Formula E officials confirmed the championship’s biggest sporting overhaul yet, introducing separate sprint and feature race formats when the Gen4 era begins.
The series will debut a new ‘E-Prix unleashed’ concept – performance-focused sprints at double-header events that showcase the raw speed of the Gen4 machinery.
Eight double-headers were confirmed for the 2026/27 calendar at the recent FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting. These unleashed races will take place in Jeddah, Monaco, Berlin, Zandvoort, Brands Hatch, Jarama, Shanghai and Tokyo. The full provisional schedule – a record-breaking 21-race calendar – was ratified alongside the new format.
Sprint races will use higher-downforce specification bodykits to demonstrate the Gen4 car’s capabilities. The new machine is expected to run seven to eight seconds per lap quicker on average than the current Gen3 Evo package.
With 600kW of power and active all-wheel drive, it’s comfortably the fastest and most powerful car the series has produced.
Traditional Energy Management Stays
Standalone races in Mexico, Austin, Miami, Sao Paulo and Sanya will maintain traditional Formula E race lengths of around 45 minutes. These races keep the emphasis on energy management and energy recovery.
The non-sprint races at double-headers follow the same approach.
Attack mode power boost and in-race PitBoost stops both continue into the new era. PitBoost remains reserved for double-header events only.
The FIA and Formula E developed the new sporting format over recent months after consultation with teams. Pablo Martino, the FIA’s sporting chief for Formula E, said the framework was central to the championship’s evolution alongside the new car.
“One of the things that I think is key to the evolution of the sporting format is the opportunity we have had with Gen4, with the new car. We have prepared a championship format that we believe is going to showcase primarily all the capabilities of the new car.”
Two Different Race Distances
Martino explained that double-headers would carry “two different race distances.”
The standard E-Prix maintains a similar approach to current championship races, with around a 25% lift-off requirement for drivers to manage battery energy, harvest and deployment.
The E-Prix unleashed will run 25 to 30 minutes in length with much lower energy management requirements.
“That is going to provide much more of a showcase of the performance capacities of the car,” Martino said. “This has been done in order to give the spectators two different E-Prix during these double-headers.”
Single-header weekends will always feature the normal E-Prix format.
The main points system remains unchanged across both formats. Formula E will adjust qualifying points, with the top eight now scoring: 1st (four points), 2nd (three points), 3rd (two points), 4th (two points), 5th-8th (one point each).
Performance Concerns and Opportunities
Teams and drivers have expressed some apprehension about the sporting format changes ahead of the new era’s December launch in Jeddah.
The performance leap with Gen4 cars makes the ultra-energy-saving races seen at circuits like Misano and Portland unsustainable going forward.
Several of those circuits have dropped off the calendar structure. Concerns remain that certain tracks – notably Tokyo, Sao Paulo and Sanya – will struggle to contain the Gen4 cars if they produce the ultra-close racing seen recently.
With genuine 205mph speeds now achievable, it’ll be a fine balance between spectacular racing and a package that could trigger heavy incidents at tracks with limited run-off areas.
Significant technical detail still needs clarification from the FIA and Formula E around the precise framework for running two different car set-ups across double-header weekends. This challenge comes during a broader period of change that’s seen Brands Hatch added to the calendar as London’s new home.
Team and Driver Reactions
Roger Griffiths, Andretti team principal, told EV Powered the concept made sense for showcasing Formula E’s ultimate performance.
“We’ve always wanted to be able to showcase the ultimate performance of the Formula E car, and maybe doing that over a shorter race is one way of approaching it,” Griffiths said.
“There’s still some discussion around the technical specifications of what the car will be running, and once that’s finalised, we can then look at what that means in terms of the operation from a garage side.”
Ian James, Jaguar team principal, agreed more practical detail was needed but praised the overall direction.
“I think they’ve actually struck a nice balance at the moment, as this is something we can do probably better, or in a more authentic fashion, than other championships. So it’s exactly the direction we should be going.”
From a driver’s perspective, Nico Mueller of Porsche called the plans “pretty promising.”
“Having different race formats in events where we race twice is good. I think the new Gen4 invites something like that, right? Because the pure performance of the car is brutal and is already bringing a lot of spectacle to the track.”
“So there’s definitely going to be occasions where we don’t need so much side-by-side action to keep the people in the grandstands entertained,” Mueller added.
The British round’s relocation to Brands Hatch reflects Formula E’s broader recalibration as the Gen4 performance leap approaches.
