London at risk as Formula E faces calendar dilemma in Gen4 era

When Formula E launched its Gen4 car on Tuesday at Circuit Paul Ricard, a much-discussed paddock topic was the yet to be announced calendar for the 2026-27 campaign when it will make its debut. That is because the all-electric championship faces a dilemma over whether to stick to its mantra of city-centre, street venues, to or visit more traditional and permanent tracks due to the insane performance of its new car.

The Gen4 has a top speed of 208mph with a peak power output of 804bhp – approximately 70% more than its predecessor, the Gen3 Evo – but the key is in its weight and size. It will be 87kg heavier, 439mm longer and 90mm wider, a significant step up from previous Formula E machines, and its scale really did take the audience back when it launched off the line for a demo run in the south of France.

With this step forwards in performance comes the issue that it may not be able to race at the circuits that the championship previously used, because if one thinks it is tricky for a Formula 1 car to race at places like Monaco, then it’ll be a similar problem for Formula E with the Gen4 just 110mm narrower than the all-new 2026 car.

And this puts London at risk. The British capital has been on the calendar with its ExCeL venue since 2021 and has proven to be a proper fan favourite – traditionally being the season finale. However, it is a very tight track with bendy sections such as Turns 10-13 and 18-20.

“It’s just a bigger, more muscular car, so it really has opened up circuits to us that we haven’t considered,” said championship CEO Jeff Dodds. “The bad side is there are circuits we love that we race on currently that it means the Gen4 car is going to find it very difficult to race on.

“London in the ExCeL, which is a fan favourite, a race that I really love personally, it’s already tight when those Gen3 Evo cars come out of the indoor section into the outdoor section and they’ve got a tight bottleneck that comes up.

“You simply won’t be able to do that in a Gen4 car. It would be too dangerous, it would be too complex. It would make for a very complex race.”

So, all signs are pointing to this year’s race, the final round of the 2025-26 season on 15-16 August, being the last for Formula E in London as it looks towards other venues and will submit its calendar proposal to the World Motor Sport Council in June.

It’s not yet known what will replace it, but general paddock chat puts Brands Hatch in line as London’s obvious replacement. Yes, it’s not a city centre venue, but it’s rather easy to get to from the capital and, with the historic circuit lacking that headline international event, it could really make Formula E its own.

Madrid’s Jarama has also set the benchmark, as the ex-grand prix venue made its debut in March and was a genuinely well-received event with a top atmosphere. Times are therefore changing and although one could argue that it means Formula E is losing its unique selling point, its chief championship officer and co-founder Alberto Longo holds the opposing view.

“We knew from the beginning that the more we have faster cars, the more challenging it will be to remain [at the tracks it has historically used],” said Longo. “City centre is one thing, what we’re used to is street racing.

“Let’s not forget about the track that we did in Moscow, Paris, Rome, those were purely street venues and when we talk about city centre, we can be talking about Mexico. Even if it’s a permanent track, it’s a city centre, you can go there by tube.

“Using permanent tracks, why not? This is about showcasing a car that is eventually going to be the fastest car on earth, so let’s start using the tracks that will showcase that. Our DNA is intact.”

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– The Autosport.com Team