The second day of Formula E testing has been canceled after a fire brought the first day of running at Valencia’s Circuit Ricardo Tormo to an early halt. After Robert Shwartzman’s DS Penske stopped on track in the morning session, the car’s battery …
The second day of Formula E testing has been canceled after a fire brought the first day of running at Valencia’s Circuit Ricardo Tormo to an early halt.
After Robert Shwartzman’s DS Penske stopped on track in the morning session, the car’s battery was removed by supplier Williams Advanced Engineering. It subsequently caught fire, resulting in a paddock evacuation and one WAE staff member being taken to a local hospital as a precaution.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1394]
Now the series has released a statement confirming Wednesday’s running will not go ahead.
“In response to an incident earlier today at Formula E pre-season testing in Valencia when a fire caused damage to a garage in the pit lane, on-track testing activity will not go ahead tomorrow, Wednesday,” said the statement.
The statement added that an investigation into the cause of the fire was ongoing, but an issue had been identified already, and is being addressed.
“The investigation and further safety assessments will be completed and we aim to resume on-track activities from Thursday, subject to final confirmation tomorrow,” the statement concluded.
Jaguar’s Mitch Evans was the pacesetter before proceedings were brought to a halt on Tuesday afternoon. Pre-season testing was set to run from Tuesday to Thursday, with a pair of three hour sessions each day.
The fire is the first incident of its kind in Formula E’s 10-season history, but follows one at July’s World Rallycross event at Lydden Hill in the UK which destroyed Special ONE Racing’s cars and equipment, ruling it out for the remainder of the season. An investigation into the cause of that fire is still ongoing, with World RX teams switching to the single-make Zeroid X1 car used in the RX2e support category in order to see out the final two rounds of their season. World RX uses a different battery supplier to Formula E – Kreisel – while RX2e also differs, being supplied by QEV Technologies.
The first day of pre-season testing for Season 10 of Formula E at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia was halted after the first of two planned sessions after a battery fire during the day’s lunch break. The fire began in the garage of battery …
The first day of pre-season testing for Season 10 of Formula E at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia was halted after the first of two planned sessions after a battery fire during the day’s lunch break.
The fire began in the garage of battery supplier Williams Advanced Engineering, and was said to have been caused by the battery of Robert Schwartzman’s DS Penske car, which had been removed after the car stopped on-track in the morning session. It was not related to the new fast-charging systems which were being used on-track for the first time ahead of their debut this season.
The fire was quickly extinguished, and one WAE staff member was transported to a local hospital for precautionary checks.
“In a break between practice sessions, a fire was detected in the pitlane and garage area which has been contained,” said Formula E in a statement. “The on-track incident response team acted immediately to contain the incident while the main pit building and garages were quickly evacuated.
“One person has been assessed by medics and has been transported to hospital for precautionary checks.
“Formula E, the FIA and local fire authorities are investigating the cause and will provide a further update in due course.”
Series organizers then followed up with a second statement announcing that the rest of the day’s running had been scrapped while the investigation and cleanup operations are ongoing.
“Following the incident earlier today, the FIA have advised Formula E and all teams that on-track activities have been canceled for the rest of the day.
“This will allow for the area to return to safe working conditions. Further updates will be shared in due course.”
Before the incident, Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans was fastest, setting a time of 1m 24.474 late in the morning.
His best was 0.143s ahead of Porsche’s Antonio Felix da Costa, with Season 2 champion Sebastien Buemi third for Envision Racing, a further 0.024s adrift. Mahindra’s Eduardo Mortara made it four different teams in the top four, with Porsche driver Pascal Wehrlein rounding out the top five.
Five rookie stand-ins were in action, as well as full-season debutant Jehan Daruvala – Shwartzman took Stoffel Vandoorne’s place at DS Penske, Zane Maloney deputized for reigning champion Jake Dennis at Andretti Global, Taylor Barnard took new McLaren signing Sam Bird’s seat, while Luca Ghiotto and Victor Martins occupied both Nissans in place of Oliver Rowland and Sacha Fenestraz.
Barnard impressed, going fastest just before the second hour of the three-hour session. He eventually wound up seventh quickest behind Maserati MSG’s Maximilian Gunther.
