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Riyadh: Season 9 and a new era of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship kicks off this Saturday with the debut of the GEN3 car at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez track for the 2023 Hankook Electric Grand Prix in Mexico City.
It is the fastest and most efficient car to date in the all-electric series.
With 40,000 spectators expected to fill the stands, the famous Foro Sol stadium area was filled with carnival as it welcomed 22 drivers from 11 teams.
Rounds 2 and 3 of Season 9 will be held at the Diriyah E-Prix in Riyadh on January 27-28.
Here’s everything you need to know about the start of the new season.
team
The offseason saw a lot of changes as only one team kept the same driver line-up as last season.
DS Automobiles has partnered with PENSKE AUTOSPORT to sign two of the sport’s biggest names – defending champion Stoffel Vandoorne and Formula E’s only double champion Jean-Eric Vergne – to kick off their ninth season of activity.
The duo competed closely in the test, recording the second and third fastest times respectively. Vandoorne will be looking to build a strong title defense to rival Vergne’s unique double.
Two iconic brands in world motorsport – McLaren and Maserati – are on the grid in Formula E for the first time this season.
The former is one of the greatest names in motorsport with 20 Formula 1 World Championship titles, 180 Grand Prix victories and 3 Indianapolis 500 victories, as well as a first-time 24 Hours of Le Mans victory.
Multiple DTM winner and former Formula E driver Rene Rast will drive the unique Papaya car of the new NEOM McLaren Formula E team alongside Jake Hughes, who It performed well in the test and set the fourth fastest record of the week.
In partnership with MSG Racing, Maserati marks its first return to single-seater racing in over 60 years and will become the first Italian marque to compete in Formula E. Both Maserati and McLaren see Formula Electric as key to their EV development programmes, as well as learning from intense sports lab driving in championships from track to road models.
Maserati’s rich motorsport heritage is evident in their return to racing. Launched on the streets of their Italian hometown of Modena in their signature blue, the Maserati Tipo Folgore pays homage to Trident’s first race car, the Tipo 26.
Maserati MSG Racing will see the return of Edoardo Mortara, who, together with new team-mate Maximilian Guenther, scored six podiums and four On the basis of winning the championship for the first time, he continued his most successful journey in Formula E. It was a strong start for the Valencia-based team, with Guenther topping five of the seven time trials and setting the benchmark pace in Spain’s third official Formula E test.
Jaguar TCS Racing is the only team with an unchanged driver line-up. Mitch Evans was in the running for his first Formula E world title until the final weekend of last season, when he finished second. Across the garage, team-mate Sam Bird’s frustration with an injury meant he was out for the final two races of the season – the 99th and 100th in Formula E history – leaving Lucas Di Grassi’s feat of being the only driver to win the title lasts forever.
Andre Lotterer joins Jake Dennis in the Porsche-powered Avalanche Andretti Formula E team, while season 6 winner Antonio Felix Da Costa will join Pascal Wehrlein in the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E team.
Nick Cassidy remained at Envision Racing, where he was joined by longtime Nissan driver and Season 2 winner Sebastien Buemi.
Buemi’s departure means the Nissan Formula E team also has a fresh line-up, with Norman Nato and Sacha Fenestraz replacing Antonio Giovinazzi in Seoul for the final race of season 8.
Mahindra Racing welcomes “Mr. 100” and Season 3 winner Lucas di Grassi to partner Oliver Rowland.
NIO 333 Racing has retained Dan Ticktum. He is teamed up with Sergio Sette Camara, who delivered some impressive performances for DRAGON/PENSKE AUTOSPORT last year, while Robins Frijns and Nico Mueller will be in the new ABT CUPRA Formula E team.
Sports Changes for Season 9
In addition to the revolutionary technology on the track, Formula E’s sporting regulations have also undergone an update in line with the GEN3 era. The total laps will replace the time to set the race distance and add extra laps for safety cars and full yellow card interruptions.
Hankook Tire has been the exclusive technical partner and tire supplier for the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship since season 9. After two years of research and development, Hankook Tire’s iON Race tires are used in all conditions of Formula E, wet and dry. Nearly 30 percent of new tires are made from sustainable materials, and Hankook Tire fully recycles each set of tires after use.
back to mexico city
On Saturday, in addition to the season 7 trip to Puebla, Formula E made its seventh visit to a track that has been featured on the calendar since season 2 – the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
The 19-turn, 2.630km circuit is a perfect mix of long, fast straights and a technical infield, and it runs right through the legendary Foro Sol stadium area, where thousands of fans are seated.
The addition of a new chicane on the back straight this season, while the attack mode activation zone is now on the outside of Turn 15 on the exit of part of the stadium, presents an added challenge this time around.
Last season, the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team claimed their first victory in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in Mexico City.
Pascal Wehrlein led home teammate Andre Lotterer in the Porsche one-two. The team ran an extra lap around the field with seconds remaining on the clock.
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