Additional running, via a behind closed doors test at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, is planned by Formula E Teams and Manufacturers prior to the official public test at Jarama in mid-November.
Formula E Notebook has learned that at least a full day of testing at the Valencia track is being planned in order for teams to complete final systems checks and additional running before heading to Jarama for the official test over the course of 16-20 November.
This has been felt to be important, especially for customer teams Andretti, Envision, CUPRA Kiro and potentially Penske, who will have not had significant ability to test prior to Jarama.
Manufacturers get a quota of 40 test days, of which four must be given to customers for their own running using the test and development Gen4 car. As an example, Porsche will allocate four days to CUPRA Kiro. The maximum allowance per calendar year is 15 days of that 40 which is spread across four season: Season 13 (2026-27), Season 14 (2027-28), Season 15 (2028-29) and Season 16 (2029-2030).
Beyond that competitors receive an allowance of eight test days, divided in to six official test days (including the three believed to be at the official Jarama test in November), two extra test days and six promotional runs which are strictly limited in terms of tyres and mileage accrued.
The extra test days have to be taken by competitors between October 1, 2026 and September 30, 2027. FEN understands that the test days that come under the extra team test allocation are not mandatory and up to the individual teams on whether or not they attend or save the day for later in the Gen4 period.
It is expected that the majority of competitors will use the Valencia opportunity as one of its extra days as it will be organised as a private test by FETAMA.
Dodds ‘Proud Dad’ Gen4 moment
The Gen4 era of Formula E has been ongoing for over two and a half years now since the first designs and project planning started to form.
From a public standpoint the first glimpses of the car started to emerge after initial private testing at the end of 2025, and it soon became apparent that this was something of a gamechanger for the all-electric world championship.
There will only be a 12 week gap between the final Gen3 race at London ExCeL in two weeks’ time and the Gen4 test at Jarama in November. In that time Formula E should be cranking out key messages on how the world championship will ascend it current status as a cross between a motorsport curio and a progressive automotive relevant entity.
For now, though, one of its driving forces and natural cheerleaders, FEO’s CEO Jeff Dodds, will is feeling like a new father.
“I feel like a proud dad,” Dodds told FEN last month.
“Because it’s the first car when I arrived three and a half years ago and it was the first car I was able to input into alongside the FIA, and then the manufacturers pick it up.
“So, I feel very proud of the fact that we’re launching it. I feel proud of the fact the reaction to it has been super strong, also from the drivers mainly, and they’re the harshest critics.
“When the drivers are talking positively, I feel really good, and I feel proud of the fact that his early runs in the early stage of development are showing incredible promise.”
That is in stark contrast to the initial feelings of the Gen3 car. At Diriyah in February 2023, one driver pulled this writer aside and launched a blistering attack on the new car from the ground up.
It was way beyond ever been on the record but the veracity of it was quite shocking. The majority of drivers dislike the Gen3 car and will not be sorry to see it replaced after its final two encounters at the London EPrix next month.
That said, there is no denying that the car has delivered some unbelievably great racing. Some epic battles have occurred in the ‘new’ racing philosophy of Formula E known initially as ‘peloton’ but then smoothed out to a less confusing ‘pack racing.’
This was initially due to the combination of useable energy allowance, quirky temperature sensitivity of the Hankook tyres and the fact the drivers struggled to get the traction via the attack mode usage which was largely redundant until the Gen3Evo arrived with all-wheel-drive functionality.
