Formula E is BACK! Season 9 Preview
After four months off, the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship returns this month for Season 9 to mark the start of a new generation.
The wait for Formula E’s ‘Gen3’ is finally over as the series gets set for a brand new era of racing, featuring the fastest, lightest, most powerful and efficient electric race car ever built. Season 9 kicks off its biggest campaign ever later this month, with Round 1 in Mexico City on 14 January, before heading off to new locations such as India, Cape Town and Sao Paulo.
As well as new locations, there are also new driver lineups, new sporting regulations and a brand-new car!
The Gen3 Car
The Gen3 is the world’s first race car designed and optimised specifically for street racing, with the car slightly smaller and narrower than the previous generation. However, the main differences lie beneath the surface.
This is the fastest Formula E car yet, with a top speed of over 200mph thanks to both front and rear powertrains, a first for the series. A new front powertrain adds 250kW to the 350kW at the rear, more than doubling the regenerative capability of the current Gen2 to a total of 600kW.
More than 40% of the energy used within a race will be produced by regenerative braking, making this the most efficient formula racing car ever. The batteries of the vehicle are also among the most advanced, sustainable batteries ever made consisting of sustainably-sourced minerals while battery cells will be reused and recycled at end of life.
It will also have around 95% power efficiency from an electric motor delivering up to 350kW of power (470BHP), compared to approximately 40% for an internal combustion engine.
New teams, new drivers
McLaren and Maserati are new to the Formula E grid next season. They will join some of the biggest names in motorsport including Jaguar, Porsche and Nissan among the 11 teams and 22 drivers competing for world titles.
Reigning Formula E World Champion Stoffel Vandoorne will be representing DS Penske this year, following Mercedes’ exit from the series. Vandoorne will race alongside Jean-Éric Vergne, with Antonio Felix da Costa making the switch to Porsche, where he will team up with Pascal Werhlein.
McLaren’s first season in Formula E will be fronted by former Audi driver René Rast and rookie Jake Hughes, whilst Maserati have recruited Max Günther from Nissan and Edoardo Mortara, who came close to claiming the title last year.
Robin Frijns has left Envision Racing for ABT Sportsline, where he will partner Nico Mueller. Seb Buemi has made the switch from Nissan to replace Frijns at Envision, teaming up with Nick Cassidy.
Avalanche Andretti’s Jake Dennis will be partnered by André Lotterer this year, with the German moving from Porsche.
Sam Bird and Mitch Evans will continue to lead the way for Jaguar TCS Racing; Norman Nato and Sacha Fenestraz come in for Nissan; Oliver Rowland and Lucas di Grassi team up for Mahindra; and Sergio Sette Câmara and Dan Ticktum will fly the flag for NIO 333.
Sporting regulations
The FIA has confirmed a series of updates to the sporting regulations for Season 9 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
Races will run over laps instead of a set time period this year. To maintain consistency with the switch to laps, Safety Car and Full Course Yellow interruptions to racing will now be compensated by added laps, replacing the additional racing time feature.
Formula E and the FIA have also been working with strategic technology partners to develop pioneering battery and charging capabilities that will allow the new smaller, faster and lighter Gen3 cars to receive a boost of energy during the race.
This collaboration has resulted in the development of a battery capable of receiving 4kWh of energy inside 30 seconds – the most advanced EV battery in the world today – delivered by a 600kW booster.
A mandatory 30-second Attack Charge stop during a pre-determined period in the race will unlock two enhanced Attack Mode periods to be deployed later in the race where the power output of the Gen3 race cars will increase from 300kW to 350kW.
Attack Charge is set to be trialled at select races later in Season 9. The existing Attack Mode format of a temporary power boost activated by drivers during the race will be maintained in races where Attack Charge is not implemented. Fanboost has been discontinued and will not feature in Season 9.
This year, every team must also complete at least two Free Practice 1 sessions during the season with a driver who has never previously competed in the championship. The goal is to give up-and-coming drivers the chance to experience the unique qualities of Formula E racing and to contribute to the progress of the team.
Season 9 calendar
Season 9 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship gets underway on 14th January with Round 1 taking place in Mexico City, before the traditional double-header in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia later this month.
The series will then head to Hyderabad, India for the very first time in February, followed by another first for the Championship with the Cape Town E-Prix for Round 5. Sao Paulo will host Round 6 on 25th March, before the Berlin E-Prix double-header.
Formula E then heads back to the iconic principality of Monaco for Round 9 in April, with Round 10 now set to take place in Portland, USA for the first time ever. Jakarta will host Rounds 11 and 12, with the destination for Round 13 also yet to be revealed.
As the season turns onto the home straight, Rounds 14 and 15 will take place in the Eternal City of Rome, before the season finale in London on July 29th and 30th.
ABB FIA FORMULA E WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON 9 CALENDAR
R1: Mexico City, Mexico JAN 14
R2: Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, JAN 27
R3: Diriyah, Saudi Arabia JAN 28
R4: Hyderabad, India FEB 11
R5: Cape Town, South Africa FEB 25
R6: São Paulo, Brazil MAR 25
R7: Berlin, Germany APR 22
R8: Berlin, Germany APR 23
R9: Monaco, Monaco MAY 6
R10: Jakarta, Indonesia JUN 3
R11: Jakarta, Indonesia JUN 4
R12: Portland, USA JUN 24
R13: Rome, Italy JUL 15
R14: Rome, Italy JUL 16
R15: London, England JUL 29
R16: London, England JUL 30
DRIVER LINEUPS FOR SEASON 9
ABT Sportsline: Robin Frijns, Nico Mueller
Avalanche Andretti Formula E: Jake Dennis, André Lotterer
DS Penske: Stoffel Vandoorne, Jean-Éric Vergne
Envision Racing: Sebastien Buemi, Nick Cassidy
Jaguar TCS Racing: Sam Bird, Mitch Evans
Mahindra Racing: Oliver Rowland, Lucas di Grassi
Maserati MSG Racing: Edoardo Mortara, Max Günther
NEOM McLaren Formula E Team: René Rast, Jake Hughes
NIO 333 Racing: Sergio Sêtte Camara, Dan Ticktum
Nissan Formula E Team: Norman Nato, Sacha Fenestraz
Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team: Pascal Werhlein, Antonio Felix da Costa
