The Fortescue Zero Formula E team is currently in a significant race against time to get ready for a frenetic testing period in mid-November, with a target of making its track debut at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia on Wednesday, November 11.
Underneath the inevitable multi-tasking in order to ensure its team and its brace of Jaguar Gen4 cars is ready to roll, there is a confidence within its culture and technical capabilities, all of which have already seen it pull off a succession of high-end technical programmes in the all-electric world championship.
Fortescue Zero faced significant pressure and time constraints in its supply of the innovative PitBoost technology and its supply of the whole grid with traction batteries in both Gen1 and Gen3 periods of Formula E. It believes that experience and know-how will be a significant attribute for its forthcoming foray in to running a team.
“I’ve been around the (Formula E) program a lot, and some really high-end programs also,” FZ’s Chief Technology Officer, Travis Hester told Formula E Notebook earlier this month.
“When I came to Fortescue Zero (in November 2025) and I looked at what is here in our shops, it is a world-class program that we run here. Our simulator is top class; our development program is top class and the way we do the drive units is cutting edge. I would put the development program that we run here against anything in the world.”
There is an array of capabilities and skills that the Australian forged company, now with a cutting-edge headquarters in Kidlington, UK, can boat about. Notably an end-to-end design and development attribute quality that has seen it define new levels of innovation in many industries.
“From a technology point of view, we are on the cutting edge via of a lot of different developments, and not just on battery design, but cooling, thermal management is also huge, but also our drive unit development program is great and the way we run the team also,” added Hester.
“The way we prepare the strategy, and we run the simulations, it’s a world-class program, and it gives me a lot of confidence when I need to talk to Gus (Pichot) or (Andrew (Forrest) or the board that we’re going to be very competitive in an extremely competitive car and in a great program.”
As well as trusting its own skills and facilities, Fortescue Zero also believe in Formula E. It has seen its progression up close over its entire duration and believes in its myriad missions.
“You look at least the figures that I’ve studied and when you look at any entertainment format in the world at the moment, the highest growth rate (in motorsport) is Formula E above anything else,” opined Hester.
“So, when you start to step into the logic of us trying to expose our decarbonisation ambitions and we’re growing quite rapidly then this is a great platform to showcase that on.”
