A return to the forefront of global motor sport is proof that you can’t keep a much-admired racing marque down for long
Lola Cars will make its return to frontline motor sport next year in Formula E, following confirmation of its powertrain alliance with Yamaha and the German Abt team – and it promises to be just the start for the revived racing specialist.
That’s the message from new owner Till Bechtolsheimer and Lola motor sport director Mark Preston, as the company spools up for its first international racing project since 2012.
The technical partnership with Yamaha also marks the Japanese manufacturer’s return to four-wheeled competition for the first time since it powered Arrows in Formula 1 back in 1997. Abt is one of the most established teams in electric-powered Formula E, winning the driver’s title in alliance with Audi and Lucas di Grassi in 2017 and the teams’ crown a year later. Its current campaign with Cupra and a Mahindra-built powertrain is in its second season, but has proven less successful.
Formula E is the “obvious choice and best starting point” for Lola, according to Preston, who previously ran the Techeetah team that won three consecutive titles in the series with Jean-Éric Vergne and António Félix da Costa between 2018-20. “When Till bought Lola [in 2022] he was thinking, how can we differentiate from our traditional competitors such as Dallara and Multimatic? When Lola was last in business it was more a time of chassis and aerodynamics. The world has changed since then and the best way to differentiate yourself now in automotive terms is in powertrains and software. Therefore let’s look at electrification, hydrogen and sustainable fuels and materials. Formula E is at the top of electrification given the high-efficiency powertrains that are required.”
