Formula E’s Gen4 car which was unveiled last month represents a major step forward across every performance parameter for when it makes its debut in the 2026/27 campaign.

The all-electric series predicts it will deliver 600kW of power - over 800hp - marking a substantial increase over current cars, with the Gen3 Evo peaking at 350kW (469hp).

The Gen4 package will also introduce permanent four-wheel drive, where the system is only activated in qualifying duels, at the start, and in attack mode.

It will additionally feature two aerodynamic configurations - a high-downforce spec for qualifying and a low-downforce alternative designed for race running - and the car itself will be noticeably larger and wider than its predecessor.

Together, these changes support one of Formula E’s long-standing ambitions: establishing a world-class motorsport platform capable of competing with Formula 1.

Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds told Motorsport.com: “The jump we’re making with Gen4 over Gen3 is bigger than any single jump we’ve ever made in a generation. All-wheel drive, 71% more power, about 10 seconds a lap faster than the current Gen3 car. So there’s no question it shuts the gap right down on Formula 1.

F1 Dutch Grand Prix

“And actually, the next car for Formula 1 probably gets a bit slower, by the way. So the gap will be very small. But the cost of investing in building the car and owning a race team is a fraction of a Formula 1 team.

“So you’re basically getting 95% or 98% of the performance for a fraction of the investment. I think Gen4 gets us right on the heels (of F1), and Gen5 is probably faster.”

The mention of Gen5 is deliberate, as early development work on the car that will follow Gen4 is already under way.

“Of course, the thinking never stops,” Dodds said, expressing early enthusiasm for what lies ahead. “We don’t even race on slick tyres. We’re racing on road tyres. We don’t have a lot of aerodynamic downforce - we’re not in wind tunnels, and the teams aren’t developing different aero packages.

“We’re achieving this speed on the basis of the battery, the powertrain and the software. So yes, Gen5 will benefit from better battery development and battery development is incredible at the moment.”

Gen4 car will attract “best drivers in the world”

Formula E has recently attracted talents such as Taylor Barnard and Zane Maloney directly from Formula 2. This season, Pepe Marti and Felipe Drugovich will make a similar transition - although the Brazilian made the switch three years after winning the F2 title, having waited on the sidelines as Aston Martin’s reserve driver for an F1 opportunity that never came.

Taylor Barnard, DS Penske

But with the Gen4 package, Dodds expects drivers to begin viewing Formula E as a destination rather than a fallback.

“I could talk about lots of drivers, but the two I think are particularly interesting are Taylor Barnard, who made the decision to come straight from F2 to Formula E and not really look at F1. And you have Felipe Drugovich, who was obviously Aston Martin’s reserve driver and has come across and they’re doing that in anticipation of the next car,” he said.

“I think when people see the car and have the chance to drive it, you’re going to have a number of F1 drivers - the best drivers in the world - seeing this as a potential place to build their future.”

Coincidentally, Dodds believes the same logic applies to fans, as the series looks to expand its following heading into the Gen4 era.

“In the end, we can do a lot of things right, but motorsport fans want to see the fastest, they want to see speed,” he added. “So the fact that we can show a material jump in speed and power in this car, I think it’s just more exciting for everyone.”

Felipe Drugovich at peace as he starts his Formula E journey in Sao Paulo

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Nick Cassidy says his move to the World Endurance Championship has been eased by simpler hypercar systems, which he claims is "like a bit of a holiday” compared to Formula E machinery.

Cassidy will combine his Citroen Formula E commitments with a full campaign in the WEC’s top category at the factory Peugeot team in 2026.

It will mark just the second season in the WEC for the Kiwi, who previously raced a Ferrari 488 GTE for AF Corse in the final year of the GTE Am class in 2022.

Modern LMH and LMDh prototypes remain complex in their own right, featuring hybrid systems that pair an electric motor with an internal combustion engine. 

But for Cassidy, learning hypercar software has been relatively straightforward after five seasons in Formula E, where drivers constantly manage energy, regeneration and a wide range of system settings.

“I'm just going to grow in confidence all the time, and I hope that I'm just going to continue improving. But I’m happy with my initial level,” he said following his second test with the Peugeot 9X8 in Bahrain.

“In terms of the complexities and systems, it's probably 30% now of what we have in Formula E. So it's almost like a bit of a holiday for me in terms of systems.”

