Formula E set for a 600 kW reboot: The big preview of Gen4 pre-season testing in Madrid

Permanent all-wheel drive, twelve teams and two different race formats: Formula E is facing the biggest shake-up in its history. At pre-season testing in Madrid, the teams will go head-to-head with their new Gen4 cars for the first time in an official test from Monday (16 November). Two race simulations are also on the agenda, with the new E-Prix Unleashed sprint format set to be trialled in a collective test for the first time. We have put together everything you need to know, including the schedule, the driver line-up and the biggest questions ahead of the Gen4 era.

The private test day in Valencia last Wednesday already offered a glimpse of the new generation of cars. Nissan driver Zane Maloney went more than nine seconds faster than last year's fastest lap, albeit on a revised circuit layout. What was particularly remarkable, however, was how closely matched the teams were: all seven participating teams had a driver within half a second of the fastest time.

In Madrid, Formula E's expanded grid of twelve teams and 24 drivers will come together for the first time. The teams have a total of 18 hours of track time to familiarise themselves with their new Gen4 cars, which deliver up to 600 kW of power, and prepare for the electric world championship's 13th season.

Where will Formula E pre-season testing take place?

Pre-season testing for Season 13 of the FIA Formula E World Championship will take place at the Circuito del Jarama, north of Madrid. The permanent racing circuit is located in San Sebastian de los Reyes, around 30 kilometres from the city centre. Opened in 1967, the circuit hosted the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix nine times between 1968 and 1981.

Formula E uses a modified 3.934-kilometre layout featuring 14 corners. The circuit is characterised by several elevation changes and a mixture of fast, flowing sections and tight corners. With the significantly higher power output, permanent all-wheel drive and new aerodynamics of the Gen4 cars, Jarama is likely to present the drivers with very different challenges compared to last season.

Formula E previously held its pre-season test at Jarama in November 2024, after severe flooding in Valencia forced a last-minute change of venue. In March 2026, the electric world championship visited the historic Spanish circuit for its first E-Prix.

Schedule: When does testing take place and how can I follow it?

Two three-hour sessions are scheduled for each of the three test days (Monday, Wednesday and Friday), giving the twelve teams a total of 18 hours of track time. One notable addition to the schedule: on Wednesday afternoon, Formula E will simulate a regular E-Prix, including Pit Boost, before trialling the new E-Prix Unleashed sprint format on Friday. Both race simulations are scheduled to run from 2 pm to 3 pm CET.

There will be no live broadcast of pre-season testing. Formula E will, however, provide live timing. e-Formula.news will be on site in Madrid, covering the start of the Gen4 era with a live ticker, the latest news, reaction from the paddock and daily testing round-ups.

12 teams, new drivers & new names: Who is testing in Madrid?

With the start of the Gen4 era, Formula E's grid is expanding from 20 to 24 drivers. Opel is joining as a new manufacturer with the GSE Formula E Team, while the Fusion Formula E Team is expanding the field as a Porsche customer team. DS Penske becomes Fortescue Zero Racing and will use Jaguar powertrains from now on. Following ABT's departure, Lola will compete as an independent team. Envision Racing also has a new title sponsor in Paysafe.

There has been plenty of movement in the driver market during the off-season, too. Only Andretti, Citroen, Mahindra and Porsche have retained their driver pairings from Season 12. At Jaguar, 2022 world champion Stoffel Vandoorne returns to a full-time race seat after a year as a reserve driver. The Belgian joins fellow world champion Antonio Felix da Costa.

Lola's new driver pairing is particularly intriguing: former Formula 3 champion and Indianapolis 500 pole-sitter Robert Shwartzman will contest his debut Formula E season alongside Enzo Fittipaldi. The grandson of two-time Formula 1 world champion Emerson Fittipaldi most recently finished runner-up in the American junior series Indy NXT.

However, it remains unclear who will take to the track for the new Fusion Formula E Team in Madrid. Taylor Barnard's future at Fortescue Zero also remains uncertain amid his ongoing contractual dispute.

Overview: The driver line-up for Formula E pre-season testing in Madrid 2026

The big Gen4 showdown: What should we look out for in Madrid?

Porsche and Jaguar have dominated at the front of the Formula E field in recent years, with Nissan also among the most successful manufacturers of the Gen3 era. However, the transition to Gen4 is set to shake up the battle for powertrain supremacy. Nissan laid down an early marker at the private test in Valencia, where the Porsche works team was absent. In Madrid, all manufacturers will now go head-to-head in the official pre-season test.

It will also be particularly interesting to see how newcomer Opel and Lola, now competing as an independent team, measure up against their established rivals. Lap times, however, should be treated with caution: different testing programmes, power levels and battery states of charge can have a significant impact on the timing sheets. The number of laps completed and the reliability of the new cars should therefore also provide valuable clues as to how far the manufacturers have progressed with their development.

How fast are the Gen4 cars really?

With up to 600 kW of power, permanent all-wheel drive and significantly more sophisticated aerodynamics, Gen4 promises considerably faster lap times than its predecessor. Valencia already offered an indication of just how substantial that performance leap could be: in the first two sectors alone, the new cars were almost four seconds faster than last year.

Madrid now offers another opportunity for comparison, provided the circuit layout and conditions are comparable. Formula E has already held both a pre-season test and an E-Prix at the Circuito del Jarama. It will be particularly interesting to see how the Gen4 cars perform through the circuit's fast corners and how well the drivers adapt to the increased power and the additional capabilities of all-wheel drive. There is also the switch from Hankook to Bridgestone as Formula E's tyre supplier to factor in.

How will Gen4 change the racing? FIA to trial Power Scheduling

Beyond outright performance, the future nature of Formula E racing will also be in focus in Madrid. Through a system known as Power Scheduling, the FIA is trialling a speed-dependent power restriction designed to allow drivers to spend more time at full throttle during energy management races. Between 180 and 250 km/h, power in normal race mode is reduced linearly from 450 to 200 kW. At the same time, the relative power advantage of Attack Mode increases.

The two race simulations should also provide some initial insights into how racing will evolve with the new generation of cars. Jaguar driver Stoffel Vandoorne expects the two formats to produce very different styles of racing: while qualifying and outright performance could become more important in sprint races, the peloton racing familiar from the Gen3 era is unlikely to disappear entirely from the longer energy management races.

Pre-season testing is unlikely to reveal a definitive pecking order. However, Madrid could already offer a glimpse of just how big a performance leap Gen4 represents, how the new race formats will develop and which manufacturers are best prepared for Formula E's new era.

The first pre-season testing session begins at 9 am CET on Monday (16 November). e-Formula.news will be covering the test with a live ticker direct from Madrid.