Back on track: Hankook and Formula E kick off Season 10 with the official test in Valencia

- ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is back on track with a new season, starting with the preparation sessions in Valencia, Spain
- Hankook iON Race is to support drivers without any further modifications this season, following its successful demonstration of capabilities last year
- Kicking off from Mexico City on 13th January 2024, Formula E will again delight millions of fans with spectacular motorsport

Seoul, Korea, October 20, 2023 – After the global leading tire company Hankook Tire’s successful first season as the official technical partner and tire supplier of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, Season 10 gets underway as soon as next week. From 24th to 27th October, the manufacturers, drivers, and partners will be at Circuit Ricardo Tormo on the outskirts of Valencia, Spain, to prepare for the coming season. Like last year, the host for the opening round of the world championship on 13th January 2024 will be Mexico City.

Hankook Tire Motorsport Director Manfred Sandbichler said “We are delighted that it is time to get the ball rolling again. Our first year as an official tire partner of the Formula E World Championship was very successful for us. The Hankook iON Race demonstrated its great potential and very high level of consistency in diverse weather conditions and on tracks with a wide range of different characteristics. In Season 9, the tires were new to all the teams. We were also unable to call on any reference data, as the Hankook Tires were being used for the first time at the Formula E circuits around the world. It is now a different story in our second season, as we are familiar with the majority of tracks. Together with the teams, we will use the data analyzed to ensure the Hankook iON Race performs at its very best again.”

The track in Valencia is a 3.376-kilometer track with 15 corners, 9 left and 6 right, in an anti-clockwise direction. The lap begins on the long start/finish straight, which flows into a fast left-hander. This is followed by a long, technically demanding section with high-speed passages and several left and right turns. An additional chicane has been added to the start/finish straight, in order to simulate the hard braking required for the street circuit.

Starting with the first Test session on Tuesday, October 24 from 09:00 to 12:00 CEST, the second Test session will be followed at 14:00–17:00 the same day. The next day comes with another two rounds of test sessions, Test session 3 from 09:00–12:00, and 4 from 14:00–17:00. Then comes the Media Day opening on October 26, Thursday, from 09:00–17:00. On the last day, Friday the October 27, Test sessions 5 and 6 will be held from 09:00–12:00 and 14:00–17:00, respectively.

The standard Formula E tire, the Hankook iON Race, which enjoyed a successful world premiere last season, will support the drivers without any further modifications in Season 10. Felix Kinzer, Hankook Tire Communications Director explained “We have not made any changes to our tire for the coming season. However, the tire fully meets the specifications of Formula E and further, the compound and construction functioned wonderfully.”

Next year, Formula E will again delight millions of fans around the world with spectacular motorsport. After the season-opener in Mexico City and a double-header in the Saudi Arabian town of Diriyah in January, races four and five are planned for 10th and 24th February. The venues are expected to be announced shortly. In mid-March, the Formula E circus moves on to São Paulo in Brazil. The Japanese metropolis of Tokyo will make its debut on the calendar of the fully-electric racing series on 30th March. Next up are European rounds in Rome/Italy (double-header), Monte Carlo/Monaco and Berlin/Germany (double-header) in April and May. The venue for another date at the end of May is also yet to be confirmed. Following a trip to the Indonesian capital Jakarta, Portland in the US state of Oregon hosts the penultimate round of Season 10. The finale will again take place in Great Britain. London will crown the new Formula E world champion at the final double-header of the year, from the 20th to the 21st of July.

1. Mexico / Mexico City 13.01.2024
2. Saudi Arabia / Diriyah 26.01.2024
3. Saudi Arabia / Diriyah 27.01.2024
4. tba 10.02.2024
5. tba 24.02.2024
6. Brazil / São Paulo 16.03.2024
7. Japan / Tokyo 30.03.2024
8. Italy / Rome 13.04.2024
9. Italy / Rome 14.04.2024
10. Monaco / Monte Carlo 27.04.2024
11. Germany / Berlin 11.05.2024
12. Germany / Berlin 12.05.2024
13. tba 25.05.2024
14. Indonesia / Jakarta 08.06.2024
15. USA / Portland 29.06.2024
16. Great Britain / London 20.07.2024
17. Great Britain / London 21.07.2024

Formula E continues to be hugely popular around the world – and the number of fans is growing all the time. The 16 races that made up the 2023 Formula E World Championship were watched live on TV by more than 225 million viewers. That is almost ten million more than last year. The reason for this is the new venues and exciting racing in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. During the race in Portland, fans witnessed 403 overtaking maneuvers – a new record. “We are heading the right way to establish Formula E as the most exciting and innovative motorsport for fans, whilst at the same time making it the most sustainable sport in the world,” said Jeff Dodds, Managing Director of Formula E.

As well as on YouTube, you can also find regular news and information on Hankook’s involvement in Formula E on Twitter (@hankook_sport) and Instagram (@hankooktire.motorsports).

You can find the latest Hankook Press Kit for the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, looking ahead to the new season here.