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On the Friday before July’s London E-Prix, Lola owner Till Bechtolsheimer and several other senior managers from Formula E’s newest team were having a beer.
Formula E Gen4 test and development driver James Rossiter walked by and the talk quickly turned to the recent testing he had completed in what is already being talked about as a game changer for the all-electric world championship. 
“He was just fawning over this thing, like it was a new girlfriend or something,” Bechtolsheimer told The Race.
“It was pretty clear that he wasn’t just blowing smoke and there was a sparkle in his eye about how exciting it was to drive this car and just how fast the thing is. 
“He also talked about the fact that we’re going to have active differentials on the front and rear and the brake-by-wire and all of these added elements being brought into the manufacturer’s perimeter.
“He was just saying that the amount of engineering tools that you can develop around a car like this, how much of a blank canvas it really is, and how it’s almost second to no other championship within certain areas, at least, where teams will be able to develop the car.”
Rossiter is of course paid for his role and would wax lyrical whatever the car. But this was different. This was a racing driver really appreciating a car and what it will bring for Formula E from the end of 2026 onwards.
The hardware from a manufacturer’s perspective will be put through its initial paces this month at a group manufacturer test. Whether the manufacturers will have their own Gen4 powertrains in it or not remains unknown. It is entirely likely that some will and some will not at that first run.
The drivers will be pooled from the regular race drivers who will be fresh from the final pre-season test for the Gen3 car, now known as the Gen3 Evo.
But a year hence what chance could there be that there is a very different type of driver joining the Formula E grid? 
Former F1 aspirants Zane Maloney, Taylor Barnard and Felipe Drugovich have done it recently and inevitably more will follow. As the old guard start to leave the stage, a new breed of Formula E driver will step in. The question is will that include some of those currently flirting with the F1 trapdoor? The likes of Jack Doohan, Zhou Guanyu or even a Franco Colapinto or Yuki Tsunoda?
Listen to Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds and the Gen4 car will offer a magnetic attraction to drivers elsewhere in motorsport. 
“We’re starting to tell a different story – and that’s a story of almost double the power, significantly faster lap times, different levels of downforce, permanent wheel drive, 800 horsepower – to get people really excited about what’s coming,” he told The Race. 
“I think some of the drivers today that may have previously  discounted the Formula E adventure might now look at Gen4 and say, ‘actually I fancy a bit of that’.”
He could be right. The Gen4 car, which The Race has seen recently close up and in detail, is dimensionally much bigger than the Gen3 and much more traditional looking. The styling of it is much more akin to a Super Formula E car and its performance won’t be too far off the quickest car outside of F1.
“I think there’s a whole load of talent that might love the idea of a big old stint and a chance to build a legacy in Formula E,” Dodds reckons. 
Dodds’ informal way of offering out career advice to professional racing drivers is pertinent because it taps into an age-old debate among driver managers, pundits, media and indeed drivers themselves of when to give up on the F1 dream.
Historically there are few Romain Grosjean or Kevin Magnussens in this world that really maximise a second F1 chance. Will Doohan get a second go? That sadly feels unlikely after he recently lost out on that quest. 
Will Zhou get back on the grid? Remote. Can Colapinto carve out a truly sustainable long-term opportunity? Maybe, maybe not. How long can you cling to the cliff-edge before you have to drop? Why not cushion the fall by becoming the new Sebastien Buemi or the new Jean-Eric Vergne, successful in a different world championship and well-paid by major manufacturers?
Ambition and practicality rarely gel in sport. But ask Antonio Felix da Costa or Pascal Wehrlein if they are happier now than they were scratching for an F1 chance or two and the answer will be firmly in the affirmative to ‘now’.
So, the atmosphere is fertile for a new influx of drivers for Gen4. The conditions feel right. But does the environment fit the bill, is the stage exciting enough?
The growth of Formula E has been up and down. According to the promoters it is currently on a big ascent but that isn’t been seen in the drivers’ profiles or their social media followings. Is it just a bit laggy? Or is F1 sucking all of the oxygen out of the motorsport room?
That’s something the stars of the show are trying to get answered and perhaps in Gen4, who knows, there might be a shared bill between F1 and its increasingly close electric cousin. They do, after all, share a custodian in Liberty Global.
But the high likelihood is that Formula E will have to push on and try and grow itself further to bring further high profile names to its party. 
“My ambition for Gen4 is off the charts in terms of what it can do for the sport,” surmises Dodds.
“It is matched by only one other person in the world, which is Mike Fries [CEO of Liberty Global]. Because his view is: you have to take these opportunities. They come around rarely.
“This is a moment for us to take a massive step. Let’s not miss anything.”
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The Race started in February 2020 as a digital-only motorsport channel. Our aim is to create the best motorsport coverage that appeals to die-hard fans as well as those who are new to the sport.

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