We Go Green: NIO 333 Formula E Team's 9th Campaign Gets Underway
NIO 333 Formula E Team continues into the Gen3 era as the 2022/23 FIA Formula E World Championship gets underway. Now in its 9th season, NIO has been an ever-present fixture in Formula E.
What is Formula E?
Conceptualized on the back of a napkin in Paris in 2011: Formula E is now in season 9, and the world’s leading electric racing Championship. Born out of passion to accelerate adoption of electric mobility, the
Championship now boasts more manufacturers than any other.
Formula E typically takes place on temporary city centre street circuits. The goal is simple – to bring the action close to its fans.
NIO's 9th consecutive year competing in the race
NIO has competed in the FIA Formula E World Championship since its inception in 2014, having won the inaugural Drivers' Championship with Nelson Piquet Jr.
The ongoing Season 9
Now that the 9th season of Formula E is in full swing, let's take a look at some of the highlights - including new competitors, new tracks, new rules, new cars, new drivers, a new formation of the NIO 333 FE team.
New Competitors
Two newcomers, Maserati and McLaren, have joined the FE line-up to the other nine teams, including NIO, Jaguar, and Porsche. In total, 11 teams and 22 drivers will be competing in 16 races this season.
New Tracks
FE travels to four new cities this season. We will see FE cars racing on the shores of the beautiful Hussain Sagar Lake in Hyderabad, India, at the foot of a spectacular mountain in Cape Town, South Africa, on the streets of Sambadrome in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and along the Columbia River in Portland, USA.
New Rules
The updated rules for this season add greater challenges to the teams and the drivers' techniques, making the race more exciting.
The new season will see the race calculated on a fixed number of laps, replacing the previous set time period. Attack Charge is set to be trialled at select races in Season 9, in which drivers must complete a 30-second ‘charge stop’ to receive 4kWh of energy. This gives drivers access to a higher power mode later in the race where the power output of the Gen3 race cars will increase from 300kW to 350kW. Up-and-coming drivers will also be given a chance to impress. Every team must complete at least two Free Practice 1 sessions during the season with a rookie driver to experience the unique qualities of Formula E racing.
New Cars
This season, FE will use the third generation (Gen 3) car. Compared to Gen 2 used in seasons 5 to 8, Gen 3 is a remarkable upgrade in terms of speed, weight, and performance, making it the fastest, lightest, and most efficient electric race car in this championship has seen.
To welcome its new arrival, NIO 333 FE team has named the Gen 3 "NIO 333 ER9": the "E" stands for "Electric", the "R" stands for "Racing" and the "9" means the team's entering of the 9th season.
New Liveries
Car liveries has always been one of the highlights of a race. Every year, NIO 333 FE Team ensures the appearance of the race car is well-designed just to win over the attention of the fans and the press worldwide.
This year, NIO 333 FE Team's ER9 follows the team's traditional colors of blue and red, with blue symbolizes the partnership between NIO and the team, and red represents the characteristics of the Chinese spirit. The newly-added white and black wish to bring a stronger visual impact to the car, demonstrating the powerful dynamics and performance of the car.
New Drivers
British driver Dan Ticktum (left), joined since Season 8, will continue to drive Car No.33 for the second season of his FE career. On the right, Brazilian driver Sérgio Sette Camara, joining for the first time, will be driving Car No.3. This is the 4th season of his FE career.
NIO 333 FE team is the youngest team in the season, with an average age of 24. The two drivers have already collected race points in the past six races. Among the races, Camara came out swinging in February's thrilling race in Hyderabad, India, finishing 5th and taking home 10 points.
Race Preview
This coming weekend, FE will welcome the 7th and the 8th races at the challenging Tempelhof Airport in Berlin, Germany. This is one of the most historic race tracks in FE, as it has hosted races almost every season.
This particular track is also a happy hunting ground for the NIO 333 Team. As one of our drivers, Oliver Turvey, finished fifth in Season 4 of 2017/18, and Tom Blomqvist, finished in points back in 2021/22.
Looking forward to seeing the NIO 333 FE Team shine this year? Save the race date and tune in for more.
NIO users in Berlin not only get to see the race but to meet with the drivers in person at NIO House Berlin before the race. The team introduced some histories ranging from the background of FE, the team's formation, and the performances of the race cars.
Both drivers, Dan Ticktum (left) and Sérgio Sette Camara (right) also took a test drive on NIO's ET5 and ET7 to enjoy a city tour on the street before they hit the real track this weekend.
Want to show your support for them? Leave a comment to let them know or follow us to stay tuned for more race updates on the Berlin weekend. Meanwhile, best luck to the NIO 333 FE Team and the drivers this weekend.