For Formula E, the London E-Prix at ExCel has provided a unique racetrack since 2021, taking drivers from indoors to outdoors, from silky smooth surfaces to flowing chicanes.

However, the final London E-Prix at this venue took place on 15 August. The advent of the next generation of Formula E vehicles – Gen4, which will hit circuits next season – are so fast that Formula E will only be able to race on large outdoor racetracks from now on.

Formula E’s spectacular new Gen4 delivers 450kW in standard race mode, scaling up to 600kW (approximately 815bhp) during qualifying and Attack Mode. This gives it a top speed of over 335kph (208mph). In comparison, Gen3 is capable of top speeds of 200mph with a 350kW power output, off its standard race mode of 300kW.

Gen4 means change

The new car is not just set to be exciting for fans at the track. As well as a refreshed and invigorated production for the 2026/27 season, the new power and speed available to Formula E drivers means race locations must be altered.

Explains Hamish Harris, Formula E broadcast and media technology director: “This was the last time we’re going to be at ExCel. Once we move to Gen4, the cars are too quick for the track, basically. We can’t build the track in here anymore, so we’re moving to Brands Hatch.”

He adds: “The ExCel’s been really good for us. It’s sort of a USP really in that because we’re electric, we can race indoors; I don’t think anyone else has ever done it before. It’s been quite a unique track, but [the new generation of cars are] just too fast now. Next year’s car is providing such a big step change. They’re so much bigger and so much quicker that we’ve got to be a little bit careful about track design.”

Adds Tim Glass, Formula E broadcast and content director: “This has become a bit like our Monaco for F1 in a way, whereby it’s really hard for [drivers] to overtake here now. Qualifying here is more important than any other qualifying because the track is so tight. That’s why it’s really exciting for us to be able to go to Brands Hatch next year because we’ve given the car its wings, if you like, to be able to go and really show what it can do.”

With the new faster cars, Formula E and its production team have had to consider how to capture the speed of Gen4 on new racetracks next season, which begins in December this year with the Jeddah E-Prix.

Says Glass on camera positions: “It’s a consideration. There was always a bit of, ‘how do we make the cars look as fast as possible?’ because sometimes on a wide track, like in Shanghai, it’s a bit of a challenge.

“But now with the new car’s performance, we can just think, ‘where’s the best position for the camera to showcase the power, acceleration and speed of the car?’. So there is a difference in approach in that sense, and what can we do with the X-cams, the obc, the drones, to really maximise the spectacle, and what can we do with our graphics and sporting data to really showcase all the different elements that we want to show off and talk about in the car, and simplify the sport for the fans. It will be quite a learning experience next year as well because testing is so limited and getting the full spec that we need to really know what we’re playing with is a challenge.”

Glass adds that the team will do as much as possible in advance, but the first three to four events of the new season will be a real testing ground for the production as both the broadcast crew and the teams behind each vehicle on the track learn what they are capable of and what stories can be told.

Remote production goals

Formula E has been both feet in on remote production since 2022. Says Harris: “The remote production we do is massive; it’s enormous. We have a relatively small gallery and technology footprint on site for the amount [of content] that we produce.

“We’ve got a technical core that travels around in five or six pods. We put out anywhere from 60-ish cameras. So you’ll have 25 line cameras, 10 mini’s on the track, 10 RF cameras in the pits, 10 cameras in the garages, a couple of beauty cameras, a couple of drones; that sort of thing. Plus on the cars themselves there’s 220 cameras on board all the cars.

“All of those services are then backhauled to London. So we create a track cut on site, which is relatively straightforward. They’re sort of just using the line cameras around the track and the mini cameras, and just following the story of the race, that’s it. They’re not worried about replays or onboards or what’s happening in the pits or anything at all; all they’re doing is just following the story of the race. It keeps it straightforward for the director and the producer to follow that. Then the track cut and all of the cameras are all backhauled to London.”

For the London E-Prix, there was 138 separate video services going back to London, which is the standard for a Formula E race in any location.

