Record speeds, lap times, plenty of overtaking and a series of exciting races in the most competitive season in Formula E. This is the summary of the ninth season of the World Electric Car Championship, which has accelerated the growth of the category’s global fan base and live racing audience, as Formula E announced on Tuesday (03) in London, UK.
Formula E’s international fan base increased by 17% last year, rising to 344 million*, overtaking NASCAR to become the fourth-largest motorsport competition. Germany and the United States of America were among the markets that achieved the largest growth in terms of fan base, with an increase of 45% and 30%, respectively.
More than 225 million viewers watched Formula E races live during Season 9, an increase of 4% on the previous season. China and the United States, as well as new racing markets in Brazil, India and South Africa, have seen significant increases in live racing viewership.
The ninth season of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship featured 16 races, kicking off in Mexico City in January with the debut of the GEN3 – the fastest, lightest and most powerful electric race car ever – and ending with a double round. In London at the end of July.
New fans have joined Formula E as the competition for the world titles for drivers and teams heats up. The on-track competition saw performance decline as 22 drivers from 11 World Championship teams pushed the GEN3 car to the limits.
New records were set for fastest average lap time and top speed. During the races, there was an increase in the number of race leaders and more overtakes in the World Championship than ever before, with the majority of races showing more than three figures.**
Avalanche Andretti Formula E driver Jake Dennis won the first race of the GEN3 era in Mexico City before claiming his first world championship title in the penultimate race of the season, with three other drivers in contention before the pair battle it out for the final round of Championship. the address.
The World Teams’ Championship was decided in the final race when Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy won, ahead of Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans, who finished second in the teams’ title chase. Cassidy will compete alongside Evans for the Jaguar TCS Racing team in Season 10.
“We are on our way to establishing Formula E as the most exciting and innovative motorsport for fans, as well as the most sustainable, in the world. Jeff Dodds, CEO of Formula E, commented: “Our teams and drivers exceeded all expectations a year ago to take GEN3 and push it to “Beyond what we all thought was possible.”
“As a result, the entertainment value of Formula E racing is off the charts, attracting more fans and viewers than ever before. We are committed to building on this momentum and developing new ways to deliver our racing events to grow our fan base and audience even faster.”
Seven different drivers from six different teams won races during Season 9, which included races in downtown Mexico City, Diriyah, Hyderabad, Cape Town, São Paulo, Berlin, Monaco, Jakarta, Portland, Rome and London. Eighteen different drivers led at least one lap throughout the season and each team led the race by at least one lap.
Season nine also saw Maserati return to motorsport in the single-seater World Championship for the first time in over 60 years, while McLaren joined the Formula E grid.
The Formula E Championship concluded its ninth season with another record-breaking victory, this time by winning the Guinness World Records™ title, when NEOM McLaren Formula E driver Jake Hughes set a new top speed achieved by a vehicle inside a car.
Hughes smashed the previous world record by more than 50km/h to 218.71km/h at the London ExCeL circuit, concluding the ninth season of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship just days later.
The world record was set in the revolutionary GENBETA project car, developed by Formula E and the FIA together with partners ABB, SABIC and Hankook, which effectively “unlocked” the technological features of the GEN3 race car.
The 10th season of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship begins in Mexico City on Saturday 13 January 2024. Teams begin pre-season testing in Valencia, Spain from 23 October.
*Research conducted by Potentia Insight July 2023. Sample size 33,000 adults nationally representative across 17 international markets.
**Fast average lap speed of 154.987 km/h was recorded by Sascha Finestraz, Nissan Formula E Team, in Cape Town (round 5). The fastest top speed of 276.6 km/h was achieved by Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans during the first practice session in Portland (Round 12).
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