Opel team principal Jörg Schrott in an exclusive interview: "We know where we want to go"

At the official presentation of the Gen4 car at Circuit Paul Ricard, Opel offered another preview of its Formula E project. From the 2026/27 season, the brand will compete in the electric world championship for the first time with the Opel GSE Formula E Team – supported by the experience of the Stellantis Group, but with the ambition of running its own works team.

In an interview with e-Formula.news, team principal Jörg Schrott talks about the reasons behind Opel’s entry, the development of the new team structure, the role of Rüsselsheim and the next steps in the test programme. He also explains why the Gen4 regulations have come at the right time for Opel – and what he expects from the team’s debut season.

Jörg, this is a big event for Formula E, but also a big event for Opel. You are entering Formula E next season. How do you view this new challenge?

I am very aware of how complex this task is. I have known the brand and the company for many years, and Opel knows me as well. That is why I know very clearly the conditions under which we are starting now.

For us, the key factor was that several conditions came together and ultimately tipped the scales. The decision was made entirely internally. Formula E had already been on the table three years ago and was discussed in detail at the time. But back then, we said: this is not the right moment yet.

Now we are convinced that the timing is right. The reasons are obvious. I am genuinely excited about the Gen4 car. And not just because of individual performance figures such as a top speed of 335 km/h or acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 1.8 seconds. What matters to me is the holistic approach: the complete vehicle concept and the developments that have now been integrated.

When you approve a motorsport programme today, many factors play a role, including the return on investment. I believe Formula E offers a very good balance here: between what manufacturers have to invest and what they can get out of such a programme. The cost-cap concept also makes absolute sense to me, because it allows you to showcase motorsport at world championship level at reasonable cost.

I am convinced that this car will bring additional fans to Formula E. Through its performance alone. The spectators will see how fast and spectacular this car is. We have great drivers in the series, and I expect we will see very attractive racing. That is why I am very positive about the project.

Stellantis know-how “very important & a major advantage”

Opel is new to Formula E. In the background, however, there is Stellantis, a group that has already gained experience in the series. How important is it to build on that know-how?

It is very important and a major advantage. Within the Stellantis Group, we can draw on existing knowledge and on large parts of the current development programme. That foundation is very strong. Now it is about making the right use of that potential.

We do not have an additional team partner, which gives us advantages in decision-making and in the speed with which we can implement things. Our task now is to turn the opportunities we have on paper into reality, one-to-one. That is primarily a management task. We are working intensively on that, and we are making progress.

For the first time, Stellantis will compete with its own team. Until now, the group has mainly been a powertrain manufacturer and supplier, but with Opel, it is now creating a genuine works team. How far has the team build-up progressed?

More than 100 people at Stellantis are working on the Formula E programme. In addition, new Opel employees have already been integrated into this team. We are not talking about the details, but it involves various areas. These include engineers, simulation specialists and experts who are very strong mathematically and develop algorithms for race strategy, for example. They are very good people.

The next step is to build an additional team for race operations. We also want to create a unit in Rüsselsheim that will take care of race preparation – with its own simulator, of course connected to Stellantis. The race strategy is also to be developed independently there and then implemented.

At the first race in December, you will see new faces in the garage. We will also have some German staff involved. These are key positions in team management, race engineering and other areas.

We are on the right track. At the same time, it is a process, because you need people who are not only very good, but ideally also have specific experience in Formula E. A race engineer may generally know from other series what the job involves. But there are also positions that are very specific to Formula E.

You mentioned the simulator and race preparation. Will that structure be based in Rüsselsheim, or will the team initially be located in France?

At the moment, we are not yet in Rüsselsheim. The start is being organised in a pragmatic way. That is also because Opel is currently carrying out extensive construction work in Rüsselsheim: with a new headquarters, the Green Campus and a new motorsport facility that is to be integrated there. Construction projects like that take time. So the current solution initially means a little more travelling for us. But the key thing is the one-team approach.

Of course, we already have our Opel Motorsport offices today, which provide an important link. If you invest in a simulator, however, it ultimately has to be installed in the final motorsport area. That is why we are waiting until the conditions are in place. It will not happen this year. If everything goes well, we are talking about 2027.

For a new team, entering the series is difficult, especially when you are competing against established outfits. How big is that challenge?

It is definitely a challenge, there is no need to talk around that. I cannot yet seriously assess exactly how big it will be. What is crucial is having a team that brings the will and the spirit to really pull together. I am confident that we can build exactly that structure.

