Formula E pre-season testing came and went in typically eventful fashion just over a week ago, with it having been a miracle that almost a full schedule was completed.
A sudden battery fire on the opening day saw the pit-lane at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia evacuated and an immediate investigation required, throwing the entire test into doubt.
Thanks to the tremendous work done by the FIA, Formula E and the sport’s technical suppliers, 17.5 of the scheduled 18 hours were miraculously completed, following a revised timetable.
It means a picture has somewhat been painted of what to expect potentially come the season-opener in Mexico City, with some teams looking considerably better than others.
Here’s a Motorsport Week ranking of how the pecking order looks after a test which’ll never be forgotten (All data is based on the full-time drivers and not the rookies, with the exception of Jehan Daruvala):
11 – ERT Formula E Team
The ERT Formula E Team (formerly NIO 333 Racing) have plenty of work to do ahead of the season-opener, after enduring a pretty disappointing test.
ERT completing their rebrand just days before the test perhaps increased the pressure somewhat, given the staggering progress that was made last season. Unfortunately, it looks like the Silverstone-based squad are set for a challenging start to season 10 after being slowest during the test.
Sérgio Sette Câmara was the 21st quickest in the test, whilst Dan Ticktum was right at the bottom in 22nd, with both drivers being over eight-tenths off the leading pace. Testing, of course, isn’t just about setting the fastest lap, it’s also about gathering as much data as possible.
This was also a bit of a struggle for ERT, who completed 374 laps with their 2024 pairing. Even in the total laps completed order, the Chinese team were only ninth.
10 – ABT CUPRA Formula E Team
Just off the bottom of the pecking order appears to be the ABT CUPRA Formula E Team, who scored the majority of their points in the latter stages of last season. It was an odd week for the Mahindra customer team, as they actually topped the list for most laps completed.
Nico Müller and the returning Lucas di Grassi collected a staggering 493 laps worth of data for the Kempten-based team to go over, suggesting that reliability is not a concern in the slightest.
One-lap pace is, though, as the German side were 10th on the timesheets, in terms of each team’s quickest time. Di Grassi’s best time of the week was enough for P17, two places ahead of Müller. On a positive note, Di Grassi’s 1m 25.083s was two-tenths quicker than ERT’s best lap.
It suggests that one-lap pace remains an issue for ABT CUPRA but that efficiency and reliability are perhaps their strengths, as they look to avoid the bottom of the 2024 standings.
9 – Mahindra Racing
Ninth spot doesn’t really do Mahindra Racing justice for their heroic efforts in testing, as they would’ve certainly been right in the midfield had they not been so devastatingly impacted by the battery fire.
Mahindra sustained “extensive damage” to their race operations and both cars, to the point that Nyck de Vries’ was ruled out of the final two days of testing. The Banbury-based team moved garages due to the fire damage and got to work on Edoardo Mortara’s car.
Following a remarkable effort and display of togetherness and teamwork, Mortara’s car was repaired for the final two days. The Swiss driver looked really good as well and set the sixth-fastest time in the test, putting Mahindra fifth on the timesheets overall. De Vries’ best lap, though, was only good enough for P18.
What puts them this low on the ranking is that, due to De Vries’ car having been damaged, only 285 laps were completed by the team. This was the lowest in the paddock by 62 laps; however, they have been granted additional private testing time to make up for what they lost. Overall, things are looking very positive for the Indian manufacturer.
8 – Nissan Formula E Team
The Nissan Formula E Team’s position should perhaps be taken with a pinch of salt, given just how close the midfield was during testing. It should also be noted that the Japanese manufacturer fielded two rookies during the opening session.
As a result, Sacha Fenestraz’s and Oliver Rowland’s combined number of laps only beat Mahindra. Nissan were 10th when it came to the most laps completed, but again, this was mostly due to neither of their full-time drivers having been used at the start of the test.
When it came to Nissan’s quickest lap, it put them seventh in the pecking order, courtesy of Rowland setting the 10th fastest time. Fenestraz was concerningly all the way down in 20th. Even if Nissan’s full-time pairing had completed more laps, the side are still very much a midfield outfit.
7 – DS Penske
Perhaps DS Penske being ranked in seventh is the biggest surprise, but when the statistics are taken into account, it shouldn’t come as a shock. The Versailles-based side were only the ninth fastest team, with Jean-Éric Vergne’s best lap having been enough for just 13th, whilst Stoffel Vandoorne was in 16th.
It should be taken into account that Vergne’s best lap was just four-tenths off the leading pace but nevertheless outside the top-10. One-lap pace is clearly still an area to be worked on, especially if the field is going to be tight come Mexico City.
It was an overall average test for DS Penske where they didn’t really show their cards, as only 414 laps were completed. This put them seventh amongst the other teams. However, they did field rookie Robert Shwartzman in the opening session, with it having been his battery which caught alight.
6 – NEOM McLaren Formula E Team
One team who showed some promise are the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team, who enjoyed a very productive test. Rookie Taylor Barnard was fielded in the opening session but this didn’t stop Sam Bird and Jake Hughes from completing 454 laps between them.
