https://shop.fervogear.com/cart
New Formula E Team Appoints Motorsport Veteran as Principal
Highlights
- Fortescue Zero Racing appoints Jim Wright as first team principal
- Team set to debut in the 2026/27 Formula E season
- Wright has extensive experience in F1 and Formula E teams
- Fortescue aims to be first Australian-owned Formula E team
- Team will use Jaguar Gen4 powertrain as a customer team
- Entry subject to FIA and Formula E Organiser approval
Fortescue Zero Racing has appointed Jim Wright as its first team principal ahead of a 2026/27 Formula E debut. The Australian-owned entry remains subject to FIA and series organiser approval.
Wright brings decades of experience across Formula 1 and Formula E, including roles at Williams, Toro Rosso, Virgin, Mahindra, Venturi, and Andretti. This is his first post as a team principal.
Fortescue names Jim Wright as inaugural team principal for 2026/27 debut.
He also led the Formula E Teams and Manufacturers Association for ten seasons. That governance insight complements his commercial and operational background.
Wright led the Formula E Teams and Manufacturers Association for ten seasons.
Fortescue will run as a Jaguar customer with the Gen4 powertrain. It provides a proven baseline in a championship defined by rapid software and energy management development.
Team will run Jaguar’s Gen4 powertrain as a customer entrant.
The team’s foundation follows Fortescue’s acquisition of Penske assets. Electromobility CTO Travis Hester says Wright’s commercial, sporting, and operational range fits Formula E’s complexity.
As a customer entrant, risk shifts from hardware creation to integration and execution. Recruitment, simulator build, supply chains, and race operations will dictate early competitiveness.
Arriving in 2026/27, the Formula E season will feature an evolving Gen4 framework. Approval processes and preparation windows make the next 12 months decisive for testing and organisational readiness.
Entry remains subject to FIA and Formula E Organiser approval.
The wider market remains fluid, with manufacturer and team structures shifting. Recent moves by Cupra and Pepe Marti underline changing priorities across the grid.
Wright’s immediate priorities will be staffing, supplier alignment, simulator and software capability, and embedding Jaguar interfaces. The target is operational robustness and early points-scoring potential.
He frames the project as a competitive platform and a technology driver. That dual mandate aligns with Fortescue’s broader electromobility ambitions.
Visual Summary
30+
Years in Motorsport
E
Electric Vision
#1
First Team Principal Role
“A new chapter ⚡ led by proven energy”
Fortescue Zero Racing is set to electrify the grid in 2026/27
Zane Muniz writes across NASCAR, IndyCar, F1, IMSA, NHRA, and dirt-racing news. His breaking-news alerts and event previews ensure motorsport fans never miss a lap, drift, or drag-strip showdown.
