Everything you need to know about the 2023 Formula E season

The 2023 Formula E season kicks off in Mexico City this weekend, with Robin Frijns and many former F1 drivers in action, among others. Who will succeed Stoffel Vandoorne as world champion, or will the Belgian successfully defend his championship?

Last year, Stoffel Vandoorne became world champion after a thrilling season beating Mitch Evans and Edoardo Mortara with 213 points. This was after the Belgian was fighting for the title on behalf of several riders mercedes, who won the constructors’ championship. Frijns finished seventh with 126 points, Nyck de Vries ninth with 106 points. It turned out to be (for now) the last season for De Vries and Vandoorne in Formula E. Now the 2023 season is just around the corner.

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Calendar

The 2023 Formula E season kicks off on Saturday February 14 with the Mexican E-Prix in Mexico City. Then fifteen other races will take place, including some races on the same circuit. For example, after the race in Mexico, there are already two races in Saudi Arabia (January 27 and 28 in Al-Diriyah). This will also be the case in Germany (April 22 and 23 in Berlin), Indonesia (June 3 and 4 in Jakarta), Italy (July 15 and 16 in Rome) and Great Britain (July 29 and 30 in London). . The last four races of the season will take place in Italy and Great Britain. This season there will also be races in India, South Africa, Brazil, Monaco and the United States. Races in India, Brazil and South Africa are new to the calendar.

Sixteen races in eleven countries, although there is still a slim chance of a seventeenth race on the weekend of May 20-21. During this weekend, a double race weekend in Seoul was actually planned, but in October it became clear that this race weekend could not take place due to the renovation of the Olympic Stadium. from Seoul where the races would take place. It is not yet clear whether a seventeenth race will be added this weekend. The organization was looking for another race in Seoul, but when the schedule was announced, it became clear that this had not come to fruition (at the time) and a race in Portland (USA) was added. For now, there are sixteen races in 2023, the same number as in 2022.

teams

The main team and brand that said goodbye to the sport is Mercedes, which after years of domination and championships had had enough and did not want to get started with the new cars. Maserati and McLaren strengthen the sport. Eleven teams in total, plus DS Penske, Andretti, Nissan, Porsche, Jaguar, NIO, Mahindra, CUPRA and Envision. An excellent range with many top brands for the 2023 season. Not all teams use their own power unit: Envision (using Jaguar), McLaren (using Nissan), CUPRA (using Mahindra) and Andretti (using Porsche’s) .

Gate

Grid-wise, we will also have the same number of drivers in 2023: 24. De Vries will therefore not be there in 2023, but that also applies to Alexander Sims and Antonio Givonazzi. Frijns is there. The Dutchman will try to win the title on behalf of ABT Cupra. Frijns’ teammate in 2023 is Nico Muller. Other new names in Formula E for the 2023 season include Jake Hughes, Sacha Fenestraz and returning veteran René Rast. Rast will drive alongside Hughes in the Neom McLaren team. Also at the wheel are Stoffel Vandoorne and Jean-Eric Vergne (DS Penske), Sergio Sette Camara and Dan Ticktum (NIO 33), Maximilian Gunther and Edoardo Mortara (Maserati MSG), Oliver Rowland and Lucas di Grassi (Mahindra), Mitch Evans and Sam Bird (Jaguar), Antonio Felix da Costa and Pascal Wehrlein (Porsche), Sébastien Buemi and Nick Cassidy (Envision), Norman Nato and Fenestraz (Nissan) and Jake Dennis and Andre Lottere (Avalanche Andretti) will also participate in Formula E 2023 season.

cars

In 2023, Formula E will experience what Formula 1 experienced last year: the start of a new era of cars. In 2023, still with Hankook as the tire supplier, Gen3 cars will be driven. These cars must be revolutionary in terms of speed (power from 335hp to 469hp), weight (from 900kg to 760kg) and energy savings. The stacks that should make this possible are used by williams delivered (Advanced Engineering), while Spark Racing designed the new cars. But that’s not all, because there are also quite a few rules regarding the race weekend.

Lines

Formula E races will no longer last 45 minutes from 2023, but will take place over a certain number of laps, as is also the case in Formula 1. Unlike Formula 1, all time lost due to a yellow flag (full course yellow) or safety car is converted into laps and added to the race. The number of laps is therefore covered anyway. Partly because of this, there will be no overtime rule in 2023. It is therefore replaced by circles. Fan Boost, which was a great show in the past, won’t be returning in 2023 either.

Additionally, there will be testing with Attack Charge towards the end of the season. This should ensure that there are pit stops in Formula E and that the strategic game becomes more interesting. The FIA’s explanation is as follows: “A mandatory 30-second attack charge stop for a pre-determined time period in the race unlocks two enhanced attack mode periods that will be rolled out later in the race where the power of Gen3 racing cars increased from 300 to 350 kW. Attack Charge will be tested at select races later in Season 9.” If successful in 2023, it can be introduced more widely around 2024 or 2025. Formula E is therefore opting for an approach like Formula 1 does with races of sprinting.

Finally, there is also a new rule regarding rookies, with which Formula E also looks a bit like Formula 1. Each team is obliged to leave a rookie board during free practice twice a season. There are usually two free practice sessions per race weekend, so these will be the times when all teams will have to field a rookie twice.

Emissions

This year, as in previous years, Formula E is visible on Eurosport and Ziggo Sport. Free practice sessions, qualifying and the race will be broadcast by both parties, but fans will have to be very careful during the season whether this is broadcast on open channels (Ziggo Sport) and/or Eurosport 1. It depends mainly other sports taking place at the time and broadcast by both parties.

Vacancy: Online F1 Editor (freelance, part-time or full-time)