Engineer Nico Perrin in an exclusive interview: "We are aiming the ultimate lap time at the Nürburgring"

An ambitious plan is taking shape: The Perrinn 424 project aims to achieve nothing less than breaking the lap record on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife with an electrically powered prototype. The aim is not only to break the previous electric record, but also the fabulous time of 5:19 minutes set by the legendary Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo with Timo Bernhard at the wheel in 2018. We spoke to initiator Nico Perrin about the goals, technology and long-term vision behind his project.

Nico Perrin is no stranger to the world of motorsport. He worked for several years at Le Mans in the LMP1 category, was involved in the development of the NIO EP9 and specialises in high-performance electric drives. With Perrinn 424, he is now bringing together his accumulated knowledge and an international team to show that the future of racing can be electric - and soon also hydrogen-based.

His vehicle is a single-seater sports prototype specially designed for the Nürburgring, which has active aerodynamics and is powered by two Formula E engines. The Nürburgring record is not the goal for Perrin, but the start of an even bigger mission.

Nico, what is your goal with the Perrinn 424 project?

424 is aiming definitely for the ultimate lap time at the Nürburgring. We don't just want to break the electric record, which currently stands at 6:05 minutes set by the Volkswagen ID.R. We really are going after the absolute record held by the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo at 5:19 minutes - that's extremely fast.

We did a lot of simulations, optimised set-ups and conducted studies over several years. We have been testing the car in the simulator with drivers from all over the world for five years, as we have a distributed model. We fine-tune the car like we do for a normal race car, we go into every single detail. We also have the speeds, reference and even the brake and throttle from the 919. So when we drive, we know exactly where we gain speeds relative to them.

"We need a car that can complete a lap in 5 minutes"

What lap time are you aiming for specifically?

The goal is to break the record. To do that, we need a car that is able to do a lap time of 5:00 minutes in the simulation. The Nürburgring is such a difficult track, to drive to the limit of it, because it's quite risky and you have to take the time to build the performance level. So we need a car that can do a lap time of 5:00 minutes to make sure after two or three days at the Nürburgring we can break the record - maybe by five seconds.

We've been working with Michelin on the tyre model and using the same aerodynamic simulation tools that Formula 1 is using. All our models are very accurate. At the moment, we are already consistently achieving 5:00 minutes with the car in the simulator, sometimes just under that.

Can you say something about the technical solutions for the powertrain and battery?

Our motors and inverters are based on Formula E technology. This technology is extremely good. The Gen3 Evo and Gen4 powertrains are all more or less at the same performance level because they are very efficient and very light. Every manufacturer develops more or less to the same standard - there is little room for further improvement. But the battery is where you can gain.

We are developing a battery that is even performing better than even what the new Formula E Gen4 car is going to use. This is possible because the battery cell market is developing so fast at the moment. Every year, there's a good step being made in Asia - battery cells come from China, Hong Kong, and these places. They come with something that's like 15%, 20% better, every year.

What does this mean in concrete terms for your project?

We are able to integrate the latest technology coming out of the lab today, which is not even something Formula E can do because they are already a big series. They have to integrate technology that was proven one year ago for racing in two years. With 424, we're able to go one or two steps above that.

We have now finalised all the technical solutions: We know exactly what the battery is, where the motors come from and where we are going to build the car. We needed this year to get the final step on the battery that we didn't have last year.

"It will take 18 months until the record-breaking drive"

What is the timetable until you can actually drive the Perrinn 424 at the Nürburgring?

We have just built a very strong business model and are currently raising investments. So the next six months, we will be talking to investors. We need to raise investments to build a chassis. When that is in place, it will take 18 months until the record-breaking drive: six months for the final maunufacturing details, six months for manufacturing and assembly, six months for testing - and then three days at the Nürburgring. That's exactly the model we had for the NIO EP9. The soonest for the record will be summer 2027.

How do you perform in the simulations compared to the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo?

I can break it down. So in terms of tyres, we're going to have the same or slightly better because we are working with the same manufacturer and technology improves a little bit. In terms of aerodynamics, we actually developed the car specifically for the Nürburgring without being constrained from a car that existed. So we have better downforce drag ratio because the 919 was derived from the Le Mans car. The main advantage is the powertrain. We have a constant 750 kW. The 919 also had about that much, but only for half the time. After that, it dropped back to around 500 to 550 kW because the battery was discharged.

