The big Formula E overview for the start of the season: What's new in 2023?

The Formula E starts on Saturday with the Mexico City E-Prix already in its ninth season. Many things are new this year. e-Formula.news gives you an overview of all the important innovations for the 2023 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

New Gen3 car

More power, more energy recovery, plus more compact and lighter: the Gen3 car is certainly the biggest innovation of 2023. 300 kW is available to the drivers in the race, and as much as 350 kW in qualifying and attack mode. A considerable leap in performance compared to the 250 kW previously. Recuperation now also takes place with an additional electric motor on the front axle. There are no longer any hydraulic brakes on the rear axle - it decelerates solely with the electric motor. As a result, the Gen3 car can recuperate energy at a maximum of 600 kW and thus "bring back in" 40 percent of the energy required in the race.

New tires

Instead of Michelin, Formula E's standard tires now come from Hankook. The South Korean company has also once again developed an all-weather tire that will be used in all of the series' races. What makes it special is the fact that the tread consists of two different rubber compounds. The bottom line is that the tire is harder than its predecessor, resulting in less grip and more slippage.

Return to lap racing

Instead of going over 45 minutes, the races will now go over a fixed number of laps again. In Mexico, it will be 36 laps. If there are any neutralizations of the race in the form of full-course yellow or safety car phases, the race distance will be extended. In the season opener, there will be an additional lap for every 3:30 minutes (210 seconds) of neutralization if it occurred in the first 28 laps.

FANBOOST abolished

Short and sweet: the FANBOOST is no more. The days when fans (and bots) were allowed to vote on which driver would get more power and extra energy in the race are over as of this year.

Attack mode & (no) fast charging

The time for the attack mode, in which the car makes 350 kW during the race, is always four minutes this year. Each driver must activate the extra power twice, but must decide before the first activation how to divide that time between his two activations: 2+2 minutes, 1+3 minutes or 3+1 minutes. The new "attack charge" will not yet be used in Mexico because Formula E has decided not to introduce the much-discussed fast-charging pit stops until later in the season.

Qualifying slightly adjusted

The only change in qualifying relates to the duel phase, which takes place after group qualifying: In the quarter and semifinals, drivers who have also previously raced in the same group will now always meet. In the final alone, drivers from two different groups race against each other.

New teams & customer teams

The successful German team ABT Sportsline is returning to Formula E after a year's absence with title sponsor Cupra and Mahindra engines. Venturi became Maserati MSG Racing, and Mercedes sold its team to Neom McLaren. Techeetah, on the other hand, is no longer involved. Powertrain supplier DS Automobiles is now working with Penske instead - meaning the Dragon name disappeared from Formula E. Porsche supplies powertrains to Andretti, Jaguar to Envision and Nissan to McLaren (to the team overview).

New drivers & transfers

Jake Hughes is the only rookie of the 2023 season, making his Formula E debut for McLaren in Mexico. Sacha Fenestraz will contest his second Formula E race at Nissan, but for the first time as a regular driver. In addition, Nico Müller (ABT), Norman Nato (Nissan) and Rene Rast (McLaren) are returning from their Formula E break.

With Sebastien Buemi (Envision), Lucas di Grassi (Mahindra), Antonio Felix da Costa (Porsche), Robin Frijns (ABT), Max Günther (Maserati), Andre Lotterer (Andretti), Sergio Sette Camara (Nio 333), Stoffel Vandoorne and Jean-Eric Vergne (both DS Penske), a total of nine drivers have changed teams! Jaguar alone has retained its old driver pairing (to the driver overview).

New cities

For the first time, Formula E will race in Hyderabad (India), Cape Town (South Africa), Sao Paulo (Brazil) and Portland (USA) in 2023. No longer included are the races in Marrakesh (Morocco), New York City (USA) and Seoul (South Korea). Mexico City (to the Formula E calendar) will kick off the event for the first time this year.

New logo

Formula E completely overhauled its brand design during the season break, making visual and audio refreshes. However, most fans were not initially convinced by the new look...