Nick Cassidy, Citroen Racing

Cassidy arrives in the WEC with extensive experience in both single-seaters and high-downforce sportscars. 

During the second half of the 2010s, he raced in Japan’s two biggest categories, winning titles in both Super Formula and Super GT’s GT500 class before switching to Formula E in 2021.

While the WEC’s top class once featured the fastest prototypes in the world, current-generation hypercars are notably slower than the LMP1 machines they replaced.

Asked to compare hypercars with the GT500s he raced in the past, Cassidy said: “I think the actual manoeuvring through traffic or the lap time difference to GT3 is similar. I hope that's going to make the adaptation for [multi-class] racing easier. I'm quite comfortable with that.

“The mechanical grip, the tyre grip and the downforce level is just quite a lot lower in hypercars. As a driver, you don't have the feeling you are attacking the car. You're almost driving on eggshells.”

He added: “I've been very surprised by the lack of grip in hypercars these days, and the lack of downforce performance.

“If you look at hypercars now, not to sound negative, but compared to what I was used to in Super GT or Super Formula, it's a different world.

“It's almost more in line with Formula E than the adaptation I've done in the past [when I first moved to Formula E after racing in Japan]. It helps me to have two categories that are similar.”

Cassidy faces a packed schedule in 2026 as he balances his new WEC programme with another season in Formula E. He is also adjusting to a new environment in the all-electric series after leaving Jaguar to join Citroen, which previously competed under the Maserati banner.

Formula E commitments will occupy even more of his time as the year progresses, with manufacturers already starting to shift resources to Gen4 powertrain development.

The 31-year-old admitted time isn’t on his side as he prepares for 2026, but credited Peugeot for helping him balance the two championships.

“I'm blown away [by Peugeot]. They've been super great to work with, super kind in terms of understanding my schedule. Doing their best to integrate me with the almost limited time I have.

“I'm trying at the moment to give full focus to two programs. But it's true, with Gen 4 coming in Formula E, with the current season in Formula E, and making that move across, that's been extremely busy. And obviously with WEC as well to integrate.

"I'm short on time, in terms of days I can spend on simulators, in meetings and things. But I'm [working] five days a week across all programs for the last two-and-a-half months just to make sure I can be prepared for both championships.”

Peugeot appoints new Hypercar team principal for WEC 2026

From DNFs to Bahrain podium: Inside Mercedes’ turbulent first WEC season

To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.

ESPN closed the final season of its coverage of Formula 1 in the United States with an all-time viewership record.

The broadcaster has revealed that it experienced an average of 1.3 million viewers across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC for each race in 2025.

The 2025 season featured a tense intra-team battle between McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. A late surge from Red Bull's Max Verstappen added to the excitement at the end of the season, with the drivers' championship coming down to the wire at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. While the Red Bull driver took the final victory of the year, Norris's third-place finish at the Yas Marina Circuit was enough to clinch his first drivers' title.

For ESPN, the tense season finale in Abu Dhabi brought in an average of 1.5 million viewers, peaking at 1.8 million, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel data.

Average ESPN race viewership per F1 season

2018 – 554,000
2019 – 672,000
2020 – 608,000
2021 – 948,000
2022 – 1.21 million
2023 – 1.1 million
2024 – 1.1 million
2025 – 1.3 million

It was announced in October 2025 that F1 had signed a new US broadcasting rights deal, which would see the coverage move in the United States to Apple TV from 2026.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

The Disney-owned broadcaster had held the broadcasting rights to F1 in the US since 2018 and also had a stint of broadcasting the championship from 1984 to 1997.

"We’re incredibly proud of what we and Formula 1 accomplished together in the United States and look forward to a strong finish in this final season. We wish F1 well in the future," a statement from ESPN read at the time.

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali added: "I think that our duty is to look into the future and try to make sure that F1 can have the right platform of developing our growth. And therefore I really want to thank ESPN for what they did today together, because they invested in us when no one was really ready to invest in us many, many years ago."

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Honda's 2026 Formula 1 engine is almost here, but before we slip into our Christmas food comas, the Japanese manufacturer has offered the first hint at what next year's power unit will sound like. 

