until Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League
Former Formula 1 driver Nick Heidfeld and ex-Mahindra Formula E team boss Dilbagh Gill’s nascent electric single-seater series has issued visuals of its car and gone through a name change.
The new series, designed to be a breeding ground to feed Formula E and other categories, was originally conceived as the ACE Championship, then became Formula G as plans firmed up and is now called FG Series.
It will run two levels of racing with the same FG-Twin car, known as FG1 and FG2.
The design of the car is set to be conducted by Daniel Simon, known for his vehicle designs in movies including Tron: Legacy, Oblivion and Top Gun: Maverick.
The FG-Twin is described as “a modular race car, offering an all-electric powertrain with both rear-wheel and four-wheel drive”.
The car will have the capacity to run with front and rear axle activation at 350kW of peak power and offers two different performance levels for the FG1 and FG2 championships.
FG2 will be the entry-level for the series, operating the FG-Twin car on the lower power setting and “geared towards training drivers on their path to professional racing”.
FG1 will have the greater power level and be pitched to more experienced professional drivers, and feature “increased downforce and greater freedom for setting up the car”.
Technical partners for the project include the Spanish based QEV Technologies company that has experience within Formula E via Mahindra and the team formerly known as Team China Racing and NIO.
The FG-Twin race car will be used by multiple drivers over the same race weekend. This feature is designed to help affordability for teams and drivers.
The car will also feature digital screens for live ‘infotainment’ that will deliver data to crowds and TV viewers including battery levels, race position and other performance information.
Former Williams, Sauber and BMW F1 driver Heidfeld is FG Series co-founder and chief sporting officer.
He said defining the car’s styling was “a collaborative team effort but surpassing them while meeting the latest safety requirements and technical specifications was only possible due to Daniel Simon's exceptional skills”.
“Collaborating with Daniel Simon has been a dream come true for me,” he added.“Our goal with the FG Series is to enable talents from all over the world to pursue their motorsport ambitions and we hope this is just the first of many dreams to be fulfilled.”
Simon himself said his mission had been to create a car that both “meets performance and regulation goals and adds modern automotive styling”.
His past motorsport work includes the livery for the 2011 HRT F1 car.
“As a car designer passionate about motorsports, my task was to make it poster-worthy from every angle,” he continued.
“The result is a machine with an iconic, rocket-inspired shape, automotive crease lines, balanced proportions, a dynamic stance, and sci-fi lighting details.
“Such attention to aesthetics is rare for racing cars, and I hope this excites racers and spectators of all generations alike.”
The FG Series will confirm its schedule later this year and put the car into production in readiness for the inaugural races, which are expected to take place in 2025.
