The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will have a new safety car for the 2021/22 season, with the Porsche Taycan Turbo S being unveiled ahead of the season opener in Diriyah later this month.
Following the departure of BMW as a manufacturer entry at the end of last season, Formula E were on the lookout for a replacement for the Mini Pacesetter and BMW i8 Roadster that had been acting as the safety car in recent years.
The Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team will field André Lotterer and Pascal Wehrlein for the upcoming season, and Porsche will now have more of a presence in the championship with the arrival of the Taycan.
“We’re proud that Formula E has entrusted a Porsche with this task – one that is important for the safety of its drivers,” said Thomas Laudenbach, the Vice President of Porsche Motorsport. “With the Taycan Turbo S as the official safety car, we’re making an important contribution to track safety and also underlining the importance of Formula E for Porsche Motorsport.
“The distinctive design illustrates our commitment to the successful future of this innovative racing series. Although we’re rivals out on the track, we’re spreading this message to the world together. What’s more, we hope that this also enables us to appeal to a younger target audience who are not yet motorsport fans.”
Jamie Reigle, the CEO of Formula E, says the arrival of the Porsche Taycan Turbo S is good news for the championship, and he feels it will light up the cities that Formula E will visit across 2022.
“Formula E is delighted the Porsche Taycan Turbo S will serve as the Championship’s safety car from Season 8,” said Reigle. “The Porsche Taycan Turbo S is the pinnacle of high performance electrified vehicles and will light up Formula E city racetracks around the world.
“In designing the Formula E safety car, Porsche reimagined the critical on-track safety function to be a powerful symbol of the championship’s commitment to an electrified future and the unity of the competitors in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.”