GEN4 will change perceptions of Formula E - Rossiter

James Rossiter says initial tests of Formula E’s new GEN4 car “blew away my perception of what Formula E is”.

The Brit is a fixture in the Formula E paddock, having tested across the previous three generations of car in test, development, and reserve roles, before running the Maserati MSG team and later serving as a television pundit. More recently he's been the FIA's test driver for the new car, which will debut next season.

“I was completely blown away the first time I tried 600kW,” he told media ahead of this week’s GEN4 Unleashed event at Circuit Paul Ricard in France. “We went for a shakedown with the car on the very first day of running it and the first time I was given the opportunity to drive at 600kW, it's a very unique feeling.

“You accelerate and you have pure power instantly. Maximum torque instantly. And the car just kept going and going and going. And there was this feeling of all of my internal organs being put in the back of my ribcage.

“It really blew away my perception of what Formula E was. Before, the 350kW felt reasonably fast in a GEN3 car, but 600kW is a totally different game. And something truly remarkable to feel as a driver. And with the all-wheel drive, you have no limitation on grip. So you just have massive amounts of acceleration. It's super exciting as a driver.”

At a time when many traditionalists may be dismissive of Formula E while also clamoring for the return of V10s in Formula 1, Rossiter says the GEN4 is the closest he’s felt in the driving seat to the F1 monsters he tested in the mid-2000s.

“When you're going over 200mph into braking zones, it's a different game,” he said. “You're going the same speed at the end of the straight as an F1 car. You have unbelievable technology. The acceleration in 600kW with the all-wheel drive is, honestly, I generally think it's, as a feeling as a driver, it's on a level with when I got to drive the V10s back in 2004, 2005 in F1.

As well as being a new challenge for drivers, with the bigger car having low- and high-downforce setups, permanent four-wheel-drive, and 70% more peak power, more freedom will increase the workload for teams as well.

The performance of Formula E's GEN4 car reminded test driver Rossiter of mid-2000s F1 cars. Formula E photo

“I think it's going to be a huge challenge for the teams,” said Rossiter. “Firstly, there's much more technical freedom. Teams will have the ability to delve into traction control, something that was previously limited. You have all the ABS braking systems. The electric mobility really gives you the opportunity to perfect and to have super fast reactions on.

“You have also, with the GEN4 era, active differentials in both the front powertrain and the rear powertrain, and this gives an amazing opportunity for the technical side of the team to really build out the setup from a systems and software application, as well as a mechanical setup change.

“Any leadership in a team is going to want to make sure that they have key personnel working on the right areas. And I think this development phase that the OEMs are going through right now is going to be a huge learning experience for all of them.”

Formula E has advanced significantly with each successive car generation, and while the leap from GEN1 to GEN2 removed mid-race car changes and GEN3 brought in four-wheel-drive (for qualifying Duels and Attack Mode) and in-race charging, the sheer performance leap means that GEN4 is expected to be the biggest step-up between generations.

“The advancement in technology has been massive in Formula E, it’s something that's truly remarkable about this championship,” said Rossiter. “In a decade, we've gone from that GEN1 era to where we are right now today.

“The requirements for a driver to excel in GEN4 are going to be very extreme. We're going to see such an excitement around the young drivers really wanting to reach this championship as a pinnacle of motorsport.

“Last time I drove a GEN3, I drove a GEN3 Evo – I actually got to drive one around Monaco at the beginning of last year, and at the same time I was just having the development phase of the GEN4. The step is so big. The speed is just unbelievable.

“There's just so much acceleration, and the strange thing is, it never stops. You go on the throttle and you've got instantaneously exactly what you want. There's no delay. There's no millisecond. There's nothing. You've just got all the power.”