Formula E enters its final weekend in the Gen. 3 era with the two-race London E-Prix, as the series approaches a new horizon with the highly anticipated Gen. 4 debuting for the 2026-27 championship campaign.
Since debuting in Season 9 (2022-23), the Gen. 3 car has not only brought forth technological advancements to the Formula E racing product, but also attracted a new set of eyes to the sport, which has continued to show growth, especially during the Gen. 3 period.
During the 2024-25 campaign, Formula E continued to invest in upgrading the Gen. 3 car for the future, introducing an EVO kit to the machine and launching a new vision for the series as it approached the Gen. 4 phase. While the car may be saying goodbye to the FE paddock, series CEO Jeff Dodds sees the Gen. 3 as a true launching pad for the sport’s continued rise in competition.
“I think the Gen. 3 year has been an interesting one,” Dodds said to GT REPORT. “When Gen. 3 was launched, it was launched with a mix of views, actually, because not everyone liked the physical look of the car, the wedge-shaped design of the car. There were modifications made during the Gen. 3 era where we opened up the front powertrain and we changed the physical look of the car as we went into the Gen. 3 Evo. Really, Gen. 3 has been two different cars. It’s been the Gen. 3, the first two years of Gen. 3, and the second two years of Gen. 3 Evo.
“What I would say is where I think Gen. 3 really delivered was in creating really competitive racing. So wheel-to-wheel, close-combat racing through this era. So I think it’s been good for the championship.
“I think the intermittent four-wheel drive that we’ve been able to deploy in the Gen. 3 Evo era has been exciting for the Gen. 3 and has allowed us to move to this all-wheel drive, permanent all-wheel drive position with Gen. 4.”
While the chapter closes on the Gen. 3 car in London, which will also mark its final race weekend at the ExCeL racing venue, it is hard not to see hints of its legacy remain as the championship shifts its focus toward an all-new machine for next season.
“I think the Gen. 3 era did a good job for the championship, albeit some mixed receptions on the look of the car and the styling of the car,” Dodds said. “If I’m candid, I’ve not really seen anything other than unilateral praise for the design of the car as we move into the Gen. 4 era.
“The hope would be a much faster car in Gen. 4, much more universally admired from a design point of view. But we have to, of course, hope that it delivers the same level of wheel-to-wheel exciting racing that we’ve seen in Gen. 3. If we can do that, I think we’ve got an absolute winning formula.”
The 2025-26 Formula E season finale races are set to take place next weekend, Saturday, August 15, and Sunday, August 16. Entering the weekend, Jake Dennis leads the championship with Andretti FE Team, while eight other drivers remain in mathematical contention to win the drivers’ title, representing almost half of the grid.
