Gen 3 has arrived, and it’s a very different looking beast indeed, and one that behaves like an entirely separate species to its popular predecessor
Initially given little chance to survive when first mooted in 2012, the all-electric series has blossomed into a fully-fledged world championship with multiple prestige OEMs and a roster of driving and engineering talent that makes it both one of the strongest and most lucrative forms of motorsport outside of F1.
Technically, its road map has been adaptable, and its sporting structure flexible enough to contend with some serious slings and arrows that have ranged from the widespread ridicule of changing cars between 2014-’18 and the debacle that saw cars running out of useable energy at Valencia in April 2021’s infamous ‘zombie race’.
The Gen 2 car, a distinctive mix of single seater and Prototype was widely lauded for its striking looks and its propensity to create close (sometimes too close) racing. Now, Gen 3 has arrived, and it’s a very different looking beast indeed, and one that behaves like an entirely separate species to its popular predecessor.
Tender process
The new car was born in much the same way as its predecessor, via official FIA tenders that were sent out in 2019. By early the following year, Williams Advanced Engineering had regained the battery deal it lost to McLaren Applied for Gen 2 and Spark had retained the chassis and other central components, such as the front MGU, which was allocated to Atieva (Lucid Motors’ tech’ arm). But by far the biggest shock was that Michelin was not kept on for a third term as tyre supplier. Instead, Hankook came on board.
And while the technical parameters around the hike in power from 250kW to 350kW and an impressive maximum 600kW regen’ capability stole the early headlines, the new rubber is
