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This week at the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed, Formula E has unleashed four generations of all-electric machinery - including the brand new GEN4, Formula E's newest and most innovative car to date.
READ: Formula E and Teams showcase electric racing evolution at Goodwood Festival of Speed
Fans will watch electric racing history come alive on track, tracing the sport's evolution from the pioneering GEN1, through the iconic GEN2 and GEN3 eras, and culminating in the 600kW beast that will shape Formula E’s next chapter.
Two drivers who got the opportunity to take two generations of Formula E cars for a spin around the historic Goodwood circuit on Thursday were Formula E's GEN4 Ambassador and Sporting Advisor, James Rossiter (behind the wheel of the GEN2 DS Techeetah), and Mahindra Racing Test and Development Driver, Chloe Chambers (behind the wheel of the GEN3 Mahindra).
"I have been here before in my past life as a racing driver," said James. "But I'm very happy to be back again. It's great how much access (this event) gives everybody.
"I mean, in motorsport, you have to travel to the event, especially when you're in a World Championship, to get access to all of the stuff. So being able to have a place where you can see so much motorsport, so much diversity in terms of cars, in terms of technology, it's a really exciting event to be part of."
SCHEDULE: Formula E unleashes at Goodwood Festival of Speed
Rossiter piloted Formula E's second iteration of all-electric machinery, the GEN2, sporting the striking gold and black livery of DS Techeetah, who won the drivers' title with Jean-Eric Vergne in GEN2's debut season, 2018/19. Rossiter held many roles at the team, starting as Test and Development Driver in 2018, before eventually becoming the squad's Sporting Director.
"It's super exciting that we've got the opportunity to do that (drive the cars at Goodwood)," James adds. "And to have a GEN1, GEN2, GEN3, and GEN4 going up the hill at the same time is going to be pretty magical."
Unlike Rossiter, 22-year-old Chloe Chambers is a Goodwood debutant, sharing driving duties of Mahindra's GEN3 with Kush Maini. Chloe, who current competes in Super Trofeo North America, was recently announced as Mahindra Racing's Test and Development driver.
"I think this is really cool!," Chloe exclaimed. "It's only a Thursday, right? So I wasn't expecting as many people to be here, but this place is packed.
"Driving up up the hill, there are fans lined up as far as they can go and around the paddock there's even more. I don't know how they all fit in here, but it's a cool event!
"I recently signed as Mahindra's Test and Development Driver, so a new role for me, but this is kind of the first step into it. I've done some other things with Mahindra, but this is my first official outing in the new role."
As well as praising the scale and magnitude of the event itself, both drivers were excited to see Formula E's all-new GEN4 take to the Hillclimb. Capable of reaching speeds in excess of 335kph, 0-100kph in approximately 1.8 seconds, and 0-200kph in just 4.4 seconds - 1.5 seconds faster than its predecessor - GEN4 will deliver 50% more power in race mode than the current GEN3 Evo race car. The GEN4 car will be an average of 10 seconds faster per lap than the GEN3 car in qualifying mode. In ATTACK MODE, GEN4 produces up to 600kW of power, a 71% increase in base output over GEN3 Evo, delivering performance that pushes the limits of electric racing. GEN4 is the only single-seater race car with permanent all-wheel drive.
FACT SHEET: All you need to know about the GEN4 car
"I'm pretty jealous to be perfectly honest," joked Rossiter. "I think it'd be absolutely fabulous to be able to charge up the Hill in the in the GEN4 car. I'm sure that Dan's (Ticktum) going to love it, and I think Fernando Barrichello as well is going to love it.
"It's so great to see it in the flesh, next to a GEN1, GEN2, and GEN3. It's such a spectacular leap in terms of technology, innovation, performance, and it's super exciting to get to showcase that to the world."
Whilst Chambers added: "It looks amazing to drive. I can't wait until I get the chance to get behind the wheel of it. I've heard nothing but good things about it and all the things that I've seen online have been really cool, so I can't wait!"
Formula E's full Goodwood Festival of Speed schedule can be found here.
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