Formula E sets 21-race GEN4 calendar with COTA and Brands Hatch
Formula E’s first GEN4 schedule shifts toward faster permanent circuits as the electric series prepares for a more powerful car.
By Hana Yoshida · Markets Reporter
3 min read
Formula E has unveiled a 21-race calendar for its first GEN4 season, adding several permanent circuits as the electric series prepares for faster cars. The schedule marks a shift from the championship’s original focus on city-center racing, with stops including Circuit of the Americas, Zandvoort and Brands Hatch.
The 2026-27 campaign, Formula E’s season 12, will be held across 13 cities, according to the championship. It begins with a Saudi Arabia double-header on Dec. 18 and 19, the only events on the calendar scheduled for 2026.
Ars Technica reported that Formula E is entering the final year of its current technical rules before introducing the GEN4 car next season. The new electric single-seater is expected to bring a major performance increase, with more power at some points than a Formula 1 car, though it is heavier and produces less downforce, according to Ars Technica.
The new performance level has pushed Formula E toward venues that can handle higher speeds. After Saudi Arabia, the series opens 2027 with three North American rounds: Mexico on Jan. 16, Circuit of the Americas in Texas on Feb. 7, and the Miami International Autodrome on Feb. 20.
The COTA round will use the shorter layout also used by NASCAR rather than the full Formula 1 configuration, Ars Technica reported. The Austin stop will be Formula E’s seventh U.S. venue since 2015, after races in Miami, Long Beach, Brooklyn, Portland, Homestead-Miami and at the Hard Rock Stadium site near Miami.
Some established Formula E venues remain on the schedule. Berlin-Tempelhof and Monaco are both set for May, keeping two of the championship’s familiar stops in place.
London’s ExCel Arena, which uses an indoor-outdoor layout, is no longer on the calendar. Formula E will instead race at Brands Hatch in Kent in late May. The Race has reported that the championship is expected to use a bespoke Brands Hatch layout rather than the circuit’s standard Indy or Grand Prix configurations.
The European portion continues with Zandvoort in the Netherlands in mid-June and Jarama in Spain at the end of that month. Shanghai, another Formula 1 venue, follows in early July, before the season ends in Japan in late July.
Formula E cofounder and chief championship officer Alberto Longo said in a statement that the 21-race schedule is the series’ largest calendar and that the addition of COTA, Zandvoort and Brands Hatch gives the GEN4 era a high-profile stage. Longo also said the series grouped races into continental clusters to support its sustainability goals.
Formula E is also changing the format for double-header weekends, which make up most of the schedule. The first day will feature a 30-minute race using high-downforce bodywork, with the emphasis on outright pace. The second day will use a 45-minute e-prix format that keeps the energy-management element used in the current series.
This story draws on original reporting from Ars Technica.