Formula E Gen4 slipstream test: Close following surprises Porsche

More downforce could make it harder for Gen4 cars to follow each other closely. However, early tests involving several Formula E cars have left Porsche positively surprised: Even on a circuit where problems might have been expected, running closely behind another car "looked really good". Porsche Formula E chief Florian Modlinger now hopes that impression will be confirmed on other tracks as well. Extreme energy-saving races and the pack racing associated with them may not necessarily disappear, however.

The Formula E manufacturers already carried out their first simulations of race situations during joint testing in January. Among other things, they examined how the Gen4 cars, which rely far more heavily on aerodynamic downforce, behave when running closely behind one another. Porsche's first impressions were better than expected.

"What makes me very positive after the first tests is that, when the downforce level increases, you naturally always think about how closely you can actually follow another car," Porsche Formula E overall project manager Florian Modlinger told e-Formula.news. "We tried that with a few cars on a track where you would actually expect it to become critical to stay close to the car in front. But it looked really good."

A video from those test sessions in Almeria shows several Gen4 cars running closely together on track.

This is how the Gen4 cars have been running in Almería these past few days during Formula E’s second private test ⚡

It appears to be Nico Müller and André Lotterer.
Do you know who the third driver is? 👀 #ABBFIAFormulaE
📹: James Rossiter pic.twitter.com/9K8dhFdKkC

— Fer Salinas 🏎️ (@fersalinas_13) 16 January 2026

If that impression also proves true on other circuits, Modlinger believes it could have a positive impact on the racing. "I hope that can be reproduced on all tracks. Then we are going to have exciting racing."

For Modlinger, however, good Gen4 racing will not depend on the car alone. The sporting format and circuit layouts will also have to suit the new generation of machinery.

"The technical product definitely won't be the problem," he said. "Everything around it has to work as well: the sporting side, the commercial side, the choice of circuits and the track layouts. There will also have to be changes at tracks we have already raced on so that they suit the Gen4 car."

Pack racing could remain with Gen4

Whether the peloton-style races frequently seen during the Gen3 era, in which the whole field stayed closely bunched together while drivers tried to save as much energy as possible in the slipstream, will really disappear remains unclear. Formula E's simulations suggest that pack racing could continue with Gen4.

"Our simulations tell us that pack racing could obviously be a possibility, but there are ways for us to manage that," Formula E co-founder Alberto Longo explained at the London season finale. The new Gen4 regulations, he added, give the FIA the flexibility to limit the effect to a certain degree if necessary.

Longo does not fundamentally view that style of racing negatively either. "From my point of view, this pack racing that some people seem to complain about produces amazing races."

How strongly that effect will actually emerge under real Gen4 race conditions could become clearer during the joint pre-season test in Madrid. All teams are scheduled to come together with their Gen4 cars for the official test from November 16 to 20. Another race simulation is also expected to take place.