The 2021-2022 Formula E World Championship concluded back in August after the Seoul ePrix. Drivers have fought for the title throughout a total of 16 events. But it was Stoffel Vandoorne that took the top spot this year for Mercedes-EQ Formula E with a comfortable lead against Jaguar TCS Racing driver Mitch Evans. But now it's almost time for a new season to start, and there are quite a few changes to look out for.
The upcoming year marks the ninth season of the Formula E World Championship, with its first-ever event taking place in Beijing, China, back in 2014. In eight seasons thus far, we've seen seven different drivers claiming the World Title. That's because Jean-Eric Vergne secured back-to-back victories a few years ago. In eight years we've seen two different generations of electric race cars. Gen1 machines had a maximum output of 268 hp (272 PS/200 kW)) while Gen2 pumped those numbers up to 335 hp (340 ps/250 kW).
But the upcoming season will see the debut on Gen3 cars, and Nissan Formula E has just unveiled its new cherry blossom livery for the e-4ORCE 04 race machine. Nissan's ace drivers for the upcoming season are going to be Norman Nato and Sacha Fenestraz. We've included some photos of the former Nissan e.dams Gen2 chassis so that you see the transformation.
This move is meant to celebrate the start of the Gen3 era and the transformation of the old Nissan e.dams team into Nissan Formula E. The championship could become more appealing to fans, as these new cars should be able to hit speeds of over 200 mph (321 kph). It's interesting to note that the 350 kW rear powertrain delivers 95% efficiency compared to 40% in the case of an internal combustion engine. Gen3 cars also have a 250 kW powertrain upfront, which is meant to considerably improve the regenerative capability.
Nissan has been competing in Formula E since Season 5, since the start of the company's partnership with DAMS. If that name doesn't ring a bell, you might like to know that one of the team's founders is ex-F1 driver Rene Arnoux. Nissan e.dams finished fourth overall in the Teams' Championship that season, just one point behind Envision Virgin Racing.
The 2019-2020 season has been the best one for the team so far, with a P2 finish in the championship. But things have been going rather downhill from that point, ending up in P10 and then P9 for the next two years. Drivers and teams will undergo the first test session for 2023 in Valencia in less than two weeks from now.
Beyond that point, it's only a matter of weeks until the first ePrix in Mexico City on the 14th of January. With 17 events on the calendar, this will be the longest Formula E World Championship season so far and chances are it's going to be the most exciting one as well. So we will be keeping you updated along the way.
The things Dragos enjoys the most in life are, in no particular order: cars, motorcycles, diecast cars, and drifting. He's seen (and driven) many vehicles since he started his writing career back in 2009, but his garage currently houses a 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S Turbo II and a 1999 Suzuki SV650-S. Full profile
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