Of course it will not be easy. But we know where we want to go, and that is why I am positive.

“We respect existing contracts and arrangements”

When Opel’s Formula E entry was announced in Madrid, your CEO Florian Huettl said, with regard to the drivers, that you would like to have a woman in the programme. With Sophia Flörsch, you have now signed a test and development driver. He also spoke about an experienced driver and a young driver who has proven himself in junior categories. How far along are you with that decision?

I cannot name any names yet. But we are very far along and we have a good feeling. We believe we will have good drivers. The mix will go exactly in the direction you mentioned: a driver you all know, with a lot of experience – including in Formula E – and a young man who will be very strong. We are confident about that.

At the same time, it is a process. You respect existing contracts and arrangements, and of course we do that as well. But everywhere we are in discussions, things are going very positively. Our goal is to integrate the drivers into the test programme as quickly as possible. I am optimistic that we will manage that very soon.

When can we expect the driver names to be announced?

Honestly, I do not know exactly at the moment. What is certain is that we will have the big presentation at the Paris Motor Show. There, we will present the car in its final livery, all the drivers will be on stage, and we will present the programme in its final form.

That is not until October, however. How we communicate before then, I cannot say exactly right now. For me, what matters is how quickly we can integrate the drivers. When we then announce it officially is still open. But one thing is certain: our final race design will be presented by our final racing drivers.

Let’s move on to the Gen4 car. The car has already run, including in manufacturer tests together with other brands. What is your impression so far? Are you still dealing with fundamental issues, or are you already further along?

We have already covered many kilometres. Porsche mentioned a figure – we are in that range as well. Not all systems were on board from the beginning, and at times we were still running with hybrid solutions. In that phase, the focus was mainly on the reliability of individual parts.

That went very well. We covered many kilometres without major issues. In parallel, all components have been running on the test benches for months. Every single component is being tested for reliability, thermal loads and other factors. Now the car is 100 per cent complete. After the Berlin E-Prix, the first test week with the complete car begins.

What are the key priorities in this test programme?

Our programme is very extensive. First of all, reliability remains a key focus, because the individual components also have to work together as a system. That is why we will complete many long-run tests.

Another focus is cooling and the entire thermal management. That plays an extremely important role, also with regard to performance. That is why we will run full-performance tests. For the particularly hot part of the year, we have booked circuits in Southern Europe in order to test the car under those conditions as well. Of course, it is also about gaining a final understanding of the aerodynamics under all conditions.

What role does the new tyre, which will be supplied by Bridgestone, play in all of this?

The tyre is a decisive factor. It has to operate in the ideal temperature window in order to deliver the best possible performance. That is why we have to test the tyres, tyre pressures and all the related parameters under a wide range of conditions. When we go into the season, we need a clear plan for how we deal with the tyre – also in connection with the chassis settings.

In the end, the drivers’ preferences also come into play: neutral handling, oversteer, understeer – all of that plays a role.

"We are on schedule with our milestones"

How does the test programme develop from basic understanding to fine-tuning?

Put simply, we are working our way from the big building blocks further and further into the details. At the beginning, the focus is on reliability and full-performance tests under specific conditions. After that, it increasingly becomes about bringing the whole package together better and better. That also applies to race strategy. A huge amount of work is being done in the simulator here.

There are many adjustment options for different settings on the steering wheel. In one corner, for example, several parameters can come into play at the same time. The technology could implement those adjustments very quickly, but the driver cannot consciously think through every single decision. That is why the driver has to be trained to act automatically. When he feels something, he has to know immediately which setting to change and what effect that will have. That is exactly what is trained in the simulator.

There is still work ahead of us. But we have a clear plan, and that plan is being worked through. At the moment, we are on schedule with our milestones. Of course, something can always come up during testing that does not work as expected. But as things stand today, we are on schedule.

Are you also planning to simulate a full race weekend so that the team can get used to the procedures?

Yes, absolutely. At some point, the focus clearly shifts from the development team towards the race team. Then the race team takes over the development car. There is a fixed timeline for that, and this transition is already included in our plan.

Finally, what are you hoping for from your first Formula E season in 2026/27?

For me personally, it would be very difficult to simply be there to make up the numbers. If you are just running at the back, that is frustrating. At the same time, as things stand today, it is difficult to make a serious assessment of our competitiveness. But if we are talking about a wish, then it would be great if we could fight for a podium in our first season. That would be my goal.