Tipo Folgore revealed as Maserati’s first fully electric race car

Maserati is all set to make its Formula E debut in 2023, making its return to single-seater racing after 60 years. The brand has now unveiled its Formula E challenger, the Tipo Folgore, which incorporates Maserati’s traditional blue colour into its livery.

• Mortara, Guenther to race for Maserati in Formula E
• Teams up with Venturi Racing

Maserati Tipo Folgore unveiled for 2023 Formula E season

2023 will kick start Formula E’s new Gen3 era, featuring the championship’s fastest, most powerful, and efficient race cars to date. They’re over 50kg lighter than the Gen2 cars and 100kW more powerful, delivering 350kW (476hp) and a top speed of 320kph. The Gen3 cars also feature front and rear powertrains delivering 600kW of regenerative power, so there’s no need for rear hydraulic brakes.

For its Formula E debut, Maserati has teamed up with Venturi Racing. The ‘Tipo Folgore’ name is a nod to the carmaker’s past as well as future. The Tipo 26, which debuted at the Targa Florio in 1926 (finishing first in its class), was the first race car to bear the Trident logo. ‘Folgore’ refers to Maserati’s all-electric range of cars.

Maserati will also be the first Italian brand to compete in Formula E and the livery references that with the Italian tricolour on either side of the bulkhead.

Formula E a “key part” of road car development: Maserati

On the back of the recent departures of BMW, Audi and Mercedes, Formula E pushed for the Gen3 cars to be more relevant to brands when it comes to technology transfer to road cars. The new battery, for example, is far smaller and lighter than any road-going equivalent.

Maserati is relying on this race-to-road transfer to help further develop its Folgore range. An official statement says, “the track expertise, technology and software used in Formula E is a key part to this competitiveness and will transfer to Maserati’s high-end road cars with the imminent introduction of its Folgore range.”

Maserati Formula E drivers

Edoardo Mortara and Max Guenther will drive for Maserati MSG Racing next year.

Nyck de Vries was initially rumoured to be driving for Maserati in its debut Formula E season. However, with the Dutch driver stepping up to F1 with AlphaTauri, Maserati had to look for a replacement.

The team will now head to Valencia for the official pre-season test on December 13-16. Season 9 gets underway with the Mexico City E-Prix on January 14, and it features Formula E’s largest calendar yet with 16 rounds – including the Hyderabad E-Prix on February 11, as well as new outings to Cape Town (South Africa), Sao Paulo (Brazil) and Portland (USA).

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