Nico Muller (Abt Cupra) and Segio Sette Camara (ERT, formerly NIO) were next, with Nick Cassidy rounding out the top 10 in his first outing for Jaguar.
Formula E today announced the addition of races in China and India to its calendar for 2024, the 10th season of the world’s first electric racing series, following approval at the FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting today. Formula E will race for …
Formula E today announced the addition of races in China and India to its calendar for 2024, the 10th season of the world’s first electric racing series, following approval at the FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting today.
Formula E will race for the first time in Shanghai at the Shanghai International Circuit with a doubleheader of races on Saturday, May 25 and Sunday, May 26. The race on the permanent circuit follows seven previous Formula E events in China run on street courses in Sanya and Hong Kong.
Hyderabad will host Formula E again on Saturday, February 10, following the 31,000-capacity sold out debut race in February this year.
Formula E’s 10th season was already set to include a race in Tokyo on March 30, which will mark the first time a world championship race will be held on the streets of the Japanese capital.
There are two further updates to the previously announced calendar. The event planned for Jakarta on Saturday, June 8 will not go ahead following the announcement of a campaigning period in the Indonesian presidential elections during most of June. This would impact the logistics of delivering a race on the streets of the capital city at the same time. Formula E and the authorities in Jakarta are exploring the feasibility of racing in the city on an alternative date.
The second update is a likely venue change in Italy for Rounds 7 and 8. This follows a review by experts at Formula E and the FIA into this past season’s races in Rome, where the new faster, more powerful GEN3 car reached the limits of the narrow, sharp-turning circuit in Rome’s business district. Formula E is exploring alternative venues, including permanent circuits, to maintain an event in the key Italian market. An update on the venue in Italy is expected before the end of the year.
Last season Formula E introduced its Gen3 car, which was its fastest and most powerful to date, enabling the series to topple a number of records. New benchmarks for the fastest average lap time and the highest speed were set, while there was more …
Last season Formula E introduced its Gen3 car, which was its fastest and most powerful to date, enabling the series to topple a number of records.
New benchmarks for the fastest average lap time and the highest speed were set, while there was more race leaders and more overtakes than ever before.
But it’s not just on track where numbers have been on the rise, with the series announcing a 17 percent increase in its viewership.
The year-on-year increase to 344 million viewers – a number provided by Potentia Insight, which conducted its research in July as the season was coming to an end – pushes it above NASCAR to become the fourth-biggest motorsport in the world in terms of the size of its fanbase.
“We are well on the way to establishing Formula E as the most exciting and innovative motorsport for fans, alongside being the world’s most sustainable sport,” said Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds. “Our teams and drivers exceeded all expectations from a year ago to take the Gen3 car and push it beyond what we all thought was possible. As a result, the entertainment value of Formula E racing is off the scale, which is attracting more fans and TV viewers than ever before.
“We are committed to building on that momentum and developing new ways of presenting our race events to grow the fanbase and audiences even faster.”
Germany and the USA were the fastest-growing markets for Formula E, enjoying a 45 percent and 30 percent increase in viewers respectively.
Across last season, more than 225 million people watched Formula E races live, representing a 4 percent increase on Season Eight (2021-22). Countries that had the biggest rises in the number of live viewers were China, the USA, Brazil, India, and South Africa – the latter three all joining the race calendar in 2023.
Lucas di Grassi will drive for Abt Cupra in the upcoming season of the ABB Formula E World Championship, returning to the team where he has spent the majority of his career in the all-electric series. The Brazilian – who has more entries than any …
Lucas di Grassi will drive for Abt Cupra in the upcoming season of the ABB Formula E World Championship, returning to the team where he has spent the majority of his career in the all-electric series.
The Brazilian — who has more entries than any other driver in Formula E, with 116, and 13 race wins, a record equaled with Sebastien Buemi — raced for Abt in the first seven Formula E seasons when it was tied to Cupra’s Volkswagen Group stablemate Audi.
“It just feels great to be back with ABT,” said di Grassi, who will partner Nico Muller on the team. “Not only did I win two titles with this team, but I also have endless memories with all the people who work there with so much passion. I couldn’t be more excited to return after two years and I’m really looking forward to working together. Together, we will give our all to get back, step by step, the results that the whole team deserves.”
