Fortescue Zero Racing kicked off their Formula E journey in style, with a launch event at the historic Shoreditch Electric Light Station.
Attendees (and those tuned into the livestream) heard from those spearheading the project, including Fortescue Zero Founder Andrew Forrest and Team Principal Jim Wright, as well as being treated to a first look at the squad's GEN4 entry, sporting the eye-catching Fortescue Zero neon green.
Sustainability takes centre stage
After a captivating aerial display and an introduction from Fortescue Ambassador Claire Williams, Gus Pichot (CEO of Growth & Energy) took the stage to explain why now was the right time for Fortescue Zero to enter the fray as a team in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
READ MORE: Fortescue Zero to compete in Formula E with Racing and Innovation Team
This is far from Fortescue’s first foray into motorsport, from its roots in Williams Racing (as Williams Advanced Engineering), to becoming an in-demand, high-performance engineering business, working at the cutting edge of electrification as the Official PIT BOOST supplier of Formula E.
"We have an amazing Chairman, who loves competing," said Pichot. "He took a very easy task to compete against the fossil fuel industry. The only way we're going to do this is by being on the front foot of innovation...we're going to decarbonise our operations.
"It's an amazing challenge, but there was something missing. How do we keep on the front foot of technology? Formula E, batteries, electrification, a better world for all of us and for our kids."
Ticktum's new chapter
Dan Ticktum also seized his moment in the spotlight during his maiden appearance with his new outfit. The 27-year-old Brit looked right at home, reflecting on his decision to commit to Fortescue over rival offers for the GEN4 era.
"It's very easy for me to stand here and say that you were the number one choice among a few offers," he joked. "But that really is the case... I'm incredibly grateful for the support of you (Jim Wright), Andrew, Gary, and everyone at Fortescue for giving me this opportunity.
"I've only been here for about a month, but I'm incredibly impressed with some of the tools that the engineers are offering to help me get prepared as much as possible."
To hear more from Dan Ticktum on his move to Fortescue and his goals for GEN4, check out our interview from the Fortescue launch here.
Jeff Dodds looks ahead to GEN4
At the dawn of an exciting new era for Formula E, championship CEO Jeff Dodds joined festivities to welcome Fortescue to the grid and to take a look back at how far the all-electric championship has come since inception.
"Formula E was founded 12 years ago," Dodds recalled. "And it wasn't founded only as a racing series... we wanted to be a World Championship racing series to create incredibly fast racing cars, but we had two other missions at the same time. One was to be a platform for sustainability... and the other was to create a laboratory on the race track to advance the energy transition.
"They're (Fortescue) not on this journey to be just racing World Champions. They want to be environmental champions. They want to be champions for the earth, for the planet, for the next generation."
The GEN4 Formula E car is a radical reimagining of electric racing, featuring an even more aggressive 5,540mm x 1,800mm footprint designed to harness a massive 600kW (815bhp) output. This futuristic chassis introduces two aerodynamic packages that switch between high-downforce qualifying and low-drag race modes to exceed 200 mph, and permanent All-Wheel Drive for unprecedented traction.
GEN4 promises to deliver the fastest-ever lap time seen by a Formula E car - at least five seconds per lap faster on street circuits - compared to the most recent generation, the GEN3 Evo.
The covers come off
The launch concluded with the official reveal of Fortescue Zero's all-new challenger for the 2027 season. Retaining the team's distinctive neon green visual identity with a refined, aerodynamic finish, the car showcases the next evolution of Fortescue’s motorsport presence.
At the core of the operation is the squad's new technical partnership, with the entry powered by a Jaguar GEN4 powertrain. Combining Jaguar’s championship winning engineering pedigree with the raw speed and race winning capabilities of Ticktum, Fortescue Zero has seemingly assembled the ingredients necessary to mount an impressive debut campaign.
Find out more
GEN4: A new era of Formula E is about to begin
WATCH: How to watch every Formula E race in your country
CALENDAR: Here's every race set for the 2026/27 Formula E season
TICKETS: Secure your grandstand seats and buy Formula E race tickets
