Formula E GEN4 vs Formula 1: How close is the gap?

Formula E’s GEN4 car heads to its first official pre-season test at Jarama on 16–20 November 2026, with a claimed 0–100 km/h time of around 1.8 seconds and enough power to make Formula 1 a meaningful comparison. Its competitive debut will come on 16 January 2027 in Mexico City, after Formula E moved the Jeddah double-header to April.

The biggest change is how much speed GEN4 can carry out of a corner, where an extra driven axle can make as much difference as the power figure.

What makes GEN4 so quick off the line?

GEN4 can draw up to 450 kW in Race Mode, against 300 kW for GEN3 Evo. Attack Mode adds 150 kW to the event’s Race Mode limit, taking GEN4 to a maximum of 600 kW (about 805 bhp). That is also its peak qualifying output and a 71% increase on the outgoing car’s 350 kW maximum. Formula E quotes 0–200 km/h in 4.4 seconds and a top speed above 335 km/h. The launch and top-speed figures describe different tests of the car and will depend on grip, gearing and aerodynamic set-up.

GEN3 Evo drove its front wheels only in selected situations, including starts and Attack Mode. GEN4 can drive both axles throughout the lap. Spreading torque across four tyres helps when grip limits how much power a driver can use, especially off the line and out of slow corners. The benefit diminishes as speed rises and aerodynamic drag takes over as a bigger constraint.

Manufacturers have room to develop the rear powertrain and the software that manages torque and energy. The chassis, battery and front drivetrain are supplied as common components. That puts a premium on how well teams control the hardware, from balancing torque across the axles on exit to recovering energy under braking.

The front motor also helps slow the car. Both axles can recover up to 350 kW each under braking, for a 700 kW peak. That figure measures the rate at which the car can recover energy under favourable braking conditions. Formula E advertised up to 55 kWh of race energy at launch. The FIA’s September technical rules cap net race energy at 51.25 kWh, with the allocation specified in the event notes and an additional allowance for fast charging where applicable. How much a driver can spend on the next straight depends partly on what the car recovers in the braking zone before it.

Where Formula 1 still has the pace advantage

A 2026 F1 car sends its power to the rear wheels. Its MGU-K can deliver up to 350 kW electrically, alongside a 1.6-litre turbo V6 producing around 400 kW on Formula 1’s estimate. The electrical contribution varies with speed and deployment rules. GEN4’s 600 kW measures total electrical output from its battery, while F1’s 350 kW measures one part of a hybrid power unit.

Formula E’s technical rules set a minimum mass of 1,046 kg including the driver. An F1 car is substantially lighter, which helps it change direction and reduces how much work the tyres must do under braking and through corners. F1 also runs Pirelli slicks in dry conditions. GEN4 uses a grooved Bridgestone tyre for dry and mixed conditions and a dedicated heavy-wet tyre. Those differences matter around a full lap, even if the electric car can win the first few metres.

F1’s active front and rear wings can shed drag on designated straights, while Overtake Mode lets an eligible following driver deploy more electrical energy. Formula E uses separate high- and low-downforce configurations for its two GEN4 race formats. The 30-minute E-Prix Unleashed pairs high downforce with six minutes of Attack Mode.

The regular 45-minute E-Prix runs lower downforce, eight minutes of Attack Mode and a mandatory Pit Boost fast-charge stop. That gives the same car two distinct tests of pace. The short race gives it more scope to push through corners. The longer race rewards drivers who can save energy in traffic and time the charging stop without giving away track position.

What Porsche’s Monza test actually tells us

RacingNews365 and FE Notebook put Porsche’s private GEN4 test at Monza in the 1m 32s range. FE Notebook reported that the lap came on used tyres during a development run. The time remains unofficial. Rafael Câmara took 2026 Formula 2 pole at Monza in 1m 31.326s, while Pierre Gasly’s F1 pole was 1m 21.786s. Porsche’s reported lap puts GEN4 in the vicinity of F2 qualifying pace. The different tyres, track conditions and run programmes leave the competitive gap open.

The first useful yardstick at Jarama, where Formula E has retained the chicane for testing, will be how the cars deploy and recover energy over repeated laps. Mexico City will show what teams can do with a full-power qualifying run and how much of that pace they can sustain over a race. The calendar also adds Austin, Brands Hatch and Zandvoort, giving GEN4 more room to stretch its legs on permanent circuits.

Monaco, which both series visit, offers a cleaner future comparison if the layouts match. Sector times there could show where four-wheel drive buys GEN4 time on corner exits and how much F1 gains back under braking and through the faster sections.