2022-23 Formula E season preview

The 2022-23 Formula E season kicks off on January 14 in Mexico City, for the first of 16 rounds across 11 cities and five continents.

Events in Seoul, Marrakesh, Paris and New York have disappeared off the calendar for the new season, and Hyderabad, Sao Paulo, Cape Town and Portland have joined the series in their stead.

The 11 teams and 22 drivers contesting this season's championship will have a brand-new car to get used to, with Formula E's Gen3 vehicle said to be capable of reaching 200mph.

Here's everything you need to know to get up to speed for Formula E's ninth season.

Drivers on the move for 2022-23

Much has changed on the teams front for 2022-23. Last season's champions Mercedes have elected not to return to FE for the new season, and perennial frontrunners Techeetah have also left the series.

In their place have come McLaren, who have taken over Mercedes' FE operation and retained many of their staff, and Maserati, who have acquired Venturi's entry from 2021-22.

ABT have also returned to FE after a season on the sidelines, and will be using Mahindra powertrains, rather than those of previous partner Audi.

2022-23 Drivers' Champion Stoffel Vandoorne moves from the departing Mercedes team to Penske, who have partnered with Techeetah's erstwhile powertrain supplier DS.

Joining Vandoorne in a formidable Penske lineup is two-time series champion Jean-Eric Vergne, who became a free agent when Techeetah withdrew.

Vergne's old Techeetah teammate Antonio Felix da Costa now lines up for Porsche, replacing Andre Lotterer, who moves over to Andretti.

Other drivers to move teams in 2022-23 include former series champions Sebastien Buemi, who moves to Envision after eight seasons with Nissan, and Lucas di Grassi, who replaces the outgoing Alexander Sims at Mahindra.

Nico Muller and Rene Rast are both returning to Formula E after a season away, while the series only rookie for 2022/23 is Jake Hughes, who lines up alongside Rast at McLaren.

A great leap forward?

The 2022/23 Formula E season represents a new era for the series, with a brand new Gen3 car for the teams to use after four seasons with the previous generation vehicle.

The Gen3 car is shorter and lighter than its predecessor, and with maximum power levels expected to be 350kW, up from 250kW, the new cars are said to be capable of reaching 200mph.

The Gen3 car also has separate powertrains for the front and rear wheels, and the maximum power that can be regenerated by the car has increased from 250kW to 600kW.

However, upon its unveiling, the Gen3 car was plagued with issues related the return to the single-spec battery designed by Williams Advanced Engineering.

Battery cells were overheating, causing degradation and derating, which led to a change in design of the packaging prior to the latest test in Valencia.

Additionally, one of the more controversial aspects of the new Gen3 cars is how they do not need rear brakes, with drivers to slow down only through the powerful battery regeneration systems, with a hydraulic braking system that will be used in the opening stages of a race while the battery is at 100%.

However, after pre-testing at Valencia, a secondary system has been agreed to be added after a spate of accidents, which should be installed in time for the series' second round in Saudi Arabia at the end of January.

Rule changes for 2023

In addition to the introduction of a new car, several of the series' rules have been changed ahead of the new season.

Whereas previously all on-track sessions took place on one day - or across two days for double-header events - 2022-23 will see first practice for one-race events being held on Friday, before the remaining sessions on Saturday, thus giving teams more time to make changes or repairs.

Additionally, rather than being run to a time limit, races this season will have a designated lap count, though the aim is to ensure each race runs as close as possible to one hour.

Formula E has also dropped its controversial Fanboost feature, where fans and spectators were able to choose a driver to receive an extra boost of power during a race.

In its place comes a mandatory 'Attack Charge' feature, which is planned to be introduced at a selection of races. This will see drivers pit to allow their cars to be recharged by a pre-determined amount via cable.

These pit stops are expected to be completed in under a minute, but developmental problems may mean this feature is not introduced until later in the season, and may be delayed until 2024.

Another pit stop-related change allows drivers to pit for new tyres during wet races, despite the standard tyre being all-weather. This comes after several drivers crashed following a downpour in New York last year.