Maserati return to motorsport with launch of first Italian Formula E team for 2023 season
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Updated 11/01/2022 at 16:12 GMT
Maserati made its racing debut 96 years ago and won two Formula 1 Drivers' Championships in the 1950s, with Juan Manuel Fangio taking victory in 1957 three years after claiming his second championship in a joint project with Mercedes. The MC12 car won 22 races in the FIA GT Championship between 2004 and 2010, and the Emilia-Romagna based manufacture will now return to racing in Formula E.
Formula E cars race during the 2019 New York City ePrix
Image credit: Getty Images
Maserati will return to motorsport when it launches a Formula E team to enter the competition ahead of the 2023 season.
The Italian manufacturer has largely been dormant in top-level racing since its 1950s heyday that saw Juan Manuel Fangio claim two Formula 1 Drivers' Championships in seasons in which he drove a Maserati car.
The Emilia-Romagna based team has had more recent success in the FIA GT Championship, winning 22 races between 2004 and 2010, but this represents a return to motorsport.
Fast-growing Formula E will commence its eight season on 28 January in Saudi Arabia, with Maserati due to enter a team ahead of next year's competition.
They will be the first Italian manufacturer in the series.
“We are very proud to be back where we belong as protagonists in the world of racing," said Davide Grasso, Maserati CEO. "We are powered by passion and innovative by nature.
"We have a long history of world-class excellence in competition and we are ready to drive performance in the future.”
The 2021-22 Formula E season is due to visit Rome in April for two rounds of the 16 race season.
It will conclude in Seoul, South Korea in August.
Of existing teams, only Rokit Venturi Racing has announced its participation in next year's Formula E World Championship, which will be the first of the "Gen3 Era".
McLaren Racing has also suggested that it has an agreement to join, though this has not yet been confirmed.
Alejandro Agag, Founder & Chairman, Formula E, said: “We are proud to welcome Maserati to their new home in world-class motorsport.
"The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is the pinnacle of electric racing. It provides the perfect environment for the most dynamic and innovative high-performance car brands to showcase their technological capabilities alongside their sporting ambitions.”
While a return to Formula 1 for Maserati has often been mentioned, chief executive Grasso has indicated that talk of a comeback is hasty, saying "time will tell" but refusing to rule it out as a possibility.
"Time will tell. We will wait," explained Grasso. "[Joining Formula E] is a big step for us.
“Formula 1 clearly has been the leading championship, defining championship in motor racing for cars. It’s a great competition and Maserati has won there, the world championship with Juan Manuel Fangio many years ago. So [the] question is not out of place. My answer would be out of place right now.”
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