Formula E adds sprint races and faster Gen4 cars for season 13
The electric racing series will add three venues, a 30-minute sprint format and more powerful Gen4 cars when its next season begins in December.
By Hana Yoshida · Markets Reporter
2 min read
Formula E will begin its 13th season in December with faster Gen4 cars, a new race format and three added venues, according to details released by the FIA and Formula E. The changes matter because the electric series is moving toward higher-speed circuits and race weekends that more closely resemble familiar grand prix formats.
The FIA calendar lists the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Brands Hatch in Kent and Zandvoort in Amsterdam as new stops for the 2026-27 season. The Race reported that the Austin addition gives Formula E two U.S. race weekends for the first time since the championship’s first season in 2014.
Formula E also said double-header weekends will be reworked around a shorter race called E-Prix Unleashed. The format will run for 30 minutes before the main event and will not include a required pit boost stop, according to Formula E’s explanation of the sporting changes.
The sprint-style race is designed to let drivers run the Gen4 cars closer to their performance limits without the same focus on energy saving, Formula E said. That marks a shift from the battery-management demands that have shaped much of the series’ racing since its launch.
Gen4 raises the pace
The FIA says the Gen4 car can reach 208 mph, or 335 km/h. Formula E’s schedule is shifting away from smaller street circuits and toward tracks better suited to those speeds, according to the FIA calendar details and Formula E’s description of the new cars.
The Gen4 car is also larger than the Gen3 model, measuring 5,540 mm by 1,790 mm, according to the FIA. The governing body says the new car’s attack mode will deliver 600 kW, a 71 percent increase over the previous generation.
That added performance is central to how Formula E is presenting the next phase of the championship. Speaking to Motorsport, Formula E chief executive Jeff Dodds said Gen4 puts the series “right on the heels” of Formula 1, and claimed Gen5 is “probably faster.”
The new calendar keeps Formula E’s electric identity while using more elements associated with established circuit racing: permanent venues, a sprint event and faster machinery. Formula E has not framed the changes as a move away from its core format, but the FIA and series announcements show a championship adapting its race weekends to match a quicker generation of cars.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.