SPORT An E-ducation: Your complete guide to the 2023 Formula E season

Here we go. It’s lights out on another season of all-electric racing. Formula E isn’t just changing motorsport for the better, it’s evolving with every season. Season 9 brings better technology, faster cars, fresh faces, and even bolder sustainability targets. But the one thing that hasn’t changed is the championship’s need for speed. There are quite a few things to look forward to this year. As the Founding Partner and Official Timekeeper of Formula E, we’re here to give you the lowdown on what’s new. Let’s dive in.

Our TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team has a new Gen3 car and a new look this season. Season 6 champion António Félix Da Costa joins Pascal Wehrlein to boost our formidable drivers’ lineup. There’s a fresh buzz around the team and that’s probably why they’re off to a flying start. Wehrlein leads the drivers’ standings with two wins under his belt. And Da Costa took third place at the recent E-Prix in Hyderabad. On other parts of the grid, two iconic names in motorsport – McLaren and Maserati – join Formula E for the first time this season. That should spice things up.

The Gen3 car is both a beauty and a beast. It’s a huge leap in technological development and innovation. The best minds in the business have poured their knowledge into this car, delivering the fastest, lightest, most efficient electric race car ever. It pushes the boundaries of EV development.

This machine is capable of hitting a top speed of 200 miles per hour (322 kilometers per hour). Armed with a smaller chassis, the Gen3 car is optimized for street racing. Its additional front powertrain adds 250 kilowatts to the 350 kilowatts at the back, making it much more powerful than the Gen2 car. The Gen3 era is here. And it’s never been more electric.

One of the biggest changes this season is that laps will replace time. How does that work? Well, the races will run over laps instead of a set time period. To maintain consistency with the switch to laps, Safety Car and Full Course Yellow interruptions will now be compensated by added laps, replacing the additional racing time feature. This should really make things interesting whenever there’s a racing incident. It will push teams to keep switching their strategies during a race.

Another big update is Attack Charge. Formula E has developed pioneering battery and charging capabilities that allow the new Gen3 cars to receive a boost of energy during the race. This has resulted in the creation of a battery capable of receiving 4 kilowatts per hour of energy inside 30 seconds. It’s the most advanced EV battery in the world today, delivered by a 600 kilowatt booster. 

How does it work? A mandatory 30-second Attack Charge stop during a predetermined period in the race will unlock two enhanced Attack Mode periods to be deployed later in the race. At this time, the power output of the Gen3 race cars will increase from 300 kilowatts to 350 kilowatts. Attack Charge is set to be trialed at select races later in Season 9.  If you’d like to stay up-to-date on Formula E speak, we’ve got you covered.

Four new destinations have been added to the Formula E calendar this year: São Paulo, Cape Town, Hyderabad, and Portland. If the inaugural Hyderabad E-Prix is anything to go by, we’re in for a thrilling string of races in São Paulo, Cape Town and Portland. The race was packed with wheel-to-wheel duels, fascinating strategies, and a whole new set of Formula E fans. A sign that Formula E is growing in popularity across the world.

Season 9 is going to be a cracking year for Formula E. More races, faster cars, intriguing strategies—we’re going to see it all. So stay tuned for more electric news. Until then, you can drive over to our other E-ducational articles here and here.