Continues Harris: “Then we have an international control room in London that takes the track cut and then lays on top onboard cameras, graphics, replays, team radio, RF cameras in the pit lane, that sort of thing. So essentially, they create the dirty international race feed that gets offered to broadcasters around the world.”

“Then also at Westworks, we have another control room that is the presentation output that creates the English language programme. That is a whole separate production team; it’s created by Whisper, whereas Aurora create the international feed in the track cut. [Whisper has] commentators, they have talking heads on camera, they have analysis; it is a full pres output as you’d expect, which as it says on the tin, goes out to all of the English language takers around the world.”

The digital and media teams are also at Westworks alongside all edit suites. Adds Harris: “We also rack all the cameras from London, and all the media management sits in London as well. There’s probably about 50 people that aren’t travelling, that would otherwise have to travel.”

Increased capacity for creativity

Glass says on the remote production that, “the other great benefit from an editorial perspective is the capacity that you then have to improve the product for fans”.

Glass continues: “Obviously the sustainability element with the footprint is much lower as we’re flying less kit and people around the world. But because Westworks is so big, you’re not limited by the size of the TV compound, the cost or how many trucks you have; you can just add things as you need to, to really give the viewer the best experience. So it’s really helped us develop the product as well as all the other positives behind it.”

The capacity at Westworks allows the production team to be as creative and as flexible as they want to be. Harris says: “It’s exactly that, because everything has landed there already if we don’t have to take anything additional to track, it’s very easy to spin things up.”

That freedom and headspace is helping with the Championship’s plans for its next season, which will see the launch of its fastest cars yet with Gen4, and off the back of that launch a plethora of enhancements to the production.

Glass comments: ‘’It’s what is allowing us to take another big step forward in our production for next season. We have some really exciting plans for our Disney partnership to service our global fanbase.”

Teamwork for acceleration

With its focus on sustainability, Formula E made the decision in 2023 that most of the production would go to a remote model. That coincided with Gravity building its operations at Westworks in London, and subsequently Gravity taking over the host broadcast facilities contract for Formula E.

There are several other partners in the workflow mix that have been on board since that tender. Harris says on that tender that, “it ended up being instead of going to one supplier to do everything, Formula E almost took the best in breed of all of the suppliers”.

He explains: “So Gravity is doing the host broadcast; it’s something they do very well. Travelling fly packs around the world with a big production centre at base. Flypacks really with Gravity and [formerly] Gearhouse is its bread and butter; they do it really well. Timeline TV is really, really good with RF technology and onboard cameras and that sort of thing so they provide the onboards and RF for us. Al Kamel Systems who are based in Spain do all the timing and telemetry systems for the Championship and they provide graphics for us, so Al Kamel send a couple of people to London to operate the graphics machines [at Westworks].

“And Aurora and Whisper are the production partners. Aurora has been host broadcaster for Formula E since the start, since season one. So Aurora with Mike Scott and Westbury Gillett and the team cut a really good international feed. While Aurora does the international feed, Whisper’s focus is the presentation show and content creation. It’s what they do forChannel 4 for Formula One; they do that really well so they create the English language programme for us. We’ve picked and chosen the best across the industry.”

Glass adds that the move to remote production with those best of breed partners has enabled the Formula E team to be the best it can be. He explains: “My background was at Sky in presentation shows. I used to work on F1 there and we would get the worldfeed from FOM and then make our own show around it. Whilst you’re obviously concentrating when the race starts because you’re following the story and working out what you’re going to do after, or producing the commentary, for the rest of the team, their focus is how can you make the buildup as good as it can be, how can you make post-race as good as it can be? You need to build that capacity around you to make sure that you’ve got the head space to focus on those decisions. And again, that all comes back to making the move to remote production.”

Looking ahead, both Harris and Glass are excited for Season 2026/27 and what Gen4 will bring the production for fans.

Concludes Glass: “Gen4 is a beast and ready to go but the development will continue. The reaction from the FE drivers that have had the opportunity to drive it so far has been incredible. The speed, acceleration and power has been breathtaking. David Coulthard drove it around Monaco, and he’s won the Grand Prix there twice, and he said he’s never felt any acceleration like it.

“It’s a real step change for the sport. It’s very exciting.”