Porsche has extended its commitment to Formula E by two years. This means that the VW subsidiary will be involved in the electric racing series until at least the end of 2026. A further extension also seems conceivable.
When Porsche entered Formula E in 2019, its involvement in the world’s first electric racing series was initially set to run for five years until the 2023/2024 season. Ahead of the London E-Prix on 29 and 30 July, the Stuttgart-based sports car manufacturer has extended its commitment by two years until the 2025/2026 season.
The extension by two years until 2026 was not chosen by chance: Until then, the current third-generation racing cars (Gen3) such as the Porsche 99X Electric will be used in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. Porsche is thus the first participating manufacturer to commit to Formula E for the entire Gen3 era.
These new race cars are not only characterised by a new unit chassis, but also by more powerful electric drive systems from Lucid. The manufacturers develop the rear-axle electric drive system and software themselves. The car itself and the battery are unit components. The Gen3 race cars also have an electric motor on the front axle for the first time. This is also a unit component (manufacturer is Lucid Motors) and is only used for energy recovery as a generator, not for all-wheel drive.
The current season is the first year in which those Gen3 race cars are being used. Before the season finale with two races in London, Porsche is on the verge of winning the title, even if not with its own works team: Jake Dennis from the Andretti-Porsche customer team leads by 24 points after his victory in Rome, ahead of Nick Cassidy from the Jaguar customer team Envision Racing. In the team standings, the Porsche works team still has a chance of winning the title: Here, the team from Zuffenhausen is in second place, 14 points behind Envision Racing. With Pascal Wehrlein (2x Diriyah) and Felix Antonio da Costa (Cape Town), both of Porsche works drivers have already won races this season. In addition to the ePrix in Rome, Jake Dennis had also triumphed at the season opener in Mexico City with his Porsche power unit.
It is quite possible that Porsche will also be involved in Formula E after 2026: Porsche is already involved in the design of the subsequent fourth generation of cars, which will be used from season 13 (2026/2027). While this already signals interest, it is not a commitment.
“With our entry into Formula E, we have opened a new chapter in all-electric motorsport,” says Porsche’s Chief Development Officer Michael Steiner. “We’re convinced that our presence and successes in Formula E will continue to lay a foundation for future mobility solutions. It offers the most competitive environment to accelerate the development of high-performance vehicles with a focus on environmental friendliness and energy efficiency. We look forward to actively shaping the successful future of Formula E and thereby giving electric mobility even more momentum on a global scale.”
Keyword: Porsche extends Formula E presence to season 12