Formula E's new season brings sprint races, new tracks, and faster Gen4 cars
The upcoming Formula E season, starting in December, introduces a 30-minute sprint race format called 'E-Prix Unleashed' and three new venues, including Circuit of the Americas in Austin.
New Format and Venues
Formula E's 13th season, beginning in December, will feature significant changes. The new 'E-Prix Unleashed' format is a 30-minute sprint race without a mandatory pit boost stop, similar to F1's sprint races, allowing drivers to focus on speed rather than battery management. Double-header weekends will be restructured: the shorter sprint precedes the main event.
Three new race locations include Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Brands Hatch in Kent, and Zandvoort in Amsterdam. This marks the first time since the 2014 inaugural season that Formula E will have two US weekends in a single season.
Shift to Larger Tracks
The calendar moves away from smaller street circuits to race tracks capable of handling the Gen4 cars' higher speeds—up to 208 mph (335 km/h). The Gen4 cars are larger (5540 x 1790 mm) and feature a 600 kW Attack Mode, a 71% boost over the previous generation. Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds stated that Gen4 brings the series close to F1 performance, and Gen5 could be even faster.
