Formula E. 2026 season

Origin

Formula E was sketched out over a Paris dinner in March 2011 between FIA president Jean Todt and Alejandro Agag, who founded the promoting company in 2012 and ran the first race — the world's first all-electric single-seater world-level event — around Beijing's Olympic Park on 13 September 2014.¹² Lucas di Grassi won it after Nicolas Prost turned into Nick Heidfeld at the final corner, launching Heidfeld into the barriers.² The first generation of cars were identical Spark-Renaults whose 28 kWh batteries could not cover a race distance, so drivers swapped into a second car at half-distance — an arrangement that lasted four seasons.¹ Nelson Piquet Jr took the inaugural title by a single point from Sébastien Buemi at the 2015 London finale.³

Turning points

The Gen eras

The series has rebuilt its car roughly every four years, each generation retiring a compromise. Gen2 (2018–19) doubled battery capacity, ended the mid-race car swap and introduced Attack Mode; the FIA granted world-championship status from the 2020–21 season, making Nyck de Vries the first Formula E World Champion.¹³ Gen3 (2022–23) raised power to 350 kW and added a front regeneration axle, and the Gen3 Evo update of 2024–25 brought all-wheel drive at race starts, in Attack Mode and in qualifying duels.¹ Gen4, unveiled on 5 November 2025 for a Season 13 (2026–27) debut, is the first single-seater with permanent active all-wheel drive — 450 kW in race trim and 600 kW in qualifying and Attack Mode, a 71 per cent jump in peak power — on Bridgestone tyres.⁴

Manufacturer churn

Formula E's manufacturer roster has turned over constantly even as its grid stayed full. Audi and BMW both announced their exits in late 2020, departing after the first world-championship season; Mercedes announced its own withdrawal in 2021, then won the drivers' and teams' double in both 2021 and 2022 before handing its team to McLaren.¹⁵ McLaren itself left after Season 11 — announced in April 2025, redirecting budget towards a 2027 World Endurance Championship Hypercar programme — and with no buyer found, its licence was returned and the grid shrank from twenty-two cars to twenty.⁵ The counterweight is Gen4's order book: Porsche, Nissan, Jaguar, Stellantis, Lola and Mahindra are registered manufacturers — Mahindra committed to 2030 — with Opel entering for Season 13 and Citroën confirming its own Gen4 programme.⁴⁶

Today's shape

Eleven seasons have produced ten different champions — Jean-Éric Vergne, with back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019, remains the only driver to win twice, and still leads the all-time points table.³ Oliver Rowland took the 2024–25 crown for Nissan with two rounds to spare at Berlin in July 2025 — four wins and seven podiums — while Porsche left as teams' and manufacturers' champion; Jaguar's Mitch Evans has pushed the race-wins record, long shared at thirteen by Buemi and di Grassi, out to sixteen.⁷⁸ Season 12 (2025–26) is the longest calendar yet: eighteen races at twelve venues, opening in São Paulo in December 2025 and closing with a London double-header on 15–16 August 2026, with the Miami Autodrome new and Jarama returning a Spanish round after five years.⁹ It is also the farewell season for Gen3 Evo — the 600 kW, all-wheel-drive Gen4 car takes over from Season 13.⁴

Footnotes

1. Wikipedia, "Formula E," accessed 11 June 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formula_E. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

2. Wikipedia, "2014 Beijing ePrix," accessed 11 June 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Beijing_ePrix. ↩ ↩²

3. Formula E, "HISTORY: Who are all the Formula E champions from Seasons 1 to 11?," accessed 11 June 2026, https://fiaformulae.com/en/news/822042/history-who-are-all-the-formula-e-champions-from-seasons-1-to-11-. ↩ ↩² ↩³

4. Formula E, "Unleashing GEN4: A new era of high-performance, sustainable electric racing begins," 5 November 2025, accessed 11 June 2026, https://fiaformulae.com/en/news/1021450/unleashing-gen4-a-new-era-of-high-performance-sustainable-electric-racing-begins; Wikipedia, "Formula E Gen4," accessed 11 June 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formula_E_Gen4. ↩ ↩² ↩³

5. McLaren Racing, "McLaren Racing strategic portfolio review results in Formula E exit," April 2025, accessed 11 June 2026, https://www.mclaren.com/racing/formula-e/2025/mclaren-racing-strategic-portfolio-review-results-in-formula-e-exit/; The Race, "McLaren exit poses uncomfortable questions about Formula E 'bubble'," accessed 11 June 2026, https://www.the-race.com/formula-e/mclaren-exit-poses-uncomfortable-questions-about-formula-e-bubble/. ↩ ↩²

6. Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, "Mahindra Racing commits to Formula E GEN4 era until 2030," accessed 11 June 2026, https://www.fia.com/news/mahindra-racing-commits-formula-e-gen4-era-until-2030; Formula E, "Opel announces entry into Formula E from Season 13," accessed 11 June 2026, https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/1011745/opel-announces-entry-into-formula-e-from-season-13. ↩

7. Nissan Motor Corporation, "Nissan Formula E Team's Oliver Rowland becomes Formula E World Champion at Berlin E-Prix," 13 July 2025, accessed 11 June 2026, https://global.nissannews.com/en/releases/nissan-formula-e-teams-oliver-rowland-becomes-formula-e-world-champion-at-berlin-e-prix; Formula E, "Rowland produces World Champion drive to seal title in Berlin as Cassidy wins Round 14," accessed 11 June 2026, https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/754524. ↩

8. Pit Debrief, "'I wasn't expecting it': Evans on his record-breaking Formula E Miami E-Prix win," accessed 11 June 2026, https://www.pitdebrief.com/post/evans-formula-e-miami-e-prix-victory/; The Race, "Controversial finish to Berlin E-Prix after extreme energy-saving," May 2026, accessed 11 June 2026, https://www.the-race.com/formula-e/berlin-eprix-mitch-evans-jaguar-win-oliver-rowland/; Wikipedia, "List of Formula E driver records," accessed 11 June 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Formula_E_driver_records. ↩

9. Crash.net, "Formula E unveils 18-race calendar for 2025/26 season," accessed 11 June 2026, https://www.crash.net/fe/news/1073182/1/formula-e-unveils-18-race-calendar-202526-season; Formula E, "SEASON 12 CALENDAR: Where is Formula E racing across the 2025/26 season," accessed 11 June 2026, https://fiaformulae.com/en/news/755455/season-12-calendar-where-is-formula-e-racing-across-the-2025-26-season. ↩