Bethonie WaringFormula E will introduce a cost cap for teams and manufacturers from Season 9 onwards.
The move is an effort to maintain the sustainability of the championship, which lost two manufacturers, in Audi and BMW, at the end of Season 7 and will lose another at the end of the upcoming season.
The decision was confirmed at the World Motorsport Council, along with calendar and regulation changes.
“Over the past 18 months, we have worked closely with the FIA and all participants in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship to create a regulatory framework that will underpin the long-term financial sustainability for all participants in Formula E,” said series CEO James Reigle.
“When combined with recent enhancements to our technical regulations and sporting formats, this financial system will strengthen Formula E’s value proposition. In partnership with the FIA, we have created a framework which places long-term financial success at the core of the championship which will support our existing teams and manufacturers while attracting new competitors and investment.
“The financial regulations are designed to complement our ambitious technical roadmap and enable manufacturers in Formula E to showcase the potential for electric vehicles in the most demanding racing conditions: the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.”
There will be two separate cost caps for teams and manufactures.
In Seasons 9 and 10 – covering 2023 and 2024 – teams will have a cap of €13 million per season, with exclusions for existing contractual commitments.
From Season 11 onwards, that cap will go up to €15 million per season, and must include all costs, including driver wages.
Manufacturers will have a cost cap of €25 million over Seasons 9 and 10.
This will be enforced by the FIA’s Cost Cap Administration.
Also confirmed at the council meeting was further updates to the Season 8 calendar. The season is still set to begin in Saudi Arabia at the end of January, but new double header events in Rome and Berlin have been added, making 2022 a 16 round season.
Round Location Dates 1 Diriyah, Saudi Arabia 28 January 2022 2 Diriyah, Saudi Arabia 29 January 2022 3 Mexico City, Mexico 12 February 2022 4 Rome, Italy 9 April 2022 5 Rome, Italy 10 April 2022 6 Monte Carlo, Monaco 30 April 2022 7 Berlin, Germany 14 May 2022 8 Berlin, Germany 15 May 2022 9 Jakarta, Indonesia 4 June 2022 10 Vancouver, Canada 2 July 2022 11 New York City, USA 16 July 2022 12 New York City, USA 17 July 2022 13 London, UK 30 July 2022 14 London, UK 31 July 2022 15 Seoul, South Korea 13 August 2022 16 Seoul, South Korea 14 August 2022
There was further updates to the new qualifying format, with the group stages at the start of the process increasing from 10 to 12 minutes. A driver’s first timed lap must be completed within the first six minutes.
Three points will be awarded to the pole-winner if all timed laps in the duel section of qualifying are completed.
