Porsche quits LMP1 for Formula E 28 | 07 | 2017
PORSCHE HAS BECOME the latest car manufacturer to commit to competing in the all-electric FIA Formula E Championship. It will join for season six in 2019/20, and will also quit the LMP1 division of the World Endurance Championship at the end of this season. (Related: Mercedes switches to Formula E)
The decision by Le Mans winner Porsche means it will leave the highest level of sportscar racing after four seasons with the 919 Hybrid, one year before the end of its existing commitment through to the end of 2018.
“Entering Formula E and achieving success in this category are the logical outcomes of our Mission E road car programme,” Michael Steiner, member of the Executive Board for Research and Development at Porsche AG, said.
“The growing freedom for in-house technology developments makes Formula E attractive to us. Porsche is working with alternative, innovative drive concepts.
“For us, Formula E is the ultimate competitive environment for driving forward the development of high-performance vehicles in areas such as environmental friendliness, efficiency and sustainability.”
The announcement was welcomed by Alejandro Agag, Founder & CEO of Formula E.
“I’m delighted to welcome Porsche to the FIA Formula E Championship,” Agag said. “If somebody told me when we started this project five years ago, that we’d be announcing a partnership with a brand like Porsche, I wouldn’t have believed it.
“To have a name like Porsche in Formula E, with all it represents in terms of racing and heritage — and in terms of sport cars — is an inflexion point in our quest to change the public perception about electric cars. The electric revolution continues, and Formula E remains the championship for that revolution.”
Porsche joins an impressive list of manufacturers already involved in the series, including names like Mercedes-Benz, who also recently announced its intentions to enter the championship in the same season. With the introduction of both Porsche and Mercedes, season six would see the number of teams increase to 12.
From season five, Formula E will no longer require two cars per driver and the potential of a mid-race car change. Each team will compete with two cars from the 2018/19 season onwards, instead of the current four, as a clear testament of the advancement in battery technology.
New-look futuristic cars will also debut in season five and will incorporate new electric technology to allow for a single car to complete a full race distance.
Related: New TV deal for Formula E
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Jim McGill