McLaren enters into partnership with Nissan in Formula E
F1 News
- GPblog.com
McLaren will also step into Formula E from next year. From 2023, the car manufacturer will do so in cooperation with Nissan. The Japanese manufacturer will supply the powertrain to the new FE team.
McLaren and Nissan launch 2023 FE season together
There are many shifts going on within the electric motorsport class. Nissan has taken over the e.dams team and McLaren has bought the team and staff of Mercedes-EQ for next season. The cooperation came about naturally, according to McLaren's motorsport chief Zak Brown.
E-formel.de quotes the American: "In forming our team for the first season in Formula E, we are naturally looking for the best partners and opportunities. The technical aspect is crucial and Nissan has shown its knowledge, skill and dedication over the past four seasons of Formula E." Nissan chief Tommaso Volpe reports that this is a multi-year deal.
Nissan doesn't seem to be looking at F1 yet
Starting next year, Formula E will race with the Gen3 cars that should bring the performance of all-electric race cars to new heights. Nissan also seems to want to focus its efforts on building electric engines and gives no indication that it is further considering developing hybrid engines for F1, like Porsche is. The cooperation between Nissan and McLaren will stay with the electric class for now.
Nissan becomes the third developer in the FE to make engines for customer teams. Jaguar will also provide the Envision team with a drive in the future and Porsche will provide Avalanche Andretti with a power unit from 2023. The dynamics between the different teams on the grid will therefore be more similar to those in Formula 1.