Gen4 Testing Latest
Manufacturers continued testing at the Navarra circuit in northern Spain last month with Jaguar, Stellantis and Nissan sharing the track across two days. Stoffel Vandoorne was in action for the ‘Big Cat’ while Nick Cassidy and Jean-Eric Vergne ran for Stellantis.
Victor Martins and Sam Bird were on hand for Nissan, with Martins getting his first running with the Japanese manufacturer since the Jarama rookie test in March. Nissan is believed to have an option on Martins for next season and the current Alpine WEC driver could be in the frame for the second seat alongside Oliver Rowland for the 2026-27 season.
Lola Yamaha returned to the test track between Sanya and Shanghai with a test at the Circuit Ricardo Paletti at Varano. FEN has learned that the teams occasional test driver Hugh Barter completed the test prior to further pre homologation running after Shanghai.
Mahindra – Further Gen4 delays
Mahindra is facing a delay and a subsequent race against time in getting its Gen4 car up and running after a key supplier issue shifted plans to get the project active on track. A planned June shakedown has now been wound back to mid-July at the earliest for the Indian manufacturer’s Gen4 car, which is already well behind testing schedule. All other manufacturers first ran their cars last November with some having now completed 8-10 days of running with their development cars.
Current Mahindra driver Nyck de Vries told FEN in Shanghai that he was “not really so involved,” at the moment with the much delayed Gen4 project. “The race team is very much focusing on what we are doing today and maximising the finishing position in the current season and I have full faith and confidence the team will deliver a good car when it comes.”
Volpe and Nissan Fume
Nissan were left furious after being hit by a grid penalty ahead of Saturday’s race for Norman Nato after he was turfed off the road by Pascal Wehrlein in Sanya. The Porsche driver received a five-second penalty for the incident, a decision which has left Nissan Formula E Team boss Tommaso Volpe openly questioning the structure of penalties.
To read his opinions on the controversy click HERE
Regs Amends for Season 13
The FIA, in amended Season 13 sporting regulations, have specified that the aerodynamic configurations that must be used for races next season will be notified at least three weeks before the event.
Power will be limited to 450 kW, with 600kW permitted in Attack Mode, and 700 kW of energy recuperation will be allowed, via 350kW at the front and rear axles of the car.
For races with the PitBoost, the FIA publishes a table in advance detailing the maximum energy amounts that can be charged. Each energy amount is linked to a minimum charging time. The number of available options is determined by the FIA. Before entering the pit lane, the driver must select the desired energy charge amount using the steering wheel. This selection cannot be changed once the charger is connected.
If the usable energy is depleted, the power output must be reduced to 0 kW. In pit-boost races, the total energy used naturally depends on which option the driver chose during the pit stop.
27.8 In accordance with Article 7.5 of the Technical Regulations, the maximum net energy that can be supplied to the MGU via the Rechargeable Energy Storage System (RESS) is defined in accordance with the Bulletin published by the Stewards at each Competition and, in races with Pit Boost, in accordance with the energy quantity selected for the Pit Boost.
The new outlines also state that ‘once this value is reached, the maximum power must go to zero (0) kW the “rain” light and the “ready-to-move” light must blink as soon as the power is cut. After the car crosses the Finish/Control line, and following the agreement of the Race Director, the driver must be able to re-activate the MGU power to follow their race in the first case or go back to the pits in the second case.’
TV go home?
The future of how Formula E’s TV coverage will be produced is reaching boiling point as a decision on who has won a new four year contract (believed to be for two years followed by a two year option on Formula E’s side) is said to be imminent.
FEN has discovered that ITV considered entering a bid to pitch for the deal but ultimately didn’t, while the former England and Manchester United footballer Gary Neville’s Buzz16 company is believed to have shown strong interest in the deal too, although it is not known if they ultimately submitted a final pitch.
The favourites to land the deal are current broadcasters Aurora Media Worldwide and Whisper TV, who both entered a tender for the deal, which is believed to have been considered last month. A decision is said to have been made internally in recent days. The deal is essentially broken down in to three parts: the Host broadcast producer, the English language producer and a ’versions’ producer (non-English speaking territories).
Drugo’s View
Felipe Drugovich discussed his first full Formula E season with FE TV’s Alexa Rendell recently, with the Brazilian saying that his early season efforts “were not clicking, and anything I was trying, I was probably doing the opposite of what should have been doing,” said the Andretti driver. “ And this is not a great feeling as a driver, to see this weekend after weekend. You try something different, then it doesn’t work, and then you say, ‘ok, I need to do that for the next race’, and then you do that, and it doesn’t work either. So, it was kind of that spiral, and I prefer to do all the mistakes at the beginning, rather than actually making them later on.”
