Charged EVs | New Formula G all-electric racing series offers a development path for young drivers
Every professional sport has its farm system: baseball players progress from the Little League through the minor leagues to the bigs; high school football players compete for college scholarships and a shot at the NFL, etc.
Dilbagh Gill, the former Mahindra Racing Formula E Team Principal, saw that this development path was lacking in the field of electric motorsport, so in 2022 he founded the ACE Championship to create a new training ground for aspiring race drivers who need financial backing to make the jump between electric karting and world championships like Formula E and Extreme E.
“They have the talent, but they don’t have the opportunity,” Gill told engadget. “Let’s try and make a championship which can be more inclusive than motorsport is today.”
Now the Ace Championship has been rebranded as Formula G, “the world’s first dual-power, all-electric racing series.”
Formula G will compete as a support series on the same tracks, on the same weekends, as existing combustion-engine, alternative fuel and electric-powered racing events.
In addition to training drivers, the series will offer opportunities for people ages 15-25 who are interested in engineering, communications, marketing and other aspects of motorsport to get real-world experience.
Gill says Formula G has secured all the contracts and suppliers necessary to begin competition. This includes the building of a brand-new open-wheel electric race car, the FG-ETwin.
The FG-ETwin can be raced at reduced power by a junior driver, and then at full power by a professional driver. This dual-power technology enables the creation of a two-race-format series using a single car. It also reduces the costs of competition, enabling teams to run two races with the same budget and crew required for a one-car entry.
Formula G’s inaugural season, commencing in late 2024, will feature independent championships in four regions (to be announced), each with 10 team franchises and 40 drivers. 20 up-and-coming drivers will compete in the reduced-power championship F-G2, and 20 professional drivers will compete in the full-power F-G1 Championship.
“Formula G, by launching as a support series in multiple regions, is the first global series to create affordability and accessibility, unique by region, that will enable Formula G to attract more diversity in team owners, drivers, mechanics and engineers, while creating significantly more career opportunities on and off the track,” said founder and CEO Dilbagh Gill.
Nick Heidfeld, legendary Formula 1 driver and co-founder of Formula G, said: “As a driver, I recognize the barriers that stand in the way of the opportunity to race competitively and progress through different levels. I believe Formula G is a unique racing platform that breaks down many of these, and will create previously unavailable opportunities.”
: Formula G
