Envision Racing CTO: 'Formula E can already compete with Formula 1'

Currently, Formula 1 is still the pinnacle of motorsport. Whether this will remain so for a very long time remains to be seen. Indeed, managing director and CTO of the Envision Racing Formula E Team, Sylvain Filippi, thinks Formula E could surpass Formula 1 with their new generation of cars.

Formula 1 is a sport that has a lot of dominance. For instance, Mercedes was the best in the field for many years and is now Red Bull Racing. This might make people look for a racing class with a bit more competition and excitement.

'Formula E can compete with Formula 1'

At the moment, Formula E cannot yet compete with Formula 1. Although Filippi thinks otherwise, he told Forbes. He thinks that if Formula E starts running with a different set-up, the cars will be as fast as in Formula 1. ''It’s all about the downforce. Today we can make an electric motor that can beat a Formula One engine in acceleration, and even deliver the same high speeds. However, so much of lap times come from downforce. Formula E also runs tires that are half road, half racing. If Formula E cars ran slicks, they would get close to Formula 1 lap times already. The weight is the same already, and with the same aero and grip it would be similarly quick.”
 

The new generation of cars in Formula E

In the new generation of cars, Gen4, the difference with Formula 1 could become even smaller. This is likely to be the biggest leap in performance Formula E has seen. Testing of those cars starts in 2026 and racing with them starts in 2027. So this roughly parallels the new technical regulations in Formula 1, which will take effect in 2026.

In other words, in the not-too-distant future, Formula E could be ahead of Formula 1. ''With Gen4 it will be game over'', Filippi concluded.