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Porsche has offered a first look at Formula E’s Gen3 car in action, releasing imagery from its shakedown test.
Pascal Wehrlein drove the car in an initial run at Porsche’s Weissach test facility on Wednesday.
The lighter and more powerful Gen3, featuring both front and rear powertrains, was launched in late April ahead of the series’ Monaco round, and will make its competition debut in the 2023 season.
“That was a very interesting day and an awesome experience to drive our new Gen3 car for the first time,” said Wehrlein.
“It felt great and I’m excited to test it at full power soon. My initial impressions today were also very good and it made me hungry for more.”
Like both its predecessors, the Gen3 has been designed and constructed by Spark Racing Technologies. The battery supply deal has returned to Williams Advanced Engineering, which had that role for the original car before McLaren took it for the Gen2.
Manufacturers such as Porsche provide their own powertrains.
Formula E conducted 3500 miles of private testing with the prototype car before its unveiling, with teams beginning to receive their own cars during May.
Porsche won its first FE race with Wehrlein in Mexico earlier this year but has struggled to maintain that form since and drifted away from the championship fight.
It is set to field 2019/20 champion Antonio Felix da Costa – who will leave what is currently DS Techeetah – alongside Wehrlein for the start of the Gen3 era next season.
Wehrlein’s current team-mate Andre Lotterer will be part of Porsche’s return to the top class of the World Endurance Championship and Le Mans 24 Hours and may yet continue in FE with another team.
