No DTM-style scenarios in Formula E: FIA wants to prevent manufacturer-led race manipulation

Following the departure of manufacturers Audi, BMW and Mercedes from Formula E, as well as Penske and Kiro abandoning their own powertrain development programmes, the championship is facing a new challenge: individual manufacturers could soon be supplying up to six cars with their technology. According to a report by The Race, the FIA is preparing new regulations for the Gen4 era aimed at preventing manufacturers from strategically controlling customer teams. One manufacturer in particular is at the centre of the discussion: Porsche.

For many years, manufacturer-controlled tactics were common practice in the DTM. Once a brand had identified its title contender, the other drivers representing the manufacturer were often expected to support that driver by giving up positions voluntarily or defending against rival manufacturers’ cars. As a result, some drivers had to sacrifice their own chances of victory in favour of the championship campaign, while controversial incidents such as the infamous “Timo, push him out!” radio message became part of the series’ legacy.

With the number of manufacturers in Formula E having decreased significantly in recent years, some teams now fear similar developments in the all-electric championship. The concerns intensified after it emerged that Porsche had acquired a second team licence and is expected to field four factory-supported cars during the Gen4 era. In addition, rival teams suspect that customer outfit Cupra Kiro could maintain particularly close ties to the German manufacturer.

Martino: "We would find a way to revert that"

The FIA is therefore already working on regulations designed to prevent direct manufacturer influence over race outcomes. FIA Formula E championship manager Pablo Martino told The Race: "We would try to find a way to revert that and put it back into what is considered a fair playground for all competitors. We are reinforcing in the sporting regs next year that the team orders with an objective to alter significantly a result or the way of how a race is developed between competitors is forbidden."

"For us it's key to keep the current system of Formula E, which we believe works really well," Martino continued. "Where a customer team, being a customer of a manufacturer, can be as competitive as a works team and win championships." That scenario most recently became reality in Season 9, when Envision Racing won the teams’ championship and Jake Dennis secured the drivers’ title for Andretti.

However, Andretti team principal Roger Griffiths is among those who see potential risks in the future direction of the series. Andretti’s supply agreement with Porsche expires at the end of the current season, after the team reportedly resisted requests for greater sporting cooperation in the past. Rumours suggest Andretti could switch to a partnership with Nissan from next season onwards.

Griffiths: "We certainly don't want the antics that we saw in DTM"

"We all have concerns about team orders if you like, whether it's inter-team or whether it's across teams, particularly when you've got a manufacturer supplying more than one entity," Griffiths told The Race. "We certainly don't want to see actions on track which artificially affect the outcome of a race. Some of the places we race are quite narrow and it wouldn't take too much for a multi-car manufacturer team to become a roadblock and allow one driver to get away and everybody else be held up."

Despite those concerns, Griffiths remains hopeful that the championship can avoid such scenarios: "We've certainly seen in other championships this orchestration of pre-deciding who's going to be the race winner on a particular weekend. We certainly don't want the antics that we saw perhaps in DTM to coming across into Formula E. We hope we can be a case of may the best person win."

Martino shares a similar view: "Since we have presented these ideas (regarding the rules), the teams have been quite happy. Of course, they want to see this applied if it ever comes to it. But I don't think it's going to be much different to what it is today, but we are just trying to clarify how we will proceed in case of something not fair."

Whether and to what extent these measures can actually be enforced remains unclear. Even today, much of the radio communication between drivers and teams already relies on coded language and indirect messaging. In practice, proving whether a driver action was the result of a team instruction - or even a manufacturer directive - could prove extremely difficult.