An audio clip, posted by Honda and shared by Aston Martin on social media, has received huge praise after the sound of the 1.6-litre turbo V6 was recorded on a test stand. You can cleanly hear the honky bark of Honda's power unit as it rips through its rev range. On the downshift - lightning quick - burbles can be heard as the revs blip.

Within hours, the video received over 200,000 likes on the Aston Martin Formula 1 team's Instagram account, with it also collecting over 2000 comments. "Okayyyy Honda we hear you LOUD & CLEAR," one commenter posted as another added: "Best sounding engine since the V8 era."

Unfortunately, Honda and Aston Martin failed to give any more information on the build, but the sound was good enough to keep us all going for the time being.

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A post shared by Honda Racing F1 (@hondaracingf1)

From 2026, F1 will see a substantial change in the regulations. One of these changes sees powertrains increasing their reliance on electrical power, and many fans have been worried that this would result in a softened soundtrack on track. Fortunately, Honda's tease has partly put this worry to bed, with it suggesting that these new powertrains will have plenty of character when the time comes while also being more sustainable. 

With the 2025 season coming to an end, Honda will join Aston Martin, which will become a works team for the 2026 season. This comes after a long stint of success with Red Bull, with the pairing achieving four drivers' and two constructors' championships. Red Bull will instead bring Red Bull Powertrains, backed by Ford, into 2026.

As with everything in F1, Honda's time in the championship has been mixed overall, but its peaks have been incredible. It won its first grand prix in 1965 and saw success through the late 1980s and early 1990s with Williams and McLaren. 

The Red Bull Racing team celebrate and Thank Honda

Since then, Honda struggled when it powered McLaren in 2015, but its partnership with Red Bull was a prosperous one, with it powering all of Max Verstappen's championship wins. 

With Aston Martin now adopting what has been a very successful manufacturer, supporters of the team will be more than happy with what they're now seeing - and hearing. 

To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.

A video of Lando Norris revealing that McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown had promised to purchase the Briton his dream car if he won a Formula 1 drivers' championship has resurfaced after his 2025 victory.

Norris secured his first drivers' championship victory in Abu Dhabi after finishing the race at the Yas Marina Circuit in third behind championship rivals Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri.

Since his win, footage has resurfaced which would indicate that if Brown keeps his side of the deal, he could owe Norris a Pagani Zonda.

The footage is a compilation of clips following on from a 2024 interview Norris did with The Telegraph. "I’ve got a deal with Zak – that if I win the championship he has to get me a car," he said at the time. "I’ve specified which car. We shook on it, but that’s all I’m saying. There’s a long way to go, it’s still a lot of points. But who knows?"

The video then cuts to an interview with Heart Radio, where he confirms that the car that he and Brown have made a deal on is his dream car since he was a child. "I can't say it! It's my dream car since I was a kid but it's not a McLaren," he explained.

In a later on-stage interview, the 26-year-old confirms his dream car is the Pagani Zonda. The sports car can range from hundreds of thousands to millions of pounds for a special edition.

If Norris does in fact receive a Zonda, it will be added to an already impressive car collection. Included in his garage are a Ferrari F40, a Porsche Carrera GT, a bespoke Land Rover Defender, a Liberty Walk R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R, a McLaren 765LT Spider, a McLaren Senna and a Lamborghini Miura.

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Helmut Marko has revealed the reasons why he’s leaving Red Bull’s Formula 1 project at the end of the year, citing Max Verstappen’s 2025 title loss as a major factor.

Marko is ending a 25-year stint as one of Red Bull’s bosses in motorsport, having led its Junior Team since 2001 and acted as an advisor for the brand’s F1 squads since 2005. The Austrian played a key role in the rise of four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and helped Red Bull secure Verstappen’s services when the Dutch youngster was in Formula 3.

A common assumption was that Marko was squeezed out because of his uncontrolled speech in the media, which was sometimes at odds with Red Bull’s PR discourse and came under fire when the 82-year-old unwittingly contributed to a wave of abuse against Mercedes teenager Andrea Kimi Antonelli following this year’s Qatar Grand Prix.

Why Helmut Marko isn't the sole culprit in the Kimi Antonelli abuse storm

However, Marko confirmed to Austrian broadcaster ORF that leaving his current role was his own idea, after a tough 2025 season ended in disappointment as dark horse Verstappen narrowly lost the title to McLaren’s Lando Norris.

