Lola commits to Formula E Gen4, Yamaha undecided

The iconic British brand announced in March that it would return to motorsport for the first time in more than a decade as a powertrain supplier in the all-electric championship, starting with the 2024-25 season.

At the time, Lola Cars only confirmed its participation in Formula E until the end of the Gen3 Evo era in 2025-26, but announced on Wednesday it would extend its involvement for a further four years.

Its return to motorsport in Formula E will be in partnership with Yamaha, the Japanese manufacturer previously announcing it would return to four-wheel racing for the first time since 1997.

But Yamaha has yet to formally confirm if it will continue into the Gen4 era of Formula E, having not announced the same commitment as Lola Cars.

A Yamaha spokesperson said: "We are actively considering to commit to the Gen4 era, and we will discuss with Lola and Abt about it."

Lola Cars motorsport director Mark Preston, said: “We are excited to be confirming our commitment to Gen4.

“Formula E is an ideal platform for powertrain and software development that we can use for broader motorsport and automotive applications.

“We feel the opportunity for innovation in this series will only increase as the performance of the cars and technology develops, giving greater scope to develop innovative technologies across global motorsport and in the broader zero emissions transportation space.”

Lola Cars has become synonymous with motorsport since it was founded in 1958 by Eric Broadley, having found success in a plethora of categories including IndyCar, Le Mans 24 Hours, Formula 1, Can-Am and Formula 3000.

Thomas Biermaier, ABT CEO, Mark Preston, Lola, Heiji Maruyama, Yamaha

Photo by: Abt Sportsline

But the British company was placed into administration in 2012 and ceased to exist before British businessman Till Bechtolsheimer acquired the Lola name and remaining assets in 2022 with the aim of returning to motorsport.

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Preston joined the project as director having been team principal at Techeetah as the Formula E squad took three drivers’ titles on the bounce with Jean-Eric Vergne (twice) and Antonio Felix da Costa between 2017-2020.

Lola Cars and Yamaha will begin testing with the Gen3 Evo machine this month as they prepare to supply a powertrain to the Abt team.

“With their historic return to top-tier motorsport for Season 11 next year, we’re delighted that Lola Cars will also be committing to the GEN4 era – promising their presence will be on the Formula E grid until at least 2030,” said Formula E CEO, Jeff Dodds.

“Their trust in our series for their latest venture into electrification and innovation is testament to our ability to attract the biggest names in motorsport, as well as our joint ambition to continue to grow this championship.

“It’s a huge privilege for us, and we can’t wait to see what they can do next year when the famous Lola marque hits the track for the first time.”