Formula E testing took place last week against all the odds and despite huge uncertainty in the days leading up to the event after a last-minute venue change.
Jaguar’s Mitch Evans set the pace across four days of running, posting a 1m27.461s during the final session on Friday morning around the Jarama Circuit in Spain.
But no less than five other teams and drivers finished fastest in the other sessions, suggesting this will be another tightly contested season in the all-electric championship.
The six sessions equated to 21 hours of track time, which will be the last teams and drivers experience before the season gets underway on 7 December in Sao Paulo.
As ever, multiple sub-plots bubbled away under the surface in Spain and here are five things which were learned from testing.
Last-minute venue change shows Formula E at its best
The devastating floods and deaths of more than 200 people in the Valencia region just days before the Formula E Championship was due to descend on the city’s Ricardo Tormo Circuit put pre-season testing, and even the first race of the year, under threat.
With the all-electric championship’s logistical base situated at the circuit, equipment vital for not only any rearranged test but the opening round in Sao Paulo needed to be recovered from the ravaged area.
“We have a very positive attitude in Formula E, we have a lot of people that are fully committed to the company and they have worked 24/7 for three days, and the spirit was always very positive,” said championship co-founder Alberto Longo.
“You could just watch the TV, and say, how on earth are these guys going to get all the equipment to Madrid and have enough time to provide services to the level that we're providing services today.”
With no choice but to change venue and at just 72 hours’ notice, the series relocated to the Jarama Circuit as eight trucks made approximately 40 trips to move 100 tonnes of equipment between Valencia and Madrid.
The huge undertaking paid off, and despite the lateness of the decision four days of running went off without a hitch as championship organiser’s pledged €50,000 to the relief effort in Valencia, while also creating a fundraising page for fans, partners and teams to contribute.
Jarama Circuit a welcome surprise
Dan Ticktum’s comment that “it’s the best circuit I’ve never heard of” perfectly encapsulated many drivers’ feelings towards the Jarama Circuit, which welcomed Formula E for the first time.
The 2.43-mile FIA Grade 2 listed track located just outside Madrid was previously used to host grand prix racing nine times between 1968–1981 – the last of those the scene of Gilles Villeneuve’s famous final F1 victory – and more recently it has held bike and truck action.
An old school venue in every sense with the barriers close to the edge of the track, little run-off, as well as a mix of cambered high-speed corners and elevation changes, it instantly became a favourite during the week.
Such was the appeal and positive reception that the venue has been considered a possible home for a future race moving forward by championship CEO Jeff Dodds, with Spain last having held a Formula E race in 2021.
Gen3 Evo cars impress as tyres become talking point
Much of the attention ahead of this season has been on the new Gen3 Evo machines, and in particular all-wheel-drive technology, which will be activated in 350kW mode at the start of the race, during Attack Mode and in the qualifying duels.
The technology, allowing for an acceleration time of 0-60mph in 1.82s which is faster than current Formula 1 cars, was not the technical focus from testing, though, with tyres being the word on everyone’s lips.
Hankook has supplied a softer compound of tyre for the upcoming season after drivers complained about the lack of grip with the previous iteration of rubber.
While offering a substantial performance advantage compared with its predecessor initially, the less durable tyre loses considerable grip during a stint which will impact race strategy and weekend running.
“The tyres have a huge peak of performance for one lap and then lap two it’s already a small degradation and then lap three another step in degradation,” said Porsche’s Antonio Felix da Costa.
“Reading into the lap times [here] you have to be a little bit careful because in a race weekend you will never do a 350kW lap on new tyres [in practice]. You will maybe see the cars not driving so much during free practice and saving sets of tyres for sure.”
Jury still out on ‘pit boost’ concept
Teams and drivers were able to put themselves through a simulation race on Thursday afternoon, an annual tradition of Formula E pre-season testing which this year featured a new aspect.
The now officially named pit boost concept was trialled during the 24-lap contest, with each driver required to come into the pits and receive the additional charge of power, which equates to 10% of the battery’s capacity via a 600kW recharge in approximately 30 seconds.
The concept was originally intended for the start the Gen3 era in 2022, but problems with reliability meant the technology has only now been developed enough to be used in a race situation.
Pascal Wehrlein led home a Porsche 1-2 in the race, but ahead of any running the reigning champion was apprehensive about the pit boost technology due to it adding an unpredictable variable that could drastically alter the outcome of races.
“There could be races and situations where it could be unfair for almost half of the field if there is a safety car at the wrong moment,” he said. “So that needs to be checked and discovered how we could make that fairer.”
The FIA and Formula E have yet to make a final decision on whether to implement the technology this season, with data from the simulation race set to be analysed and a final verdict made before the season-opener next month.
Even if the concept is adopted, though, it would only be used during a double-header weekend, with one of the races during the event running pit boost to offer alternative strategies between the two races.
All-female test a vital opportunity
The Friday afternoon session was exclusively for female drivers, a first for an FIA world championship, with each team required to run at least one driver as 18 in total made the trip to Jarama.
This included the likes of three-time W Series champion Jamie Chadwick for Jaguar and Simona de Silvestro, the starter of 12 Formula E races in the Gen1 era and driving for Kiro last week. While other drivers such as F1 Academy star Bianca Bustamante (McLaren) and GB4 Championship runner-up Alisha Palmowski (Envision) were experiencing the all-electric vehicles for the first time.
Current F1 Academy points leader Abbi Pulling topped the times for Nissan after the three-hour session, posting a 1m30.889s having also never previously driven a Formula E car before.
“I can’t thank Formula E enough for the opportunity they’ve given, they’ve welcomed us with open arms,” said the 21-year-old Briton, whose time left her less than 3.5s slower than Evans’s best from the week.
“At the end of the day they don’t have to, so to be really pushing for us is nice and hopefully this isn’t the last thing that they do.
“It’s a young driver’s dream to get an opportunity in more complicated machinery and develop yourself as a driver, work with established teams and it’s a great opportunity for us females at the end of the day.”