“We had a difficult season this year,” Marko explained. “It was particularly bumpy in the middle. We were 104 points behind in Holland. Then we started a comeback that was certainly unique. But unfortunately, it didn't work out in the last race. We lost the championship by two points.

“Although this comeback was unique, it was still a very bitter disappointment. It hit us particularly hard. Even after the race, I felt that something had been lost.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Helmut Marko, Red Bull Racing

“I then stayed in Dubai on Monday. That's when I made my decision. Even if we had won, it would have been a good reason to leave this job. But now, in hindsight, because we lost, it's also a good point.”

Marko added that F1’s new chassis and power unit regulations for 2026 meant this was perfect timing for him to bow out, though the former driver wasn’t involved in designing Red Bull’s F1 cars.

Marko also quashed rumours that head of race engineering Gianpiero Lambiase, who also acts as Verstappen’s race engineer, might be leaving too.

Asked whether he discussed his potential exit with Verstappen, whom he is very close to, Marko clarified: “I didn't discuss it with anyone, but called Oliver Mintzlaff, the manager responsible at Red Bull, in Dubai and asked if we could meet briefly. A kind of championship dinner was planned. And we met before the dinner.

“I told him what I wanted. We discussed for a while whether a partial solution was still possible. I said that if we were going to do it, we had to do it completely.

Oliver Mintzlaff, Managing director of Red Bull GmbH

“That happened ad hoc. The other shareholder from the Thai family was also present. But it was all very amicable and went very well.

“Max should have been there too. There were some problems with his flight, so he wasn't there.

“I called him the next day. It wasn't a normal conversation. There was a certain melancholy in the air. He said he never could have imagined that he would ever achieve such success.”

What’s really behind Helmut Marko’s Red Bull exit, and what does it mean for Max Verstappen?

Red Bull bought the Jaguar and Minardi outfits, neither of which ever won a grand prix, ahead of the 2005 and 2006 seasons respectively. The Milton Keynes-based team went on to claim 14 world titles – eight drivers’ and six constructors’ – and a whopping 130 victories in 418 grands prix, more than any other team; Mercedes is on 122 since its return in 2010. The Faenza minnow, meanwhile, won two races as Toro Rosso and AlphaTauri.

“Let’s try it, maybe we’ll win a grand prix,” Marko quoted Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz as saying. Success eventually stretched far beyond what sounded like bold ambition 20 years ago.

Additional reporting by Ruben Zimmermann

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United Autosports will exit its Supercars joint venture to focus on its other commitments, including McLaren’s factory Hypercar programme in the World Endurance Championship from 2027.

As per the agreement, Walkinshaw Group and Andretti’s parent company TWG Global will consolidate their ownership and acquire United’s existing shareholding in the outfit.

The change will come into effect on 3 February and will see the team rebrand as Walkinshaw TWG Racing. 

With this announcement, Supercars becomes the second category United will leave in 2026, having also handed over the running of McLaren’s LMGT3 effort to Garage 59.

Most of the Anglo-American team’s resources next year will be directed towards the development of McLaren’s new LMDh prototype, which will debut in the WEC’s top category in 2027.

“It was an incredibly difficult decision to step away from Walkinshaw Andretti United, one that we didn’t take lightly. But with our WEC program and other racing  commitments growing rapidly, the time was right to put our complete focus and energy into that,” said United co-owner Zak Brown. 

“Personally, I have loved every moment with the entire team, with the drivers, and being involved in Supercars. To win the championship in our final event together seems like the perfect ending, but also, the Bathurst 10000 win is something that I will never forget.

“The sport itself is in great shape, it’s no-doubt one of the best racing categories in the world. I want to thank the team for not only welcoming us in 2018, but for all the hard work and dedication since."

Ryan Walkinshaw from Walkinshaw Andretti United and Zak Brown

Walkinshaw Andretti United was formed in 2018 when United Autosports and Andretti Autosport joined forces with Ryan Walkinshaw in the erstwhile factory Holden squad. Andretti and Walkinshaw each took a 37.5% stake in the rejigged organisation, with United acquiring the remaining 25%.

During its eight-year stint in Australia’s biggest championship, WAU achieved plenty of success against stern opposition from Dick Johnson Racing and Triple Eight Racing, scoring 17 victories in total - including at the Bathurst 1000 in 2021.

