Formula E agrees five-race title sponsorship deal with Hankook

South Korean tyre brand take top branding at races in Mexico City, Rome and London.
  • Hankook previously replaced Michelin as tyre supplier for Formula E
  • Its tyres were in development for 'one-and-a-half to two years'

Formula E has announced its technical partner Hankook will further its relationship with the all-electric series as a title sponsor of five races next season.

The South Korean tyre manufacturer secures the prime race inventory for the season-opening Mexico City ePrix, as well as the double-header rounds in Rome and London, the latter of which is the season finale.

“As the new technical partner of the ABB FIA [International Automobile Federation] Formula E World Championship, Hankook delivers tyres and technology integral to the success of the championship, said Jamie Reigle, chief executive of Formula E.

“With high-performance and sustainability central to Hankook’s custom developed EV race tyres, fans can expect even closer and more dramatic wheel to wheel racing on all of our city centre circuits.”

Hankook replaced Michelin as tyre supplier ahead of the new generation of Formula E, with its tyres constructed from 26 per cent recycled materials. Although, the company said that it was challenging to balance performance with the series' sustainability goals.

“We are working now for one-and-a-half to two years to develop the tyres,” Manfred Sandbichler, director of motorsport at Hankook Europe, told select media at the pre-season test in Valencia.

“As you can imagine, it's not an easy job to find the proper tyres for such strong machines with such a clear message behind: sustainability [on one side] and performance on the other. We tried to fulfil this in the best possible way, together with our test drivers [and] together with all the partners in Formula E.

“What you see now is the result [of] what we have found during the tests and all the development. What we learned the last couple of days here is that our job, so far, [has been done] very well.”

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