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1394]
In his previous stint at the team, di Grassi secured all but one of his wins in the series, as well as the season three drivers’ title in 2016-17 and helped secure the teams’ title for Abt Cupra the following year. Abt sat out of the 2021-22 season and di Grassi subsequently moved to Venturi where he spent a single campaign, before switching to Mahindra — Abt Cupra’s current drivetrain supplier — for last season.
“We are happy that we have brought Lucas back to ABT,” said Hans-Jurgen Abt, CEO of the Abt Group. “He was and is a good friend of our whole team and is one of Formula E’s greats of the past 10 years.”
Thomas Biermaier, ABT CEO and team principal added, “We know about the great challenge of battling against international competition as a small customer team. That’s why experience, technical know-how and full passion for the joint project count all the more for us — with Lucas, we have the perfect man on board for the future.”
Maserati MSG Racing has confirmed Jehan Daruvala alongside Maximilian Gunther for the upcoming Formula E season. Former Red Bull junior Daruvala moves over to the all-electric single-seater series after four years in Formula 2 where he has notched …
Maserati MSG Racing has confirmed Jehan Daruvala alongside Maximilian Gunther for the upcoming Formula E season.
Former Red Bull junior Daruvala moves over to the all-electric single-seater series after four years in Formula 2 where he has notched up two sprint victories and a sole feature win, with a best championship finish of seventh in 2021 and ’22. He also served as test and reserve driver for Mahindra in Formula E last season, making his test debut in the series rookie test before driving in free practice at the Rome E-Prix.
“Formula E is a championship that I have admired for a long time, and after taking part in two test sessions, I’m very happy to have the opportunity to step up to a full-time race seat,” said Daruvala. “From my experiences so far, the Gen3 car is completely unique to drive, but I’ve found it to be a very rewarding experience.
“I would like to thank James [Rossiter, Maserati team principal} and Maserati MSG Racing for giving me this chance and I can’t wait to learn more about the car and get to know the team better in pre-season testing, before hitting the ground running in Mexico City in January.”
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1394]
Daruvala will team up with Gunther who returns for a second season with Maserati. Gunther had his best campaign in Formula E to-date last season, finishing seventh in the standings and taking his fourth career win in the second race at Jakarta.
“I’m very proud to continue with Maserati MSG Racing. We had a great first season together, particularly with the momentum we built in the second half of the year with one win, four podiums and two poles,” Gunther said. “Continuing to build on this base is something that I‘m very much looking forward to in 2024, alongside working with Jehan as my new teammate.”
Maserati’s announcement comes after its former driver, Edoardo Mortara, was announced at Mahindra Racing earlier today alongside previous series champion Nyck de Vries.
Nyck de Vries will return to Formula E next season after signing a multi-year deal with Mahindra Racing, where he will team with Edoardo Mortara (pictured at left, above, with de Vries). The Dutchman won the all-electric single seater championship …
Nyck de Vries will return to Formula E next season after signing a multi-year deal with Mahindra Racing, where he will team with Edoardo Mortara (pictured at left, above, with de Vries).
The Dutchman won the all-electric single seater championship with Mercedes in 2020-21 and earned a Formula 1 opportunity off the back of that success as a reserve driver for Mercedes and its customer teams Aston Martin, McLaren, and Williams. With the latter, he made his F1 debut, filling in for Alex Albon at last year’s Italian Grand Prix where he finished ninth.
The points-scoring debut was enough to earn him a full-time seat with AlphaTauri this year, but after failing to add to his haul in the first 10 races of the season, he was dropped in favor of Daniel Ricciardo. He now heads to a Mahindra team that’s going through a rebuild after team principal Dilbagh Gil was shown the door last season, and the recent exit of Formula E veteran Lucas d Grassi, whose departure was announced earlier this week after a single season with the team.
“It’s really exciting to be joining such a major automotive manufacturer as Mahindra, and to represent them in Formula E,” said de Vries. “I’m particularly excited about the future plans for the team. The basis is already strong, and the team has all the attributes to succeed. I believe going forwards we will be able to extract even more potential from the project and the organization, so to be a part of that process was very appealing for me.
