A curious factor occurred this morning: Components E published a final list of the official team entries for the fourth season of the all-electric racing collection, and Faraday Future was nowhere to be discovered. The electrical automotive startup joined Formula E last summer as a part of a multi-year business and technical contract with Dragon Racing, and raced all yr with its criss-cross emblem adorning the staff’s automobiles. However, based on the collection itself, season 4 will see the “return of the Dragon Racing identify minus the Faraday Future branding” when it begins in December.
Reached for remark, a spokesperson for Faraday Future wrote: “We keep our partnership with Dragon Racing and proceed to honor our commitments as evidenced by our testing for season four prior to now few weeks. We shouldn't have a remark pertaining to the identify change.” Moreover, they wrote, “we'll nonetheless have a presence on the Components E races as we proceed to help the workforce as a technical companion, integrating our FF engineers with the Dragon Racing workforce.” Representatives for Dragon Racing didn't reply to a number of requests for remark.
As NESN motorsports reporter Pat McAssey pointed out to me on Twitter, if this really is the case — that Faraday Future will stay concerned on the technical aspect of issues however will see its model’s presence fade — it’s a singular state of affairs. Half the rationale FF acquired concerned with Components E within the first place, senior VP of analysis Nick Sampson advised me in July, was to advertise the corporate’s existence to an viewers that was overwhelmingly more likely to be interested by its (eventual) product, the FF91. FF even needed its presence recognized on this area so badly that it blanketed the 2016 Lengthy Seashore race in its picture, paying to be title sponsor for that event earlier than it joined the collection.
The opposite half of that equation is that Method E is turning into a premier proving floor for electrical drivetrain know-how. In any case, for this reason main producers with a want to develop electrical automobiles, like Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Renault, and Mahindra, have already been concerned within the collection, and why Mercedes-Benz and Porsche are on the best way.
It feels like FF will nonetheless be capable of accomplish that second objective so long as it’s nonetheless paying engineers to work with the Dragon Racing staff. However it’s exhausting to not see this as a prelude to the corporate’s full exit from the collection. Earlier this month, I reported that FF was considering cutting the Formula E (and Pikes Peak) program in an effort to save lots of money — one thing the corporate at-large desperately wants proper now. And on prime of that, FF’s head of motorsport just lately left the corporate in July. Dragon Racing, one supply advised me, has even been maintaining a tally of different potential incoming producers, ought to FF depart.
The motorsports program, and Formulation E notably, has turn out to be a supply of satisfaction for FF’s staff, individuals near the corporate say. So leaving the collection utterly can be a blow to morale. However even when FF doesn’t depart, a lowered position in Components E might have the identical impact.
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