Opel will take over the DS entry into Formula E’s Gen4 era, as Stellantis reshuffles its brands’ involvement again.
The group was involved in Formula E with DS Automobiles, which entered the series in 2015-16, and Maserati, which took over the Venturi outfit ahead of the Gen3 era.
Maserati’s time in the world championship was short-lived, as the team was renamed Citroen ahead of the ongoing campaign.
Currently lying ninth out of 10 in the teams’ standings, DS announced yesterday that it was pulling out of Formula E to focus on new ventures in golf and the SailGP competition, therefore handing its spot over to Opel for the Gen4 era – with 800hp machinery.
“We are delighted to welcome Opel as a new factory team in Formula E,” said Jeff Dodds, CEO of Formula E. “As a strong German brand with distinctive engineering expertise and a fresh, bold image, Opel brings a long and storied history in motorsport and a new dynamic to the starting grid. Opel’s commitment also shows the importance of Formula E for global car manufacturers in the transition to electric mobility.”
Opel is the fifth major German brand to get involved in the all-electric championship, after Audi, BMW, Mercedes, and Porsche – with only the latter still committed to this day.
Opel may not boast as much historical prestige in motorsport as the aforementioned constructors, but still won the 1982 World Rally Championship with Walter Rohrl as well as the 2003 Nurburgring 24 Hours.
Opel Formula E
Photo by: Opel
More relevantly, the manufacturer launched the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup back in 2021, featuring up-and-coming talents with Corsa Rally Electrics – with a switch to 207kW (281hp) Opel Mokka GSE Rally cars, which are twice as powerful, for the 2026-27 season. Hence Formula E being the brand’s next step.
“Joining Formula E marks a new milestone for Opel on our journey towards an electric future,” said Opel CEO Florian Huettl. “With Formula E moving to GEN4 cars as of the coming season, we see this as the ideal time to join this exciting, all-electric racing competition. Our Opel GSE Formula E Team will show what our brand stands for: German engineering, bold design and electrified performance, attributes that also apply to Opel’s fully-electric GSE models such as the Mokka GSE and soon the new Corsa GSE.”
The Opel GSE Formula E Team will make its first FE appearance at the official Gen4 launch at Circuit Paul Ricard in April.
Additional reporting by Jose Carlos de Celis and Markus Luettgens
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