The first testing session of the 2024-2025 Formula E Season took place in Jarama on the afternoon of the 5th of November. Not all teams took part in it, however, with Nissan and Jaguar having to sit out on this day due to the fact that they were both found to be in procedural and overspend breaches by the series’ Financial Regulation. Both teams were punished with fines and an half day track time suspension, opting to serve it at the first available occasion.
Before cars went on track, a minute of silence was issued to commemorate the victims of the flood in Valencia, the Spanish town originally set to host this pre seasons tests. Formula E has also pledged a 50000 donation as well as a long term support plan for those affected by the catastrophic event.
The three hours long session didn’t feature any major crash, with many new drivers getting their first taste of their new teams. The earliest leader of the session was reigning champion Pascal Wehrlein for Porsche, signing a 1:30.644s while sporting a brand new, bright purple livery.
The first driver to sign a lap in the 1:29s was Maxi Gunther in his first ever official outing for DS Penske, following his move from Maserati.
Envision’s Sebastien Buemi suffered from an engine issue which saw him stop in the pit lane, but after being wheeled back to the garage and getting his car repaired, he managed to rejoin the rest of the grid on track.
In the final hour of testing Antonio Felix Da Costa signed the fastest lap overall in 1:29.220s, with the top three fastest drivers featuring 2022-2023 Champion Jake Dennis for Andretti and Gunther.
Just outside of the podium position Edoardo Mortara’s Mahindra could be found, with Vandoorne debuting for Maserati to round off the top 5.
Best placed new championship entry was Taylor Barnard for Neom McLaren, with the Brit confirmed for a full season as Jake Hughes’s replacement following his first Formula E taste in past season caused by Bird’s hand injury, with Maloney for Lola Cars ending ahead of Beckmann for Kiro a bit further down the standings.
