A total of 11 teams, with 22 cars in the fray, will participate in Round 4 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship to be held in Hyderabad on February 11.
Hyderabad is among four new locations added onto the 2023 grid alongside Cape Town, South Africa, Sao Paulo, Brazil and Portland in Orgeon, US.
Notable manufacturers like McLaren, Maserati, Porsche, Jaguar, Nissan, and Mahindra Racing will be seen in action in the 2023 Hyderabad E-Prix, the first such event being held in India.
Formula E, officially the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, is a single-seater motorsport championship for electric cars, which was conceived in 2011 in Paris by FIA president Jean Todt and Spanish businessman Alejandro Agag, who is also the current chairman of Formula E Holdings.
Hyderabad is the fourth stop in the 16-race 2023 season of the Formula E World Championships.
The highlight of the event in Hyderabad will be the introduction of the Gen3 Era Formula E car, which is known for its top speed of 322 kmph and its status as the world’s fastest, lightest, most powerful, and most efficient electric race car.
This historic racing event, taking place in India for the first time, will be held near the picturesque Hussain Sagar Lake in Hyderabad on February 11. It is part of a four-year agreement that will see the event held in India through 2026.
A “30 days to go countdown” event was held in Mumbai on Thursday evening. It was attended by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways of India Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Municipal Administration and Urban Development of Telangana, K.T. Rama Rao, and Founder, Greenko and Ace Group, Anil Kumar Chalamalasetty. The event finale had a special performance by Dharavi Rocks, highlighting sustainability.
“We are very glad to welcome the Formula E team to Mumbai and happy that they chose to celebrate this important milestone here at the Gateway of India. The Formula E World Championship coming to India has made us all proud. In keeping with the true spirit of progress, this championship will power us through to a sustainable future,” said Eknath Shinde.
Rama Rao stated that the Formula E World Championship coming to Hyderabad and India for the first time ever is a testament to the direction of progress India has taken. “Sustainable mobility is the way to go for a cleaner, greener future. We are proud to be hosting this international event in Hyderabad and welcome all of India to come to witness this race,” he said.
Anil Kumar Chalamalasetty said the Mumbai countdown marked a step towards a momentous event in acknowledgement of an urgent need to decarbonise the economy including the transport and mobility sector.
The 2023 Hyderabad E-Prix, accelerated by Greenko, is being hosted by Ace Nxt Gen in association with the Government of Telangana and Formula E. Hyderabad will host Round 4 of the 16 races for the 9th season of the championship which will be organised between January and July 2023
According to the organisers, the ticket sale which went live on January 4 has received an overwhelming response from fans around the world. Organisers have categorised the tickets into four categories based on the vantage points on the track: Ace Grandstands, Premium Grandstands, Charged Grandstands, and Grandstands.
A huge tech leap
Teams have a whole new challenge for Season 9 with Formula E heading into the Gen3 era. It’s a massive leap in technology that’s come together to create the fastest, lightest, most powerful and efficient electric single-seater ever – and the most sustainable too.
The headlines are a 200mph (320kph) top speed, a 60kg lighter, smaller chassis, an additional front powertrain plus a power output 100kW up on Gen2 at 350kw with double the regen capacity – meaning more than 40% of the energy used in-race is via regeneration under braking. The drivers say that will all add up to more overtaking and livelier cars around Formula E’s calendar of street circuits.
Sporting evolution
Alongside the revolutionary machinery on-track, Formula E’s sporting regulations have undergone evolutionary updates to ring in the new era. A lap total will replace time in setting a race distance, with additional laps added for Safety Car and Full Course Yellow interruptions to racing.
Later in Season 9, ATTACK CHARGE, using pioneering battery and charging technology, will allow the newer, smaller, lighter Gen3 cars to receive an in-race energy boost – delivered at a lightning-quick 600kW. This mandatory 30-second stop will unlock two ATTACK MODE periods with the cars running at 350kW vs the stock 300kW.
Upcoming racing talent will also get their opportunity to shine in the world’s leading electric racing championship with teams fielding rookie drivers in two Free Practice 1 sessions over the season; with FP1 itself now set to take place a day prior to raceday throughout the season.
