Sneak peek: Envision Virgin Racing’s new car

Envision Virgin Racing's GEN2 car
Image from Envision Virgin Racing
Natalie Clarkson
by Natalie Clarkson
10 February 2020

Envision Virgin Racing will have a new look from next season with its newly designed Gen2 EVO car.

All teams will race in the new-look model, which features a range of structural design changes, including a new front wing, dorsal fin and distinctive curved rear wing. These modifications to the bodywork have been made midway through the current four-year cycle of the ‘Gen2’ era car.

“The big picture is a half-cycle refresh, but not just for the sake of it. It gives the car some new, fresh momentum to reflect the technical advancements,” Envision Virgin Racing’s managing director Sylvain Filippi said. “If you take a step back, the regulations and rules in Formula E are great because we don’t spend money and we don’t focus energy and resources on bodywork. They are not relevant to the road car industry. We want to focus our energy, our time and resources on the powertrain.”

The Gen 2 EVO Envision Virgin Racing car
Image from Envision Virgin Racing

Envision Virgin Racing has released a concept livery for the new car, based on its current season six design. It features the team’s purple, red and silver colour scheme that it has become known for over the last six years of competing.

Filippi added: “What you are trying to achieve is this fine line. Formula E is two things: it’s a technical showcase, but also it has to have spectacular racing. A lot of motorsport series are the other way where there’s no contact at all and it’s very boring. There’s no overtaking and it’s just not fun.

“We are hoping that this new bodywork maybe makes the drivers a little bit more careful on contact. But we don’t want to take the hard racing away at all. Of course not. It’s part of our DNA and part of street racing in general. We definitely don’t want to become a contactless sport. That doesn’t seem to be realistic anyway.”

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