When the ABB FIA Formula E Championship starts its new season in Riyadh on December 15, there will be four drivers on the grid with Audi technology: alongside its own factory team, Audi Sport will also be equipping the British race team Virgin Racing with its newly developed Audi e-tron FE05, including the powertrain.
“We are glad that in the new Formula E season together with Virgin Racing four Audi e-tron FE05 cars will fight for points and trophies,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Dieter Gass. “The team has been one of the key players in Formula E ever since the series was founded – both in terms of its racing performances and all off-track activities. This makes Virgin Racing’s choice of using our powertrain a particular pleasure. This confidence also confirms the excellent work that our engineers are doing together with their colleagues from our development partner Schaeffler.”
The Audi e-tron FE05 is an evolution of a successful model. Its predecessor was the most efficient car in many races during the fourth season. It peaked mid-July in New York City when the factory team Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler won the teams’ championship.
The centerpiece of the new Audi e-tron FE05, that Virgin Racing will also be using in the future, is the powertrain with the Audi Schaeffler MGU03 motor-generator unit. While the rest of the car is specified for all teams, the manufacturers demonstrate their technical expertise in the powertrain. The Formula E regulations require manufacturers to also make the complete car with its unique powertrain technology and related support available to other teams for a defined price.
This week, Virgin Racing takes delivery of the two new race cars for the 2018/2019 Formula E season at the Audi Sport base in Neuburg an der Donau. The new cooperation does not end with the handover of the race cars. An intensive exchange between the two teams will take place during the season in order to continuously increase the performance level.
