ex-Spurs and Newcastle United football player was dismissed by the BBC over a personal misconduct issue in August. Formula E will disclose its TV presentation team in November.
Formula E in the Wider Media
A wide-ranging six page article on Formula E features in this month’s Motor Sport magazine. Written by FEN founder Sam Smith, it details plans to expand Formula E’s media footprint and looks in to Jaguar TCS Racing’s 2024 success. Plans for the Gen4 era of competition are also analysed. More details HERE.
A special two-part podcast from The Race celebrating a decade of Formula E, and featuring guests Jean-Eric Vergne, Sam Bird, Antonio Felix da Costa, Roger Griffiths, Nicki Shields and former commentator Jack Nicholls is available to listen to HERE.
