FIA wants to raise Formula E lap times with Gen4 cars to Formula 2 level: "That is our goal"

Even though only four Formula E races have been held with the Gen3 Evo cars, planning for the Gen4 era, which begins at the end of 2026, has long been underway behind the scenes. With Jaguar, Lola, Nissan, Porsche and the Stellantis Group (with the Maserati brand), five manufacturers have signed up so far and are currently developing their powertrains. These are to be tested on the track for the first time as early as September this year, i.e. in six months' time. The goal for the FIA: significantly better performance with lap times at Formula 2 level.

This means that the FIA is giving the manufacturers significantly more time to put their powertrains through their paces before the first race compared to the Gen3 cars. This is certainly a consequence of the difficulties with the Gen3 cars, when the first tests could only take place around eight months before the start of the 2023 season. Technical problems, particularly with the battery from Fortescue Zero (formerly Williams Advanced Engineering), had repeatedly set the manufacturers back.

"We now have the chance to be at least six to eight months ahead of the Gen3 project in order to have time to react and get more feedback from the manufacturers," described FIA Technical Director Vincent Gaillardot at The Race. "With the figures we have so far, we think it (the Gen4 car) will be close to Formula 2. Maybe a little ahead, maybe a little behind, but we'll see."

The traditional circuit in the Principality Monaco, where Formula E will make a guest appearance at the beginning of May, serves as a comparison: "The first complete simulation on a so-called reference track was in quali mode, and so we want to compare. For us, this is Monaco, because we have all the single-seater series racing in Monaco, so we know (the lap times of) Formula 3, Formula 2, Formula 1 and Formula E."

"Really good step in terms of performance"

An ambitious goal that the FIA is pursuing: the pole position time for Formula 2, which was last set by Richard Verschoor in 2024 with a lap time of 1:21.283 minutes. Mitch Evans, the fastest Formula E driver in Monaco last year, was around eight and a half seconds slower in the Gen3 car. However, his best time of 1:29.725 minutes should be improved by at least two seconds with the Gen3 Evo cars this year thanks to all-wheel drive and the softer Hankook tyres.

Aerodynamics will play an important role in Gen4. Although the current generation of Formula E cars accelerate even faster than Formula 1, they lose a lot of time to modern Formula cars due to the low downforce in the corners. The FIA has also recognised this and therefore wants to allow the Gen4 cars to race with two different aerodynamic configurations. However, more downforce almost inevitably results in more drag, which in turn leads to higher energy consumption. The FIA must therefore decide together with Formula E how to deal with this.

"We have now set two different levels of downforce for the first time, which of course combined with the fact that we are focussing on the energy (targets) means that we have to have a car with very low drag," indicates Gaillardot. "We were able to say: 'Okay, let's run a high downforce configuration' which will be used at least for qualifying. Then, together with the promoter, we will see if we can go further with other specifics where we can demonstrate full speed. This is a really good step in terms of performance."

"Want to show that an electric car can perform"

After the Gen3 Evo cars in all-wheel drive mode used traction control for the first time in Formula E, which electronically prevents the wheels from spinning during acceleration, the Gen4 drivers will also be supported by the car's electronics during braking in order to achieve faster lap times.

"The main focus of the Gen4 car has been on performance from day one," says Gaillardot. "To build a fast car, you have to focus on performance, just like in any other motorsport. What we want to show is that an electric car can deliver performance. So we played with the anti-lock braking system, the traction control and the differential, and that also brings performance. Of course, this is a completely different philosophy, but we simply want to prove how fast an electric car can be."

Before the manufacturers can start the Gen4 test drives, however, there are still twelve more races on the programme for the current season with the Gen3 Evo cars. The next Formula E race will take place on 12 April in Miami.