The dilemma facing Formula E as it prepares for Gen4

There is a theory from the early 1900s which is evident in all walks of life, motorsport included. It was derived by Austrian psychotherapist Alfred Adler and is in relation to the personality traits of each sibling, where various stereotypes are even witnessed through different racing championships…

The eldest child is obviously Formula 1: the responsible, well-behaved sibling who has it all together and often bosses others around. It gets the most attention and has absolute confidence in itself. 

MotoGP takes the (dis)satisfaction of being the middle child: the one which is different, arguably most independent and may often feel overlooked or neglected. Motorbike racing has a big following, but it’s a very core audience and unlike something one sees at four-wheeled events. 

Then comes the youngest child: Formula E. When it was born it took the spotlight from the eldest sibling by being a rebellious free-thinker, who tried to outdo its competition, but was just never taken seriously enough as it grew older, despite coming on leaps and bounds. 

And that’s the problem for Formula E. When it hit the market in 2014 to become the first all-electric single-seater series, it promised to be that much-needed challenger to F1 considering the trajectory of the automotive industry, but it just hasn’t become mainstream enough regardless of the personal growth it has enjoyed.

Formula E now hosts more events than ever, in 2021 it became an official FIA world championship and long gone are the days of mid-race car swaps - yet the fallout from its Mexico round in January spoke volumes. 

Ticktum has been caught out in various incidents during the opening two rounds of Formula E 2025/26

Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

Much of the attention went to Dan Ticktum’s outburst rather than the actual result, as the Kiro driver questioned the level of stewarding and claimed the races are like “rental kart hacks”, where “people just send moves, hoping for the best”. 

That came after the Briton was hit by the Jaguar of Antonio Felix da Costa, who had also just collided with Maximilian Gunther while defending from eventual winner Nick Cassidy. No penalties were given, but what made it worse for Ticktum is that it meant he retired from the opening two rounds of the 2025/26 campaign without any of it being his fault.

It’s the stark contrast to team-mate Pepe Marti. The rookie started from the back in Mexico, the penalty for causing a collision in Sao Paulo, plus he had a 10-second stop-go for a complete powertrain change, but ultimately finished seventh following a late comeback. 

"Sometimes there can be maybe a bit too much saving, etc, but you don’t really find a boring Formula E race. I just hope that we keep those factors in Gen4" Nick Cassidy

Ticktum gave his summary on the situation: “I’ve qualified second and sixth in the first two races and my team-mate is beating me in the championship. You may as well not qualify, chill at the back, wait for everyone to crash into each other, save energy and come through from there.”

This sums up the dilemma that Formula E is surely facing as it gears up for the introduction of Gen4 next season. The new cars will be more powerful than any of its predecessors at 800+bhp, promising to be what takes the championship to the next level, but it feels like that can only happen if it refreshes the style of racing.

Because right now, a person will often watch a contest without understanding what’s actually happening as crashes, safety cars, different attack mode strategies plus drivers deliberately dropping back to preserve energy makes it all hard to read. 

The average viewer might turn away from an FE race, despite the constant action

Photo by: Hector Vivas / Getty Images

But does Formula E care about going down the simplicity route? After all, it is the so-called rebellious child and it prides itself on being the free-thinker. Audience confusion is therefore perhaps a hit worth taking, even if it maybe shuts some out, considering the races boast constant wheel-to-wheel action. 

So cue the thoughts of championship leader Cassidy: “It’s super important to look at the positives. The qualifyings are separated by nothing, it’s super competitive, a lot of teams are in the fight. 

“Yes okay, sometimes there can be maybe a bit too much [battery] saving, but you don’t really find a boring Formula E race. I just hope that we keep those factors in Gen4, because as soon as you get too much performance and not enough saving and big open tracks, we just look like another single-seater championship.”

But there is surely a way of avoiding that, while ensuring that races are not decided by strategy too often. Cassidy is the master of that, having won from 13th in Mexico thanks to saving much of his battery for the end, plus taking third in Brazil after starting 15th, but like Ticktum said, a driver can just linger at the back before fighting through once the chaos in front has unfolded.

That’s not exactly the best route for a world championship to go down. So more simplicity could help Formula E go a long way in its new era, causing additional audience members to recognise its racing as not a gimmick, but proper action with world-class drivers and manufacturers.

Does Formula E need to prevent its races from featuring too much energy saving in Gen4?