FE | Hankook: here’s how the tires will change with the Gen 3 Evo

Formula E has yet to conclude an enthralling Season 10, ready to provide excitement in the remaining six rounds of the 2024 championship, but behind the scenes it is already working on the future, both in the short and long term.

In fact, starting from next season the Gen 3 Evo will make its debut, the evolution of the current Gen 3 on the track from the beginning of 2023. The new single-seater will take to the track for the next two championships, i.e. in 2025 and 2026, before leaving space to the great revolution of Gen 4. However, the Gen 3 Evo has its own great specific importance, because for Formula E it will be a bridge towards the future, especially for some technical innovations already present on next year’s car.

It is estimated that the new single-seater could be at least two seconds faster per lap than the current generation: clearly this figure will vary from track to track, but the average estimate revolves precisely around that figure. An improvement that is the result of various elements, but which is concentrated around three main aspects, namely the revised aerodynamics, the new tires and the unlocking of the 4-wheel drive mode in certain contexts.

Although the revised aerodynamics will not guarantee a significant improvement in single lap timing, it will actually help improve the overall efficiency of the car, providing greater long-distance benefits in terms of energy management. On the contrary, the four-wheel drive mode and softer tires will guarantee an important step forward.

Since the beginning of the current generation, in fact, drivers have often complained about the lack of grip offered by the tires designed by Hankook according to the parameters established by the FIA ​​and Formula E, which focus decisively on the sustainability and durability of the product, much that the teams have very few trains available each weekend.

The current tires are very hard and, as explained by Lucas di Grassi during an interview with Motorsport.com on the occasion of the Misano ePrix, in Attack Mode they do not guarantee enough grip to exploit the 350 kW, generating slipping which , in turn, triggers overheating. “The car has a lot of torque, so much that at 350 kW you can no longer put power on the asphalt. Even if we had 500 kW, we couldn’t use it, because there is no grip to unload all the power of the Attack Mode,” Di Grassi said.

For this reason, together with the Gen 3 Evo, Hankook will debut a new specification of its all-weather tyres, which should guarantee an increase in grip estimated at around 5-10%. This is not a revolutionary figure, but it will still be a small step forward while waiting for Gen 4, where the teams expect a more significant step forward given that the power will increase significantly.

Maximilian Gunther, Maserati Racing, Maserati Tipo Folgore

Photo by: Dom Romney / Motorsport Images

The interesting aspect is that the construction will effectively remain unchanged compared to the current configuration, while the main thing that will change will be the type of compound, which will become softer. The tires will therefore not see major changes in terms of design, but will still allow you to feel an improvement in terms of grip.

“The new tire is softer. This is the first step, it should be faster, on our part it’s about doing what needs to be done. I can tell you that it is a softer compound, this is the biggest difference,” says one of Hankook’s managers during an interview session in Berlin, where Motorsport.com was also present.

Another important issue is that of stress because, if it is true that a softer tire will tend to have slightly higher consumption, on the other hand the introduction of the four-wheel drive mode when using the 350 kW will significantly reduce the effort on the roofs. This should reduce sliding and, consequently, stress on the tyres, with drivers able to make more use of Attack Mode instead of managing the tires from a thermal point of view.

“In the end the structure of the tire will be the same. Only the compound has changed, but thanks to the fact that from the next championship the front axle will also be active, so there will be two axles to deliver power, the stress should be lower because it is combined. And we saw during the first development tests that ultimately, as I said, tread wear will have an effect on the strategy.”

Hankook tyres

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Hankook did not want to overstate the improvement due solely to the changes made to the tyres, also because the tire issue is extremely sensitive to environmental factors. Even in FE, in fact, the preparation of roofing is taking on an increasingly important role.

“We can say it is faster depending on the environmental conditions, there are so many elements that influence the lap time. Wear will certainly also be a topic we will have to think about, to understand how the teams will behave at a tactical level, how to break in the tires, how to use the new tires and other aspects of that kind. So we have to evaluate the first test in Valencia, we will certainly see how they start and how they will deal with any greater wear, due to the softer compound, affecting the tyre.

In parallel with the tests carried out by Hankook, the pilots also had the opportunity to test the type of tires that will officially debut next year, in order to give feedback to the Korean manufacturer. For now, the drivers have never tested the “complete” Gen 3 Evo, but only in pieces: on certain occasions they tested the new tires, on others the Powertrain, while they did not have the opportunity to test the revised aerodynamics, presented in Monaco just two weeks ago.

Jean-Eric Vergne, DS Penske, DS E-Tense FE23

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images

According to Jean-Eric Vergne, the new tires will guarantee greater grip especially at the front, thus being able to better resist the combined effort. This greater grip offered by the tire, therefore, will allow riders to be more aggressive in the combined phase between rotation and braking, even during battles on the track.

“Yes, I tried the new tires for next year. They guarantee greater grip at the front, you can have more combined effort [in fase di rotazione in frenata] by the rubber. It’s a good step forward, at least it’s something new,” says the DS Penske team driver.

“Next year we will have the absolute best times in the history of Formula E, that’s for sure, with the four-wheel drive tyres, more grip from the tyres. By going to a track like Monaco, which has been on the calendar for both Gen 2 and Gen 3, we will certainly see the best times in the history of Formula E.”