The World Electric Car Championship is the fourth largest motorsport category in terms of audience and number of fans
Record speeds, lap times, lots of overtaking and a series of exciting races in the most competitive season of Formula E. This is the summary of the ninth season of the electric car world championship, which has accelerated the growth of the global fan base of the category and of live public racing, as announced by Formula E this Tuesday (03) in London, UK.
Formula E’s international fan base increased 17% last year to 344 million*, surpassing NASCAR to become the fourth largest among motorsports competitions. Germany and the United States were the markets that grew the most in terms of fan bases, with an increase of 45% and 30% respectively.
Over 225 million viewers watched Formula E races live during Season 9, an increase of 4% over the previous season. China and the United States, as well as the new racing markets of Brazil, India and South Africa, have seen a significant increase in live racing spectators.
The ninth season of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship consisted of 16 races and began in Mexico City in January with the debut of the GEN3 – the fastest, lightest, most powerful and most efficient electric racing car ever built – and concluded with a double run in London at the end of July.
New fans tuned in to Formula E as the competition for driver and team world titles intensified. The on-track race saw performance records fall as 22 drivers from 11 global teams pushed the GEN3 to its limits.
New records were set for the fastest average lap time and top speed. During the races, there was an increase in the number of race leaders and a number of overtaking never seen before in the World Championship, with the majority of races showing more than three figures.**
Avalanche Andretti Formula E team driver Jake Dennis won the first race of the GEN3 era in Mexico City before taking his maiden world title in the penultimate race of the season, with three other drivers still in contention for the final round of the championship competing for the title.
The world teams championship was decided in the final race when Nick Cassidy won for Envision Racing, ahead of Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans, who finished second in the team title race. Cassidy will race alongside Evans for Jaguar TCS Racing in Season 10.
“We are on track to establish Formula E as the most exciting and innovative motorsport for fans, as well as being the most sustainable in the world. Our teams and drivers exceeded all expectations a year ago to take GEN3 and push it beyond what we all thought possible,” commented Jeff Dodds, CEO of Formula E.
“As a result, the entertainment value of Formula E racing is off the charts, attracting more fans and spectators than ever before. We are committed to building on this momentum and developing new ways of presenting our racing events to grow the fan base and spectators. the audience even faster.”
Seven different drivers from six different teams won races during Season 9, which featured races in downtown Mexico City, Diriyah, Hyderabad, Cape Town, Sao Paulo, Berlin, Munich, Jakarta, Portland, Rome and London. Eighteen different drivers led at least one lap throughout the season and each team led a race of at least one lap.
Season 9 also saw Maserati’s return to motorsport in a Single-Seater World Championship for the first time in over 60 years, while McLaren joined the Formula E grid.
Formula E concluded Season 9 by breaking another record, this time winning the official GUINNESS WORLD RECORD™ title, when NEOM McLaren Formula E team driver Jake Hughes set a new maximum speed achieved by a vehicle indoors.
Hughes beat the previous world record by more than 50 km/h by reaching 218.71 km/h at the ExCeL track in London, where the ninth season of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship concluded a few days later.
The world record was set by the revolutionary GENBETA project car, developed by Formula E and the FIA with partners ABB, SABIC and Hankook, which effectively “unlocked” the technological features of the GEN3 racing car.
The tenth season of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship begins in Mexico City on Saturday 13 January 2024. Teams will begin pre-season testing in Valencia, Spain from 23 October.
*Research conducted by Potentia Insight in July 2023. Sample size of 33,000 nationally representative adults across 17 international markets.
**Fastest average lap speed of 154.987 km/h set by Sasha Fenestraz, Nissan Formula E Team, in Cape Town (round 5). The fastest top speed was 276.6 km/h set by Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans during FP1 in Portland (round 12).
Source: Terra
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