Formula E Honoured by MIA
Formula E picked up the MIA Business Excellence Award at the annual MIA awards, which was celebrated at the House of Lords, Westminster late last month. Formula E CEO, Jeff Dodds, accepted the award and said that “this recognition is a testament to the many talented people across Formula E who continue to challenge convention, push boundaries and work tirelessly to grow the championship around the world.”
“Motorsport remains one of the world’s most innovative industries, combining engineering excellence, technology, sustainability and human performance in a way that few others can. It is a privilege to play a role in helping shape its future.”
AVL and ORECA tie-up
FEN founding partner AVL RACETECH has announced that it will and enter into a technical partnership with renowned constructor and motorsport technology company ORECA Motorsport in the field of advanced vehicle simulation. The collaboration focuses on ‘integrating the AVL VSM™ RACE vehicle simulation platform into the development of current and future ORECA race cars’ starting with the LMP2 platform and the transition from the ORECA 07 to the next-generation ORECA 09 for a 2028 debut.
Talking about the deal, Guillermo F. Pezzetto, Director Product and Business Development Racing, AVL List GmbH said: “We are proud to announce our technical cooperation with ORECA, a globally recognized leader and one of the most iconic names in modern motorsport. This partnership, centred on advanced vehicle dynamics simulation, is a clear testament to our long-term commitment to being present and competitive at the very pinnacle of motorsport engineering.
“From professional desktop simulation environments to state-of-the-art Driver in the Loop solutions, this collaboration is designed to deliver tangible, measurable impact. It will accelerate ORECA’s development cycles, significantly reduce engineering risk, and continuously elevate the performance standard of every race car that carries the ORECA name”.
Spéirling PURE is here!
McMurty Automotive, the creators of the McMurty Spéirling car that has held the Goodwood Festival hillclimb record since 2021, has revealed the production form of its single-seater, electric hyper track car – the Spéirling PURE. The company states that the car has been ‘designed from the outset in the name of unfiltered driving exhilaration and fun, and with 95% new components compared to prototype models, the Spéirling PURE delivers truly accessible F1-level performance that any driver can enjoy, with a strong focus on a plug-and-play ownership experience.’
Delegates from McMurty attended the Miami EPrix in January and are believed to keep an open dialogue with Formula E regarding possible future partnerships.
For more click HERE
Lola welcomes TAKASAGO, LTD
Lola Yamaha ABT have announced TAKASAGO, LTD, part of the Anritsu group, as a partner of the team until the end of Season 14 (2027-28).
Headquartered in Japan, TAKASAGO, LTD. a group company of Anritsu is a cutting-edge industrial power supply manufacturer, utilising its unique technology to freely control high-voltage, large-capacity electrical energy. It also provides solutions that support the development of EV powertrains, fuel cells and renewable energy optimisation.
Lola said that ‘the collaboration highlights the commitment both Lola Cars and TAKASAGO have to developing solutions that shape future technologies, leveraging the platform of Formula E to accelerate innovation on and off track.’
FE and London Climate Action Week
The 2026 London Climate Action week took place late last month with Formula E and Liberty Global significantly involved in spreading awareness of the Climate Crisis with events in the UK’s including the ‘Change. Accelerated. Live’ initiative.
At the Climate Security Forum, MP Kate White, announced the UK’s first Climate Security Taskforce to strengthen climate security. The forum also saw the launch of the Home Front Report – co-authored by E3G and Kings College London’s Department of War Studies – reframing domestic energy efficiency and decarbonisation as core matters of national security.
Meanwhile, the Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, delivered a keynote address on the policies, partnerships and technologies needed to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon future.
‘Change. Accelerated. Live’, which was attended by FEN, brought together Formula E teams, industry partners, transport leaders, infrastructure operators and policymakers for an afternoon of insight, debate and collaboration at the intersection of innovation and climate action.
Envision’s biggest ever climate pledge
Envision Racing is targeting an 8 million tonnes of CO₂e avoidance through direct fan action, alongside its 500,000-mangrove restoration commitment in the Indian Sundarbans region.
The announcement was made during a demonstration from Envision driver Sébastien Buemi on the streets of Shanghai ahead of the Shanghai EPrixs this weekend. The new target ‘builds on Envision Racing’s long-standing commitment to using motorsport as a platform for positive environmental action.’
Through Sustainable Chain, the team is encouraging fans around the world to take practical climate actions in their everyday lives, demonstrating how individual actions can create meaningful collective impact.
For more on the programme click HERE
