Maserati to enter Formula E from 2023

Electric racing

January 11th 2022

After a 66-year absence, Maserati will return to single-seaters with a Formula E entry from 2023

Maserati

Author

James Elson

Maserati has announced it will join the Formula E championship from 2023, marking its return to single-seaters after a 66-year absence.

It will be the first time an Italian marque has joined the series, though the Modena-based company will not have full-blown manufacturer status, instead using rebadged DS drivetrains from its fellow Stellantis sister brand DS Automobiles.

It is thought Maserati will form a partnership with a team already in the championship.

The Modena-based marque has a significant place in single-seater history. Its first single-seater, the Tipo 26, won its class on its Targa Florio debut in 1926, driven by Alfieri Maserati, one of the marque’s founders along with his brothers.

Juan Manuel Fangio Maserati 250f 1957 French Grand Prix Rouen — Juan Manuel Fangio sits in the all-conquering 250F

Grand Prix Photo

The marque continued to compete in the following years, with its iconic 250F most strongly associated with Juan Manuel Fangio, who won two F1 drivers’ titles at the wheel of the car in ’54 and ’57.

Bob Drake was the last driver to campaign a Maserati single-seater, finishing 13th after starting 22nd at the United States Grand Prix at Riverside in a 250F.

Formula E has recently suffered from a manufacturer exodus with Audi and BMW leaving at the end the season just gone and Mercedes announcing that the 2022/2023 season will be its last.

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Maserati’s move into Formula E is in line with its new ‘Folgore’ electrification philosophy, with two new models, GranTurismo and GranCabrio, to use electric powertrains as well an electric version of the MC20 supercar which is to be produced.

“We are very proud to be back where we belong as protagonists in the world of racing,” Maserati CEO Davide Grasso said. “We are powered by passion and innovative by nature. We have a long history of world-class excellence in competition and we are ready to drive performance in the future.

“In the race for more performance, luxury, and innovation, Folgore is irresistible and it is the purest expression of Maserati. That’s why we decided to go back to racing in the FIA Formula E World Championship.”

“I am delighted to welcome Maserati to Formula E for Season 9,” FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said.

“For such an iconic manufacturer with a tremendously proud and successful heritage in motor sport to pledge its commitment to the series is testament to the overwhelming faith in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship’s future as we prepare to usher in the next era.”