Formula E unveils GEN4 calendar featuring real race tracks
▼ Summary
– Formula E will introduce the GEN4 car next season, which is more powerful than a Formula 1 car but heavier and with less downforce.
– The season 12 calendar (2026–2027) includes 21 races across 13 cities, featuring several traditional race tracks instead of only city-center venues.
– The season starts with a Saudi double-header in December 2026, followed by races at three Formula 1 venues in North America: Mexico, COTA, and Miami.
– The Circuit of the Americas race will use the shorter NASCAR layout to avoid direct lap-time comparisons with Formula 1.
– Brands Hatch in Kent replaces the London ExCel Arena, using a unique circuit layout rather than its standard Indy or GP configurations.
Formula E is currently wrapping up its existing technical era, with an all-new electric single-seater set to debut at the start of next season, kicking off in December in Saudi Arabia. That car, dubbed GEN4, represents a massive leap forward. At times, it can produce more power than a Formula 1 machine, though it carries extra weight and generates significantly less downforce. As speeds climb with this new generation, it was inevitable that some of the series’ familiar circuits would no longer be suitable.
The release of the Season 12 calendar for 2026–2027 makes this shift unmistakable. The schedule features 21 races across 13 cities and now includes several traditional race tracks alongside street circuits.
The season begins with a double-header in Saudi Arabia on December 18 and 19, the only round scheduled for 2026. From there, the championship jumps into 2027 with a run of Formula 1 venues across North America. Mexico City kicks things off on January 16, followed by the Circuit of the Americas in Texas on February 7, and the Miami International Autodrome on February 20. Adding COTA to the roster makes it the seventh U. S. location Formula E has visited since 2015, following stops at the American Airlines Arena in downtown Miami, Long Beach, Brooklyn, Portland, Homestead-Miami, and the Hard Rock Stadium complex.
At COTA, Formula E will use the shorter circuit layout, the same one NASCAR employs for its races, rather than the full Grand Prix configuration. This sidesteps inevitable comparisons between lap times of the two series, but it also signals a clear break from one of the championship’s founding appeals: racing exclusively in city centers where no other major series could go.
Some traditional Formula E venues remain. The Berlin-Tempelhof round is set for May, as is the Monaco e-Prix. However, the indoor-outdoor ExCel Arena in London has been outgrown. In its place, Formula E will head to the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent, just outside London, in late May. Rather than using either the Indy or GP configurations of that historic track, the series is expected to craft a unique layout, similar to how Formula E tweaks its Monaco circuit slightly from the F1 version used just weeks later.
(Source: Ars Technica)