The Venturi Formula E team has announced a long-term technology partnership with ZF.
ZF is a global leader in driveline and chassis technology as well as active and passive safety technology. Venturi and ZF will work in a partnership to develop powertrain and other permitted technology within the technical and sporting regulatory framework of the FIA Formula E series.
The partnership, which is already under way, will see the Venturi cars racing with increasing amounts of ZF technology as the partnership develops. The technology company will be actively participating in the design and development of the Venturi powertrain that will be integrated in the Generation 2 of the Venturi Formula E cars from the start of Season 5 when the FIA technical regulations road map will demand the use of only one car per driver.
Speaking on the occasion of the announcement, Venturi’s founder and President Gildo Pallanca Pastor said:
When I first committed Venturi to the FIA Formula E series I had in mind precisely the kind of partnership that we have been able to establish with ZF. My target has always been to enable our team’s expertise in EVs to be paired with the resources, manpower and ingenuity of a major automotive organisation and in ZF we have found a willing, capable and highly motivated partner
ZF has a well-established and mature racing division which is famed for producing World Championship winning driveline, clutches and suspension components from Formula 1 to World Rally and LeMans endurance prototypes. This experience, knowledge, skill-base and resource are now married to Venturi’s knowledge and capabilities in EV powertrain development, a winning combination.
ZF’s CEO, Dr Stefan Sommer explained ZF’s rationale for committing his company to a partnership with the Venturi team.
For us, the technology partnership with Venturi in FIA Formula E gives us impetus for new technologies that will ideally also find their way to daily street use. Electrification is the key to individual mobility of the future and, using the exciting Formula E platform, we aim to make a significant contribution to the success of Venturi. Winning will allow us to prove our exceptional competences as a lead development partner and technology leader and winning with Venturi will also strengthen our credentials in motorsports with electric powertrain competition cars. The FIA Formula E series, with its forward-looking and sustainability-oriented concept, provides the ideal setting for ZF to showcase our talents.
Venturi’s CTO Franck Baldet explained the thinking behind the partnership with ZF. The level of competition that we are now seeing in the FIA Formula E series requires access to an array of engineering disciplines, equipment, facilities and highly motivated and talented people. Our partnership with ZF unlocks these assets for Venturi and I’m confident that this will enable our team to grow and to become a winning force within the FIA Formula E series.
Venturi’s drivers, Stephane Sarrazin and Maro Engel welcomed the ZF partnership.
We have seen in the first two seasons of Formula E, an escalation in the resources and commitment from Formula e teams to compete for the prestigious FIA Formula E crown. Therefore, it is essential to have the commitment of a global automotive partner in order to be competitive and in ZF we could not have found a better partner. ZF’s experience and competences in powertrain and electronics coupled with a mature motorsport heritage and a highly skilled and motivated workforce will be a massive asset to Venturi. Stephane Sarrazin.
When you plan your strategy in any form of motorsport, you want access to the best technology and personnel available to you to move forward technically. If you sat down to analyse the best automotive partner that you could have in terms of experience, range of relevant competences to Formula E and understanding of motorsport you would arrive at ZF at the top of your list. I’m delighted to be starting my Formula E career at the beginning of this collaboration and I very much hope to make a worthwhile contribution to the success of the ZF technology partnership with the Venturi team. Maro Engel.
Thierry Apparu,