McLaren to Come Up with Formula E Car!

McLaren has confirmed long-held rumours that it will enter Formula E from next season after purchasing the Mercedes-EQ team. McLaren will join Maserati, Mahindra, Jaguar, DS Automobiles, Nissan, Porsche, and NIO 333 on the grid for the new Gen3 era, which begins next year. ABT Sportsline is also expected to return to the competition, and a deal with Mahindra is being discussed.

Mercedes, the reigning champions, are planning to exit Formula E at the end of the current season in 2022. However, the current McLaren Racing squad will continue to compete. The transaction is likely to be finalised later this year, according to a McLaren statement.

To ensure a smooth transition, Mercedes-EQ team principal Ian James will remain at the helm. McLaren will provide further information about their Formula E driver lineup and powertrain supplier later.

James said, “This is a great moment for all parties involved but, above all, for the people that make up this team. They are what keeps its heart beating. Being able to continue working with them is what I am most excited about. I’m very much looking forward for this next chapter for the team and will be a proud member of it in Season 9. Until then, we will be focused on delivering the best results possible as the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team, for the remainder of the current season.”

Formula E CEO Jamie Reigle added, “From next season and the start of the Gen3 era, the only place to see McLaren go head-to-head with historic motorsport names including Porsche, Jaguar, Maserati and Nissan is in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. They will be taking their place on the grid amongst 12 highly-competitive teams and 24 of the sport’s most talented drivers racing in the fastest, most powerful and efficient electric race car ever built. That is a unique and mouth-watering offering for fans, and I am excited that McLaren is joining Formula E to make this dream a reality.”

McLaren is one of the most prestigious names in racing, competing in Formula 1, IndyCar, and Extreme E. McLaren cited sustainability as a reason for joining Formula E, as well as the opportunity to attract a “new, more varied global audience.”

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown added, “As with all forms of the sport we participate in, Formula E has racing at the centre but will be strategically, commercially and technically additive to McLaren Racing overall. It is also satisfying to provide a home for the class-leading Formula E team that Mercedes has built, which will become a fully-fledged part of the McLaren Racing family. While run separately to our F1 and IndyCar teams, Formula E complements and builds out our EV racing programme alongside Extreme E. I firmly believe that Formula E will give McLaren Racing a competitive advantage through greater understanding of EV racing, while providing a point of difference to our fans, partners and people, and continuing to drive us along our sustainability pathway.”

The new-generation Formula E car is expected to be more powerful, quicker, and more efficient than its predecessor, with an even greater focus on sustainability. It’s the first Formula One vehicle with both front and back engines. It doubles the regenerative potential of current Gen2 automobiles with a combined 600kW. Power will be up to 350kW (476hp), up from 250kW (340hp) in current automobiles, and it will be about 60kg lighter (with minimum driver weight included). All of this corresponds to a peak speed of 320 kilometres per hour.

Season 9 is scheduled to premiere in January 2023. A Formula E race will most likely take place next year, between January and March 2023, at a new street circuit in Hyderabad.