- Formula E driver Jake Hughes set a new GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for the fastest speed achieved by a vehicle indoors reaching 218.71km/h, smashing the old record of 165.2km/h by more than 50 km/h
- Record-breaking GENBETA car, a new innovation and development programme created by Formula E and the FIA using the all-electric GEN3 race car with 400kW of power and modifications by championship partners SABIC and Hankook, is pushed to the limit on the unique indoor and outdoor race track at ExCeL London events arena
- NEOM McLaren Formula E Team driver Hughes and Lucas di Grassi, Mahindra Racing team, went head-to-head in Formula E’s popular ‘Duels’ qualifying format to set the highest speed with both drivers breaking the old world record eight times on a 346-metre straight section of indoor race track
- GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title set on the track where the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will be won this weekend at the climax of Formula E’s most dramatic season yet
The official GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title was achieved by driver Jake Hughes of NEOM McLaren Formula E Team who competed with a rival in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, Mahindra Racing team driver Lucas di Grassi, to set the world record for the fastest speed achieved by a vehicle indoors.
The pair went head-to-head in the ‘Duels’ format used in qualifying for Formula E races to see who could set the fastest speed indoors, on just 346 metres of straight race track, using the same GENBETA car.
Neither driver had ever been behind the wheel of the GENBETA before, but both beat the previous world record of 165.2km/h set in February 2021 on all three of their practice runs before their official world record attempts.
Britain’s Jake Hughes was the first to go with three practice drives, instantly becoming the unofficial world record holder with his first run of 214.80 km/h. He then pushed that unofficial world record even further in his next two practice runs with recorded speeds of 215.05 km/h and 217.65 km/h.
Hughes, in his first season of racing in Formula E, set off on his fourth and official run. He achieved a top speed of 218.71 km/h earning him the world record title before the onlooking Lucas di Grassi entered the competition.
The Brazilian started strongly with a first run of 216.87 km/h, faster than Hughes’ initial practice, and looked to be on course to snatch the world record from his championship rival when his next practice clocked 217.92km/h before the third and final practice hit 218.18 km/h, a fraction off Hughes’ official world record.
Alas, it was not to be for the former Formula E champion who won the first-ever Formula E race in Beijing in 2014 and is the most successful driver in the history of the championship. His fourth and official run achieved a top speed of 217.65 km/h meaning Hughes had won this unique Duel and was officially declared the holder of the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title as driver of the fastest-ever vehicle indoors.
The GENBETA car driven by both drivers to set the new world record featured a range of modifications to effectively ‘unlock’ the specifications of the GEN3 race car. Introduced this season in Formula E, the GEN3 is the fastest, lightest, most powerful and efficient electric race car ever built. With a top speed of more than 322 km/h, the GEN3 is used by the 11 teams and 22 drivers in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
World record holder Jake Hughes, Driver, NEOM McLaren Formula E team, said:
“Driving the GENBETA car and setting the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for the fastest speed achieved by a vehicle indoors was a really special experience. I feel very honoured to have been asked and to be involved in such an exciting project. It wasn’t something I ever imagined I’d have the opportunity to even attempt, so now to hold the record is pretty incredible, especially in a Formula E car. I didn’t realise how much I wanted this record until I saw Lucas [Di Grassi] trying to break the record after me. When I was announced I was the record holder I felt a massive sense of pride.”
Jeff Dodds, CEO, Formula E, said:
“Huge congratulations to Jake and big thanks to Lucas for competing together to smash a world record and showcase the incredible potential of EVs. Everyone involved in the GENBETA project is driven by the same goal of pioneering innovation and development in EV technology and bringing that game-changing tech to the cars we drive on city streets to create a cleaner, electric future.”
Alessandra Ciliberti, Formula E Technical Manager, FIA, said:
“The GENBETA is the first time that four-wheel drive has been activated in a single-seater race car for both acceleration and braking regeneration. This was achieved by turning on the front powertrain kit to achieve greater traction during acceleration. The GENBETA showcases what will be possible for Formula E racing in the near future.”
Images courtesy of ABB FIA Formula E