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Feature by Katy Fairman
Speaking to the media ahead of their first race in São Paulo, Federico Goyret, the Citroën Global Marketing Director, opened up about why the iconic French brand opted for a future in Formula E and what is to come.
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Season 12 of the all-electric series kicks off in São Paulo, Brazil, this weekend with qualifying and race day on Saturday 6 December 2025. It will be a big milestone moment for both the manufacturer and also the championship as Citroën joins the long list of names competing on the grid the season, including Porsche, Nissan, Mahindra and Jaguar.
Signing the only two-time Formula E champion Jean-Eric Vergne, and 11-time race winner Nick Cassidy, Citroën are confident as they enter this new era of racing.
“I adore them. Good Energy attracts good energy. JEV is, let's say, a friend of the house of Stellantis motorsport. He won one of his championships with our sister brand DS, so he's very much a friend. JEV is the only two time back-to-back champion, and he is loving the project.
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“I think, and it's quite widely agreed, that we have one of the best driver lineups on the grid.
“Nick has done an excellent job these last three seasons. He's been second, third and second [in the drivers’ standings]. He's won the last three races and he's in a great moment, but we were very fond of him. In the end, it's like a marriage, right? He has a really great personality, and above all, he's a very technical driver. The feedback that he gives about the performance of the car is helping us, not only this season, but fundamentally preparing GEN4. Having a driver that can help you develop the car. Is it worth its weight in gold, and he's a great driver.”
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Both drivers were present at Citroën’s launch in Paris back in October, where the new car was revealed to the public via the Champs-Élysées.
“We were founded in Paris and actually, Citroën’s was born on the banks of the Seine,” Goyret continued. “Our first factory was about 700 meters from the Eiffel Tower and there's now a park there called Parc André Citroën that was our site. We are a Parisian brand, and I like doing things grand and cool so we were like, “‘yeah, we have to do [the launch] in Paris’.
“We had tried to do something on the Eiffel Tower for another event some few months before, and they said ‘what about having the Formula E drive on the Champs-Élysées and drive into the event? So we did exactly that.”
The car livery is perfectly French, with the iconic chevrons placed on a chrome red, white and blue backdrop. This whole new chapter is being taken seriously by Federico Goyret and the Citroën team, with even their small but mighty Ami cars making an appearance on race day for activations covered in a special livery.
PREVIEW: Everything you need to know about the sizzling São Paulo season-opener for Season 12
Before joining Citroën, Goyret had worked with Renault in Formula 1 but has still been keeping a close eye on Formula E as it gets ready to launch Season 12.
“I found with the executive team and the founders of Formula E is that they invest all of their profits in making the sport better and making the sport grow. They're betting on the future, and they want to make it grow.
“Every time that I ask them or suggest to them, ‘hey, we want to do some cool things on track tomorrow’ they’re like ‘yes of course, let's do fun things and bring people to the track’. It's very good. Formula 1 was a bit the contrary, saying ‘you can’t do this and you can’t do that’.”
SCHEDULE: Where, when and how to watch or stream the 2025 Google Cloud São Paulo E-Prix
The Google Cloud São Paulo E-Prix Round 1 gets underway on Friday 5 December with Free Practice 1, ahead of race day on Saturday 6 December. Make sure you don't miss a moment, as we get ready to kickstart Season 12 with one of the best races of the year.
WATCH: How to watch or stream ABB Formula E's Google Cloud São Paulo E-Prix weekend where you are
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