The FIA has confirmed a significant change to the Attack Boost rules for the start of the GEN4 era, with drivers now able to freeze their own power should the race be neutralised by a full-course yellow, safety car or red flag
The remaining time of the Attack Mode will then resume but only after the driver has again through the transponder loops of what will now be officially known as the Attack Zone.
The optional setting of freezing the Attack Mode time will be set by the driver via a cockpit function on their dash. The restart procedure will see a separate re-activation of the enhanced power mode (150kw for GEN4).
The measure has been put in to place after several drivers have been severely compromised over the seasons due to incidents not of their making that have seen the majority if not all of their Attack Mode boost squandered.
Formula E Notebook has discovered that several entrants only wanted the measure to be put in place for Full Course Yellow periods as they felt like that was the only time when it was equitable and fair as under a safety car for competitors that have already used all their Attack Mode and have a big gap, suddenly that gap disappears and the other competitors that have an Attack Mode remaining are at a heightened advantage.
What the FIA has implemented with the new regulation ( 27.4 of the updated 2026-27 Sporting Regulations) is a kind of halfway house.
But there are some concerns from teams and drivers that the disadvantage may now go the other way with competitors compromised by having now taken their boost and then being susceptible to those that haven’t but gain fortune through the freezing option.
It is easy to see how drivers caught in that situation will feel hamstrung in races with rivals able to use the extra boost at will on a re-start, especially if track position through a gap is closed via Safety Car.
FIA’s ‘What If’ Philosophy
The FIA has deliberately introduced added flexibility in the first GEN4 regulations as Formula E enters an era with much faster performing cars and different race scenarios.
The overt energy and sprint race decision for double events, of which there are eight, which will see the so-called ‘Unleashed’ races, combined with specific bodywork kits being used, has called for an element of elasticity in some aspects of the rules.
The power scheduling at certain races, the minimum lap energy consumption and PitBoost regulation areas have been a focus of understanding how best GEN4 will perform in its first season. A key aspect of this is that the FIA want to at the very least control any pack-racing tendencies that may come with the energy races specifically.
The extra performance and speed of the GEN4 cars cannot sustain pack-racing as seen in GEN4, primarily for safety reasons.
The FIA will also set the maximum power for races 21-days prior to an event. This may not exceed 450 kW for races, but the FIA may also implement a ‘Power Schedule’. This will define the maximum power available depending on speed. In Attack Mode, a fixed 600 kW is no longer permitted, as the maximum power will be increased by 150 kW in comparison to race mode.
