When the Formula E championship steps into its 2026–2027 season, the racing paradigm will shift beneath the tires. Revealed to the public at the circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet and pushed through rigorous testing at Spain’s Guadix circuit alongside Porsche, the Gen4 monoplace represents a clean break from its predecessors. Citroën Racing, fresh from establishing its footing in the all-electric series, has leaned aggressively into this upcoming era. As team principal Cyril Blais observed of the transition from Gen3, L'évolution entre la Gen3 et Gen3 Evo était bien mais là, c'est une révolution.
The Architecture of Power: Permanent AWD and 800+ Horsepower
Underneath the temporary camouflage livery lies a total overhaul of powertrain mechanics. Unlike the Gen3 machine, which relied on intermittent all-wheel-drive deployment strictly restricted to qualifying sessions and Attack Mode, the Gen4 introduces permanent four-wheel drive. The performance figures reflect this structural leap: standard course power rises to 450 kW (approximately 544 horsepower), while qualifying and Attack Mode unleash up to 600 kW, translating to over 804 horsepower. Coupled with a 0-to-100 km/h sprint of just 1.8 seconds and a top speed reaching 335 km/h, the Gen4 bridges the gap toward Formula 2 performance metrics.
This surge in capability is mirrored in energy recovery. Regenerative braking capacity scales upward from approximately 600 kW to 700 kW. As Vincent Gaillardot, FIA Formula E technical director, noted, Il fallait monter la performance au maximum, l'objectif est atteint.
This expanded reclamation envelope turns every heavy braking zone into a high-stakes tactical chess match for the engineering pit wall.
Aerodynamic Versatility and Mass Management
Aerodynamics have also undergone a fundamental philosophy change. Previous iterations bore the styling marks of traditional design houses, but the Gen4 was forged directly inside the wind tunnel. Teams now have access to two distinct aero packages: a high-downforce configuration tailored to extract maximum single-lap pace in qualifications, and a low-downforce setup optimized for race efficiency and top-end speed.
This flexibility comes with an increase in scale. The car's weight shifts from the Gen3 baseline of 863 kg up to 950 kg, accompanied by a slightly broader footprint. While purists debate the implications of a heavier chassis on tight street layouts, veterans like Sébastien Buemi emphasize the sheer velocity achieved over twelve years of development:
Sébastien Buemi C'est assez incroyable de se dire qu'en douze ans, sur un circuit conventionnel comme Monaco, on est passés de la Gen1, une voiture qui était plus lente qu'une F4, à la Gen4, qui est la plus rapide après la F1.
Design Identity and Strategic Outlook
Visually, the development car sports a transitional camouflage wrapper rooted in Citroën’s iconic double chevrons. Pierre Leclercq, Director of Design at Citroën, explained that the pattern creates un effet visuel en couches qui se révèle progressivement à mesure que l’on se rapproche de la voiture
before a more expressive French heritage livery debuts.
For Citroën Racing—capitalizing on the foundational experience of drivers Jean-Éric Vergne and Nick Cassidy—the Gen4 testing program at Guadix is just the beginning. By marrying advanced traction control, dual aero maps, and Bridgestone rubber to an 800-horsepower footprint, the championship is shedding its early-era limitations for uncompromising motorsport speed.
Sources
These sources formed the evidence pack for this article. Links open the original publisher; inclusion does not imply endorsement.
- ouest-france.fr original
- lequipe.fr original
- Faris Bouchaala original
- media.stellantis.com original
- lemagsportauto.ouest-france.fr original
- Louise du Manoir original
