Maserati is a name synonymous with luxury and performance motoring, and the ‘trident’ logo is as a common sight in the motorsports arena, as it is on the streets. Born nearly a century ago by manufacturing purebred race cars, it goes without saying that racing is in the very DNA of the brand. Boasting a rich racing heritage over the years, Maserati will make its debut in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in 2023, thus becoming the first Italian brand to do so.
The world’s first all-electric road-racing motorsport series, ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is the perfect platform for Maserati, a brand intrinsically linked with high-performance, to showcase their innovative attitude towards electrification. And with electric vehicles gradually causing a paradigm shift in the automotive industry, Maserati is committed to make waves with their Folgore range of electric propulsion solutions that will find its way into their upcoming all-electric lineup including the Grecale, the Gran Turismo and Gran Cabrio, and the MC20 super sports car.
Maserati will debut on the grid from Season 9 with the new Gen3, the fastest, lightest, and most powerful Formula E racing car ever. The Gen3 is the world’s most efficient racing car featuring a series of industry-leading design, production and technological innovations. Since inception, the Formula E’s dramatic racing on the streets of the world’s most iconic cities including New York, Monaco, Berlin, Mexico City, London and Rome has led to electric cars being exported around the world today, going further on every charge through increases in energy efficiency, enhancements in battery range and advances in powertrain development.
Davide Grasso, Maserati CEO, commented: “We are very proud to be back where we belong as protagonists in the world of racing. 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.” Grasso continued: “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, meeting our customers in the city centers of the world, taking the Trident forward into the future”.
Jean-Marc Finot, Senior VP, STELLANTIS Motorsport, added: “It is a great pleasure for STELLANTIS Motorsport to play a part in getting Maserati back in the Race. Beyond this piece of history, Maserati Formula E will be our technological laboratory to accelerate the development of high-efficiency electrified powertrains and intelligent software for our road sports cars. Formula E is the perfect Championship for this purpose and we are very proud to be the first Italian brand to join in.”
Alejandro Agag, Founder & Chairman, Formula E, said: “We are proud to welcome Maserati to their new home in world-class motorsport. The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is the pinnacle of electric racing. It provides the perfect environment for the most dynamic and innovative high-performance car brands to showcase their technological capabilities alongside their sporting ambitions.”
Jamie Reigle, CEO, Formula E, said: “We are delighted Maserati will join the Gen3 era of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship and play a defining role reimagining the future of motorsport. Formula E races in the heart of the most iconic cities in the world and is followed passionately by a progressive global audience. Our millions of fans around the world will be thrilled to see Maserati line up on the grid as one of the world’s elite electric car brands.”
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, FIA President: “I am delighted to welcome Maserati to Formula E for Season 9. 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. The new Gen3 single-seater will represent the pinnacle of sustainability, technology and performance.”
Some of the proud glimpses into Maserati’s racing past include its racing debut 96 years ago in the form of a Tipo 26 which went on to win the first place in the 1.5-litre class, an F1 World Championship win in 1957, an emphatic 22 race victories and 14 Championship titles across Constructors’ Championships, Drivers’ Championships and Teams’ Championships in the FIA GT, from 2004 to 2010. With racing forming the core of its existence, Maserati is once again going back to scratch to build a future that would define it in several years to come.
