Formula E boss says Gen4 may offer first credible F1 comparison

Formula E's Gen4 car is due to begin pre-season testing in Madrid on Monday, with CEO Jeff Dodds saying its step up from Gen3 and Gen3 Evo could offer the first credible basis for comparing the series with Formula 1.

In race trim, Gen4 produces 450 kW (about 603 bhp), rising to 600 kW (roughly 816 bhp) in qualifying and Attack Mode. Its peak deployable output is 71 percent higher than the outgoing Gen3 Evo's, while usable battery capacity is up 43 percent to 55 kWh. The car reaches 100 km/h in 1.8 seconds and 200 km/h in 4.4 seconds, versus F2's 2.9 and 6.6 seconds. Both have a listed top speed of 335 km/h, although F2 needs its Monza low-downforce aero and DRS to get there.

A private Porsche test at Monza offers a track-based illustration: its development Gen4 reportedly broke the Formula 2 lap record without a qualifying-style run. Gen4 also uses permanent active all-wheel drive with motors on both axles, a configuration F1's rear-wheel-drive regulations prohibit. Its regenerative braking peaks at 700 kW and can recover close to half the energy used in a race, beyond what F1's current hybrid system permits. Switchable aero lets teams choose high-downforce or low-drag settings.

Those figures do not yet make Gen4 an F1 rival on raw numbers. It weighs around 954 kg without a driver, uses treaded rather than bespoke slick tyres and relies on a 55 kWh battery that limits races to roughly 45 minutes to an hour; F1 grands prix cover 305 km and can last two hours. Formula E teams still lift and coast to reach the flag, whereas F1 uses its hybrid systems as a performance tool.

Gen4 is due to debut at Formula E's 2027 season opener in Mexico City on January 16, on a layout almost identical to one used by F1. The exact lap-time gap between Gen4 and 2026-spec F1 cars on the same permanent circuit has not yet been measured in competitive conditions.