Formula E rolled into Mexico City for its second weekend of the 2025/26 season celebrating its 150th race. It is an achievement that offers a moment to reflect on the all-electric series’ journey so far and look ahead to the future of what remains a young championship.
The event in Mexico has been one of the few constants along the way. Fans respond enthusiastically to the race each each year and many within the paddock count it as a favourite. It’s easy to see why the series keeps coming back.
The ongoing campaign will be the final one in the current Formula E era before the move to Gen4. While it might seem like a transitional season, it looks set to be anything but.
Mexico City a blueprint for fan engagement
A sold-out crowd created a festival atmosphere, but it was perhaps most notable how busy the grounds around the Autodrómo Hermanos Rodríguez remained long after Nick Cassidy delivered Citroën’s first Formula E victory.
A performance by Latin pop star Mike Bahía ensured fans stuck around into the evening. While this may have been the main event for a lot of those in attendance, the strategy worked for getting fans through the door.
Cynics of this approach should remember that when Formula E was taking its first steps as a motorsport series, Formula One secured Taylor Swift to perform at the 2016 United States Grand Prix. The move brought in a record crowd at the time and arguably helped save the race after years of declining attendances at the Circuit of The Americas.
Getting fans to turn up to races is one challenge; ensuring they stay engaged is another. To address this, Formula E has made sure to prioritise fan accessibility.
Indeed, those familiar with the restrictions at Formula One races would be surprised by the freedom those in attendance enjoy at Formula E events. On race day this year, fans lined barriers that back right onto the team garages, often breaking into impromptu chants when drivers walked by. The media pen was also located in the heart of the fan zone, creating a lively atmosphere for post-race interviews.
This energy provides a glimpse into a future where Formula E consistently generates this level of excitement – one that could be further fuelled by the upcoming Gen4 cars.
Nick Cassidy delivered Citroën’s first Formula E race victory in front of an impressive sold-out crowd in Mexico City (Image credit: Formula E)
Will new regulations signal a new dawn?
Formula E’s Gen3 era delivered exciting racing and the series wants to build on that with Gen4, which is set to usher in faster speeds and sleeker cars from the 2026/27 campaign.
The technical strides for next season include the cars having a 50 per cent increase in race power, boosting it to 450kW. Attack mode power will jump by 71 per cent, reaching 600kW, while regenerative braking will see a 17 per cent increase to 700kW.
There will also be a 43 per cent increase in race energy capacity, hopefully putting an end to the extreme energy-saving tactics seen at times in previous seasons, while all-wheel drive will be active for the duration of the race for the first time.
Amid all that, Formula E executives have stressed that this season still holds plenty of significance, and series chief executive Jeff Dodds believes “we’re going to see possibly one of the closest seasons in Formula E’s history”.
A fiercely contested title battle would do wonders for momentum going into Gen4.
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More tangible growth
It’s perhaps too early to say that Gen4 is make or break for Formula E, but there needs to be further evidence of growth.
Of course, the series claims a global fanbase of 422 million, which was gauged from an independent survey of 33,000 adults across 16 markets in two waves conducted by Potentia Insight.
The series also says its global cumulative TV audience grew by 14 per cent year-over-year (YoY) to a record 561 million in the 2024/25 season, while total impressions on digital channels also increased 14 per cent to surpass 1.39 billion.
But a championship with that many fans would probably expect to sell out every race, yet Formula E is not. TV audiences of that size should also act as a catalyst for more lucrative broadcast deals, which are currently estimated to be worth a combined US$5 million globally.
Formula E’s most recent financial accounts for 2023/24 showed pre-tax losses almost doubling to €78.3 million (US$92.2 million) – a record for the championship. Revenue, meanwhile, dipped 13.7 per cent YoY to €189.6 million (US$223.3 million).
Dodds has told BlackBook Motorsport that Formula E could choose to be profitable today “if that was our priority” but wants to focus on maximising long-term growth rather than short-term financial returns.
Even so, increasing income and achieving an annual profit for the first time would be significant, clear-cut milestones for the championship and instil further confidence in its long-term trajectory.
The evolving role of sustainability
Sustainability will always be one of the guiding principles of Formula E. However, the series is set to shift its marketing strategy to emphasise on-track performance, with vice president of sustainability Julia Pallé saying that the championship “will probably reposition the way we talk about sustainability”.
That doesn’t mean the topic will become an afterthought. What is crucial, though, is that the series finds the right balance, especially with new fans drawn to Formula E purely for the racing.
To pose a more radical question: does Formula E need to actively market its sustainability credentials at all? The series is aware it will always be known by some as the ‘electric Formula One’ – but that association arguably does a significant chunk of the marketing for Formula E already.
The next step, then, is education. Formula E must explain why it’s so much more than that moniker, whether through its level of fan accessibility, the opportunities it creates for women via initiatives such as Girls on Track, or the consistently competitive nature of its racing.
Get the messaging right and Formula E is well placed to capitalise on its potential, with the real-world relevance of electric mobility providing an advantage over its competitors.
Transitional season or not, this could prove to be one of the most important campaigns in the series’ history.
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