It added another milestone this year when Chaz Mostert snatched the drivers’ title from Triple Eight duo Will Brown and Broc Feeney under Supercars’ new Finals system in Adelaide.

Walkinshaw TWG stressed there will be no changes to its day-to-day operations and staffing levels following United’s departure.

The Melbourne-based squad will continue its preparations for 2026 as it leaves Ford’s stable to become Toyota’s homologation partner.

“United Autosports, and more specifically, Zak Brown and Richard Dean, have been nothing but fantastic to work with since 2018. While we are all sad to see them go, we completely respect their decision,” said Ryan Walkinshaw. 

“We’ve shared in some fantastic moments together, none bigger than the championship in Adelaide a few weeks ago, or winning Bathurst in 2021, and personally, I’ve really enjoyed working alongside them. It started as an idea to bring Andretti Autosport into the fold, and it wasn’t long before Zak was making sure he didn’t miss out!"

TWG Motorsports CEO Dan Towriss added: “We’re thankful for everything United Autosports has contributed to this team since 2018 and for the success we shared along the way. Their role in building where we are  today will always be an important part of our story, and we thank the entire  organisation, as well as Zak and Richard."

The 2026 Supercars season will begin at Sydney Motorsport Park on 20-22 February. Walkinshaw TWG will enter a pair of new Toyota GR Supra cars next year for newly-crowned champion Mostert and one-time race winner Ryan Wood. 

To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.

Samsung Wallet now makes it easy to use your Galaxy phone as a digital key for select Porsche vehicles. This feature is available for the new Porsche Macan (MY26) and will be extended to the Porsche Cayenne Electric next year. With the Samsung Wallet feature, you no longer need to carry a physical key to access your car.

The Samsung Wallet app now lets you store everything in one place, including car keys, payment cards, and IDs. With a simple swipe-up gesture, you can access your car key along with all your other important items. This makes managing your car and other essentials much easier and quicker.

The new Digital Key is designed with top-notch security. Porsche’s Digital Key uses advanced security features (EAL6+ certification) to keep your car key safe on your phone. You can also share your key with trusted people.

To further protect your car, the Digital Key uses technologies like Ultra-Wideband (UWB) and Near Field Communication (NFC). These make sure no one can get into your car without permission.

Image via Samsung

And if you lose your phone, you don’t need to worry. You can lock or delete the key from your device through Samsung’s Find service, adding an extra layer of security.

You can easily set up the Digital Key by following a few easy steps. Simply download the My Porsche app, link your car, and follow the steps to add the key to Samsung Wallet. This feature is now available in Europe, and a global rollout will follow as new Porsche models are released.

Notably, the Digital Key Wallet feature of Samsung Wallet works with many Samsung Galaxy phones, including the Galaxy S20, S21, S22, S23, and newer models, as well as the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip series.

The post Samsung Wallet adds Porsche Digital Key for easy car access appeared first on Sammy Fans.

Türkiyəli futbol mütəxəssisi Recep Uçar Super Liqada mübarizə aparan “Rizəspor” komandasının baş məşqçisi təyin edilib.

Arena.az xəbər verir ki, bu barədə klubun sosial şəbəkə hesablarında məlumat yayılıb.

Türkiyəli mütəxəssislə müqavilənin detalları barədə qarşıdakı günlərdə məlumat veriləcəyi diqqətə çatdırılıb.

Xatırladaq ki, Recep Uçar son olaraq “Konyaspor” komandasını çalışdırıb. 50 yaşlı mütəxəssis daha öncə “Kayserispor”, “Ümraniyəspor” kimi komandalarda da baş məşqçi olub, “Beşiktaş”da baş məşqçinin köməkçisi olub.

Uçar “Rizəspor”da bir neçə gün öncə istefaya göndərilmiş İlhan Palutu əvəz edib. O, 2023-cü ilin iyul ayından “Rizəspor”a rəhbərlik edirdi. Bu müddətdə o, Rizə təmsilçisini 96 oyuna çıxarıb, 37 qələbə, 17 heç-heçə və 42 məğlubiyyət görüb.

“Rizəspor” Türkiyə Super Liqasında 14 turdan sonra 14 xalla 12-ci sırada qərarlaşıb. Komanda bu görüşlərdə 3 qələbə qazanıb, 5 heç-heçə edib, 6 məğlubiyyətə üzülüb.