Opel confirms Formula E entry

Opel has officially announced its entry into Formula E for next season, a day after sister Stellantis brand DS announced it was switching its marketing focus away from the all-electric series.

The long-anticipated move for the German brand will see it enter its own factory team – Opel GSE Formula E Team – rather than partnering with an existing team like Stellantis' other Formula E programs from DS, Citroën, and former Formula E participant Maserati. It will be based out of Rüsselsheim in Germany with Opel motorsport director Jörg Schrott serving as team principal. Vehicle, development and strategy engineers and operational management staff are also already in place and working towards the team's debut.

“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.”

Opel has a long history in motorsport, most notably in rallying – where it won the 1982 World Rally Championship with Walter Röhrl in an Ascona 400 – and touring car racing, where it won the 1996 International Touring Car Championship with the Calibra V6 4x4. Its prior single-seater ventures include the one-make Formula Opel and as an engine supplier in Formula 3.

In recent years, its focus has been on customer motorsport, selling the Astra TCR touring car as well as the Adam R2 and Corsa Electric rally cars, the latter which contests the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup.

The brand's arrival into Formula E coincides with the introduction of the GEN4 ruleset, and it will make its first public appearance as a participant at the launch of the series’ new car at Circuit Paul Ricard in France next month.

“We are delighted to welcome Opel as a new factory team in Formula E,” said Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds. “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.”