The Formula E World Championship has already seen some past and present Formula One teams compete, and soon it could see another in the form of McLaren.
The sport's organizers announced Monday that McLaren has signed an agreement granting it the option to enter the sport from the 2022/2023 season, when teams are due to start using a next-generation Gen3 car. Formula E plans to have 12 teams at that point, up from the current 10.
McLaren is already closely linked with Formula E, having been the exclusive supplier of batteries for the current Gen2 car. Its contract to supply the batteries ends after the 2021/2022 season at which point McLaren will decide weather it wants to deepen its involvement in the sport by fielding its own team.
“We’ve been closely observing Formula E for some time and monitoring the series’ progress and future direction,” Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing, said in a statement.
The new Gen3 cars will bring performance and efficiency gains over the Gen2 cars including more power, less weight and faster charging. While teams will still be using a common car, certain key components will be unique to teams.
The organizers are also looking to introduce new cost and technology controls to even the playing field.
McLaren hasn't forgotten its F1 role. Although the performance of McLaren's F1 team has lagged severely in recent years, the team managed to finish third in the Constructors' Championship in 2020 and recently received an injection of cash from new investors. The team also enters the 2021 season with Daniel Ricciardo on board.
