TAKING THE BRAKES OFF

With big changes, Formula E’s third-generation car is raring to go 

The curtain came down on the second generation of Formula E recently, with a double-header finale on a new street track in Seoul, South Korea.

As Stoffel Vandoorne succeeded team-mate Nyck de Vries as world champion and Mercedes-EQ took its leave from the electric singleseater series with a second successive teams’ title, Porsche was left to reflect on an ultimately disappointing campaign. In its second Formula E season, the firm broke its victory duck in Mexico City, where Pascal Wehrlein led André Lotterer to a one-two, but that was as good as it got. Instead of pushing on for a title charge, the German duo stalled, finishing 10th and 12th respectively in the drivers’ standings, with Porsche just seventh out of the 11 teams. Underwhelming.

It’s a tough series, as the spread of nine different race winners from seven teams shows. Still, this is Porsche. It must raise its game at the dawn of the new Gen3 era, which – unlike Audi, BMW and Mercedes – it has committed to, joining DS, Jaguar, Mahindra, new entrant Maserati, Nio and Nissan in season nine.

WHAT ’S CHANGING

Porsche’s Gen3 testing programme is well under way, and with Lotterer switching to the LMDh sports car campaign, the onus has fallen on Wehrlein. The ex-Manor and Sauber Formula 1 driver – who really deserved a longer crack at grand prix racing – has had limited running so far, but it has been enough to at least sample a taste of the new breed.

He will be joined in 2023 by a previous Formula E champion, António Félix da Costa, who is moving across from DS to form a potent driver line-up.