Formula E’s new season is starting to look more like F1

The next season of Formula E will feature a new race format and three new race locations when it starts in December to go with the new Gen4 electric cars. The schedule released today by the FIA includes the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent, and the Zandvoort circuit in Amsterdam. As The Race mentions, this will give Formula E two weekends in the US for the first time since its inaugural season in 2014.

The electric racing series double-header weekends will also change, with two different types of races adding a shorter E-Prix “Unleashed” ahead of the main event. The new “Unleashed” format is a 30-minute sprint, similar to F1’s sprint races, without a mandatory pit boost stop, allowing drivers to focus on pushing the new Gen4 cars as fast as they can go, rather than worrying about battery management.

Formula E’s new season shifts the schedule away from smaller street circuits and toward race tracks that can accommodate the higher speeds the Gen4 cars are capable of — up to 208mph (335kmh). They have a larger footprint than Gen3, as well, measuring 5540 x 1790mm. Gen4 also has a higher 600kW attack mode, a 71 percent boost over the previous generation, according to FIA. Speaking with Motorsport, Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds claimed that “Gen4 gets us right on the heels [of F1], and Gen5 is probably faster.”