The other advantage on the powertrain is we have a better four-wheel drive system because we have 350 kilowatts front and rear, which allows us to basically bias the power through the corner in a much more beneficial way than the 919 that was limited because it was the combustion engine only at the back and electric only at the front. We also have no gear shifts, so there's a lot of places where the powertrain is superior.

The weight is the only disadvantage. Today we have a car with driver that would be at 975 kg, which actually is about 130 kg heavier than the 919. In the simulation, we can see it very clear: In the slow speed corners, we are slightly behind because of the weight. That's where weight dominates. We gain a lot in a straight line once they run out of boost. And then in high speed, we are same or slightly better because of the aerodynamics. Overall, at the end of the day, the potential is to be 19 seconds faster than them.

What about the top speed, the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo was extremely fast?

The 919 reached 369 km/h on the long straight. We limit the car at 360 km/h, but the car can do 400 km/h. The reason is the tyres and the loads. We could click on a button to go to 365 or 370 km/h, but we are currently simulating at 360 km/h - it is very similar. We also use an active aerodynamics system, very similar to DRS. As Formula 1 does in 2026, we have active flaps at the front and rear. So when the DRS opens the car is very balanced.

We have a pneumatic DRS on the car. We don't have a pump, we have a bottle on each axle that's discharged during the lap, so we have to recharge the pneumatic system after the lap.

How big is the battery and how many laps can you drive at full power?

All the electric records you see at the moment, they do just one lap. The battery has 55 kWh, which is very standard size, very similar to Formula E. On one lap of the Nürburgring, we use 41 kWh net - including regen. That gives us the margin we need for the cell voltage.

There is a small compromise at the start of the lap: the battery is full charged, so we can't recharge in the first 30 seconds. But 70 per cent of our braking power comes from the carbon brakes anyway. It's much more than in Formula E, because we brake from significantly higher speeds.

Our strategy is different: We don't have a brake-by-wire system, but a classic hydraulic brake. On top we use regen for the stability of the car and to shift the brake balance, not primarily for energy recovery. So it's an amazing car to drive. It's very simple and beautiful.

Who would be a suitable driver for the record-breaking drive?

You need a combination of experience, but also fitness and youth because it's extremely demanding. The physicality of it is very hard. So it needs to be a driver with LMP experience, but also maybe electric experience. And somebody who knows the Nürburgring, like the back of his hands.

The driver must not be too young and take too many risks - he must understand the risk level. There are only a few people in the world who can do it. I've already spoken to a few of them, one of them is very, very interested. I can't give a name at this point, but we are going to have the right driver, for sure.

"The Nürburgring is just the beginning"

What happens to the project after the Nürburgring?

The Nürburgring lap record is not the end, it's the beginning. The Nürburgring is the best way to launch our brand. If we're going to break this record, it will be a big story - because people know how hard it is. And it would be the first time that an electric car has beaten a best time like that of the Porsche.

But the long term for me has ever been the 24 Hours of Le Mans. That's where I started my career, I worked for four years in LMP1. I really loved it. Le Mans is going to become this amazing place for actually proving different technologies - including hydrogen.

Hydrogen is also electric at the end of the day: the same powertrains, the same inverters, a battery in the car, just smaller. Hydrogen is just a range extender for electric vehicles. We have a very clear plan that we want to go to Le Mans with 424, but it will be a version with a hydrogen system. And the reason is I can see that the industry is going to ask for that soon. Basically we're building a race team for the age of hydrogen and electric racing. And at that point, we'll be a platform to take some very, very big brands and manufacturers to Le Mans, in hydrogen.

Which partners are currently involved?

We are working with partners who are already active in Formula E, for example for transmission, MGUs and inverters. For the tyres, we work with Michelin. For brakes, we are currently planning with Brembo. We'll do the composites with an established manufacturer, too. There are many of them we can use.

The important thing is: We are really here to do all the performance side and design. We are not going to do manufacturing ourselves, but work with the best companies in each area.

You mentioned that you are currently raising capital. How much funding do you need?

We are currently in the process of raising 2.5 million British pounds (around 2.9 million euros). It's a lot, but it's not too much when you think of what we're going to do. That's not the whole budget, but with partnerships and what we've a already invested, it's enough to allow us to go to the Nürburgring.

In conclusion: How do you intend to involve the public in this project?

We will accompany the entire journey in the form of live documentation - from development to production and testing. We are going to show everything, things that go, that don't go well, things that we have to fix.

When we take to the Nordschleife in 18 months' time, I hope that there is going to be a big community of people who will actually want to watch it live because they will have followed the whole story.