Only five teams completed more laps than the Woking-based team, who gathered 107 more laps worth of data than their supplier, Nissan. A spot in the midfield looks certain once again for McLaren, who faded considerably in the second half of season nine.
One-lap pace was their biggest strength in their debut season, but this wasn’t on show in Valencia. Hughes’ best lap was enough for P11, three places ahead of Bird. The Formula E sophomore’s quickest time was just under four-tenths off the leading pace.
This put McLaren eighth on the timesheets and effectively on a par with the likes of Nissan and DS Penske.
5 – Andretti Formula E
Andretti’s new signing Norman Nato narrowly had the edge over reigning World Champion Jake Dennis when it came to one-lap pace in Valencia, with the Frenchman having set the ninth-fastest time overall. Dennis’ best lap was enough for P12.
Nato’s time slotted the Porsche customer team into sixth in the pecking order over one-lap, around three-tenths of a second off the fastest pace. Andretti’s week wasn’t exhilarating by any means, but Nato seemingly settling in quickly is a real positive for the Americans.
The ex-Nissan driver also completed 44 laps more than Dennis, although the Brit was replaced by rookie Zane Maloney in the opening session. Between Nato and Dennis, Andretti completed 408 laps, putting them eighth in the paddock for most laps completed.
More performance is certainly expected from Andretti come the season-opener, given that it was Dennis who was victorious by a staggering eight seconds almost 12 months ago.
4 – Maserati MSG Racing
Despite having undergone a chaotic pre-season with the sudden departure of now ex-Team Principal James Rossiter, Maserati MSG Racing looked excellent in Valencia. Maximilian Günther – who has topped testing in three of the last five years – was strong once again in the Spanish city.
The German set the fifth-quickest time during testing, which put Maserati fourth in the one-lap pace pecking order and just under two-tenths of a second off the top spot. Rookie Jehan Daruvala was 15th but ahead of the likes of Vergne and Di Grassi.
Maserati have considerable data to delve into and analyse ahead of Mexico City, as their two drivers completed an impressive 489 laps between them. This was the second most gathered by any team, with only ABT CUPRA having circulated the Spanish circuit more.
If the Monte-Carlo-based team and Günther can enter season 10 with the performance they showed in testing, then the Italian manufacturer could be the real underdogs to take the fight to the Porsches and the Jaguars.
3 – Envision Racing
As expected from the ever-consistent reigning Teams’ Champions, Envision Racing were solid in Valencia. Robin Frijns has seemingly settled back into the outfit with absolute ease, as he ended the week seventh on the timesheets.
The Dutchman’s best lap was just under a tenth of a second slower than Sébastian Buemi’s, who set the fourth-fastest time courtesy of a 1m 24.641s. Buemi’s best time was just over a tenth of a second off the quickest lap of the test.
When it came to total laps completed, the Silverstone-based team were fourth, courtesy of 474 laps having been done between the two drivers. Interestingly, Buemi went around the circuit 78 times more than Frijns, who failed to break the 200 laps mark.
Despite this, Frijns appears to have gotten used to the Jaguar powertrain somewhat comfortably, whilst Buemi’s pace will encourage Envision. With Nick Cassidy having departed, it’s going to be crucial that both Frijns and Buemi step up to fill the Kiwi’s shoes, in order to defend the title.
2 – TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team
Missing out on the top spot in Motorsport Week’s post-testing ranking is the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, who appear to have definitely discovered some more performance over one-lap.
Porsche’s one-lap pace was ultimately what lost them the Constructors’ and the Drivers’ Championships last season, as António Félix da Costa and Pascal Wehrlein often had too much work to do in the races.
With this in mind, Da Costa ending the test second on the overall timesheets and just over a tenth off the leading pace will certainly encourage the Stuttgart-based team. Da Costa had an excellent week in Valencia, whilst Wehrlein also did well to set the eighth-fastest time.
The factory Porsche squad also gathered substantial data, after setting the third most laps on the grid. 487 laps were completed by the two drivers, with Da Costa being responsible for 256 of them.
It wasn’t just the two usual drivers that Porsche fielded during the test, as they gave simulator driver Gabriela Jílková a session. This saw her become the first female driver to test the Gen3 machinery.
1 – Jaguar TCS Racing
Despite Porsche’s improvements, Jaguar TCS Racing are very much the team to beat in season 10, after showing sensational pace in Valencia. Mitch Evans set the quickest lap of the test courtesy of a 1m 24.474s, seven-tenths quicker than Günther’s leading time from testing last year.
Evans’ new partner Cassidy was just over a tenth of a second behind in P3, although his best lap was the same as Da Costa’s. Cassidy’s lap is classed as third, though, as his was set on the final day of the test, which he topped. Jaguar were the only team with both drivers in the top-five.
On the topic of the number five, Jaguar completed the fifth-most laps, as Evans and Cassidy completed 457 laps between them. Whilst this put them in the midfield, Jaguar are already known to have exceptional efficiency, something they proved last season.
It’s the Coventry-based squad who will enter Mexico City as the favourites, making them the bar that all the other teams will be aspiring to reach.
