SEASON 10 STORYLINES: the GEN3
Last year saw the introduction of the GEN3 – the fastest, lightest, most powerful and efficient electric race car ever built – which broke record after record during its inaugural season.
Across the 11-team, 22-car grid in Season 9 there were seven different winners and 11 drivers on the podium across 16 rounds, while 19 different drivers led a race for at least one lap.
Team engineers have spent the off-season working to extract vital tenths of-a-second from their GEN3 race cars and are sure to use the experience of last year to enhance performance. The result is more than half the drivers on the grid go into the Hankook Mexico City E-Prix confident they have a shot at the world title. Watch out Jake Dennis.
JAGUAR VS PORSCHE, ENVISION VS ANDRETTI: RIGHT TO THE WIRE
In both the Teams’ and Drivers’ World Championships, the title fight went to the finale in Season 9, with eventual wins for Jake Dennis (Andretti) and Envision Racing coming in London. What makes their wins unique is that both titles were won not only by different powertrains but by customer outfits of Porsche and Jaguar, respectively.
Andretti were, and still are, powered by Porsche for GEN3. Their 99X Electric led Dennis to two wins and a string of 11 podiums in Season 9, which was enough to see him crowned champion in front of his home support as he became the first Brit to win the title.
The factory TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team finished fourth in both the Drivers’ and Teams’ standings after a strong start from Pascal Wehrlein. The German giants have title-winning machinery and will be laser-focussed on securing the top prize for themselves this season.
Similarly, Envision are customers of Jaguar. Although both Jaguar-powered teams achieved four wins apiece in Season 9, it was Envision that came out on top. Nick Cassidy ran it close in the Drivers’ race and key in the team’s title win, having raced in every season of the series.
Cassidy has made the jump to the factory Jaguar TCS Racing team for Season 10, racing alongside Mitch Evans – a friend, long-time competitor, and Kiwi compatriot. It is rightly one of the most hyped driver line-ups ever seen in Formula E, and the British team will be desperate to end the year on top. Evans and Cassidy wound up first and second quickest in Valencia, too.
CHAMP JAKE DENNIS EXPECTS ‘TOUGHEST CHALLENGE YET’
Andretti’s Jake Dennis heads to Round 1 of a new campaign as the reigning champ for the first time in his Formula E career. After an incredible season of consistency, achieving 11 podiums across the 16 rounds of the calendar to set a new record, he’s now keen to get racing again after the summer break comes to a close.
Jake Dennis, Andretti Formula E, said:
“We’ve still got an incredibly strong powertrain. I don’t think there’s too much development that can happen coming into this season. There’s always tweaks here and there, but it’s more probably fine tuning.
“I would expect the likes of DS will definitely close the gap to us. It’s also still going to be difficult to beat Jaguar TCS Racing and the other Porsche team. Just trying to do what we did last year is going to be extremely difficult with that many podiums and wins. It’s never easy when the competition closes up.”
RETURN TO MEXICO CITY AND THE AUTÓDROMO HERMANOS RODRÍGUEZ
This weekend Formula E makes its eighth visit to a circuit that’s been on the calendar since Season 2, save for a trip to Puebla in Season 7. The 19-turn, 2.630km circuit is a perfect mix of long, fast straights and a technical infield section that passes right through the legendary Foro Sol stadium, housing tens of thousands of fans.
There’s a new chicane this year on the back straight, while the ATTACK MODE activation zone is now on the outside of Turn 15 at the exit of the stadium section – more of a challenge this time around.
Off the track, there is world-class entertainment with a live music from Latin superstar Sofia Reyes who headlines the Podium Stage, and is joined by Kurt, Salero Balas, and Sully, for performances in the Allianz Fan Village.
SUSTAINABILITY MATTERS
In line with Formula E’s commitment to sustainability, the 2024 Hankook Mexico City E-Prix event will be powered entirely by sustainably sourced HVO fuel as a net zero carbon event, with Formula E rigorously measuring, reducing, and offsetting all unavoidable emissions by investing in renewable energy production. Use of HVO produces a 90% carbon emission reduction compared to ordinary diesel.
NEW TELEVISION PRESENTERS LINE-UP
This season, Formula E TV coverage will be presented by a dynamic team including new lead presenter Jermaine Jenas, alongside pundits James Rossiter, David Coulthard, and Karun Chandhok. Nicki Shields returns as an on-the-ground reporter, with Tom Brooks and Ryan Myrehn providing their trademark engaging commentary.
In the USA, a Roku exclusive show, The Recharge, hosted by Georgia Henneberry, will offer fans a chance to revisit race highlights and driver strategy.
The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship Season 10 gets underway on Friday 12 January with Free Practice 1 at 16:25 CST local time (22:25 GMT).
Full details with further updates on where to watch, including information for all territories worldwide, can be found at: fiaformulae.com/watch
