Formula E’s only rookie driver for season 10, Jehan Daruvala was pleased with what was a “very productive” test, as he continued to settle into Maserati MSG Racing.
Whilst Daruvala has previously tested for Mahindra Racing in season nine, this week’s official test in Valencia marked his first official run for Maserati, ahead of his spot on the grid for the 2023/24 season.
He competed in every session of the heavily interrupted week, following a sudden battery fire in the WAE (formerly Williams Advanced Engineering) garage during Tuesday’s lunch break.
In the first session of the test on Tuesday morning, Daruvala set the 13th quickest time, whilst he completed 45 laps overall. The Indian driver improved on his position on Thursday afternoon when testing was finally able to resume, as he ended what became the second day of testing in an impressive ninth spot. 71 laps of the Circuit Ricardo Tormo were completed by him in that session.
The final day saw him return to being the 13th quickest driver, but more importantly, he completed a stellar 128 laps. It meant that his grand total for the “smooth week” was 244 laps of the Spanish venue, which allowed him and the Monte-Carlo-based team to get through “all of the run plans”.
Daruvala enjoying a solid week of testing will do his confidence the world of good, ahead of his official debut in Mexico City in January. He’s already proven just in the test alone that he’s got the pace to get amongst the midfield at the very least, in what is arguably the most competitive championship to make your rookie appearance.
His one-lap pace also looks very strong, as his quickest lap during the week was just over three-tenth slower than Maximilian Günther’s.
The Formula 2 graduate now has just over two months to go through all the collected data, with him having his eyes set on entering the season-opener “in an even stronger position”.
“It’s been a very productive, insightful, and smooth week for me, and in the end, we got through all of the run plans that we wanted to complete,” Daruvala said.
“The test was a very important opportunity for me to get used to the car, to the systems, and the procedures we have, and every lap has been invaluable to improving my own understanding. Now we need to go over the data we collected so we can go to Mexico City in an even stronger position.”
