Maserati Set To Return To Motorsport With Formula E Debut
Maserati has confirmed that it will compete in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in 2023, marking the company's return to international single-seater racing after a 66-year absence.
Maserati's unrivaled racing pedigree - a name intimately linked with high-performance - and its forward-thinking approach to electrification mesh well with the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, the world's first all-electric road-racing motorsport championship.
The Race first reported that Maserati was mulling an entry in February, shortly after the merger of brands formerly owned by the FCA and PSA Groups to form the current Stellantis Group automotive juggernaut.
Last year, the future of Alfa Romeo's Formula 1 project, a Stellantis brand, was also up for debate. After being linked to a FE move, it eventually extended its branding agreement with the old Sauber squad in July.
Maserati will not be a certified Formula E manufacturer at first because it will employ a rebadged DS kit. It's unclear whether it'll advance to full-fledged manufacturer status for the second version of the Gen3 standards in 2025.
Maserati will become the first well-known Italian manufacturer to compete in Formula E, following the short-lived Trulli Formula E team that competed in the inaugural season in 2014/15.
CEO Davide Grasso said that Maserati was "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 said.
Maserati's dedication to electric mobility is propelled by a burst of new energy, which is currently speeding to top speeds with Folgore, the whole electric range. All-new Maserati vehicles, including the Maserati Grecale, GranTurismo and GranCabrio, and the Maserati MC20 super sportscar, will also be offered in all-electric versions.
Maserati made its racing debut in 1926, with the Maserati Tipo 26 becoming the first race car to sport the Trident insignia at the Targa Floro. Although the brand had success in Formula 1, 1957 (when Juan Manuel Fangio won his fifth and last F1 title with a 250F) was the carmaker's final year as a manufacturer in single-seater racing until now.
From 2004 until 2010, the brand competed in the FIA GT competition, winning a total of 14 titles (constructors, drivers, and team), using the MC12 designed for GT1 standards.
BMW and Audi both dropped out of Formula E last year, and Mercedes-Benz will follow suit by the end of the year.