When Formula E and the FIA unveiled the ambitious third epoch of its all-electric racing cars – known as Gen3 – at a glitzy showcase in Monaco’s Yacht Club in late April 2022, there was an almost tangible mix of excitement and nervousness.

The excitement was that here was a revolutionary car that would not only look different but would also redefine much of the DNA of the world’s only all-electric world championship.

For starters the car looked very uncommon. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, especially in racing cars, but here was a wedgy, stealthy X-wing-type vehicle that had as many aesthetic detractors as it did admirers.