De Vries joins a Mahindra team in dire need of a reset after last season. Alastair Staley/Motorsport Images
Despite a seemingly positive start to the Gen3 era, with di Grassi taking pole and third in Mexico City, the team struggled for much of last season, and was even forced to withdraw from the fifth round in Cape Town after concerns were raised over the safety of its rear suspension setup. Points were hard to come by throughout the year, and Oliver Rowland — who scored in Hyderabad and Berlin — was replaced by former F1 driver Roberto Merhi with seven races to spare, while di Grassi saw out the season before his own departure.
“I think it’s no secret that the team has had a bit of a rough start to Gen3, although there were positive signs of improvement during the second half of last season,” said de Vries. “I believe the team can continue to build on those learnings and with the additional changes and plans in place for the future, we can make even greater steps forward in performance at the start of our new journey together.
“Coming back to Formula E will feel like coming home. I’ve been part of the Formula E family for three seasons — I know everybody very well. I’m looking forward to being back in a familiar environment, and to be back somewhere where ultimately, I’ve always enjoyed my racing.”
Mortara, who was de Vries’ rival for the 2020-21 title, joins the Dutchman on the team after recently making a surprise exit from the Maserati Formula E squad. Mortara also has signed a multi-year agreement with the Indian manufacturer.
“I’m extremely excited to be joining Mahindra Racing. It’s a team that I’ve been looking at for several years now, they have been in Formula E since the beginning of the championship, so there’s a lot of experience there,” said Mortara, a six-time race winner in Formula E. “What I could also feel from the people here is that we share the same values. We have a great project in front of us, but I can see a lot of determination and motivation from everyone in the team, and this is so important.”
“Mahindra is also such a big automotive manufacturer, with a worldwide reputation. I’m extremely proud to join and be a representative of this prestigious group. I can’t wait to get started, and I’m sure that, if we put in the necessary amount of work, we will be able to be successful in this very competitive championship in the future.”
Mahindra Racing CEO Frederic Bertrand, who replaced Gil last season, stressed the long-term nature of the team’s rebuild, as it looks to once again become a title challenger.
“I am delighted to welcome Edo and Nyck to the Mahindra Racing family. As a team, we are all embarking on a journey to bring Mahindra Racing back to the front of the grid in the coming years,” he said. “With their speed and experience, Nyck and Edo will play a key role in driving the team towards that goal, and I know everybody is feeling very motivated to work with them. Equally important for the team are the drivers’ appetites for a long-term project, which makes them the perfect fit for Mahindra Racing at the beginning of this journey.”
“We anticipate next year will be another year of development and progress, and in a championship like Formula E, success is impossible to achieve overnight. But the signing of Nyck and Edo, along with new recruits within the wider team, puts down a solid foundation on which we can build.”
Andre Lotterer has departed the Avalanche Andretti Formula E team after calling time on his single-seater racing career. Across 26 years, Lotterer won two Formula BMW titles and the 2011 Formula Nippon championship – a series in which he competed …
Andre Lotterer has departed the Avalanche Andretti Formula E team after calling time on his single-seater racing career.
Across 26 years, Lotterer won two Formula BMW titles and the 2011 Formula Nippon championship — a series in which he competed for 15 seasons between 2003 and 2017, finishing in the top three 10 times. He served as test driver for Jaguar’s Formula 1 team in 2001 and 2002, but made his race debut more than a decade later at the 2014 Belgian Grand Prix for Caterham. He also made a single Champ Car start for Dale Coyne Racing in Mexico City at the end of 2002
Since the 2017-18 season, the German, now 41, has been a mainstay in Formula E, where he has been an eight-time podium finisher. He debuted with Techeetah before moving to Porsche’s factory team in 2019-20. After racing there for three seasons he transitioned to Andretti, a Porsche customer outfit, last year.
“Got some news to share with you. It’s time for me to close a 26 year chapter of single-seater racing,” Lotterer posted on Instagram. “I have decided not to race anymore in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship to fully focus on my challenge with Porsche Penske Motorsport to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans (for the 4th time) and the FIA World Endurance Championship.
“It has been a great ride racing in Formula BMW & Formula Renault to Formula 3, Champ Car, Formula Nippon, Super Formula, Formula 1 and finally the Formula E family which I joined at the start of Season 4 back in 2017.
“I would like to thank the people that helped me join this innovative and exciting Championship; Leo Thomas, Julian & Alexander Jakobi, JEV & the Techeetah team! The adventures together were great! A big thanks to TAG Heuer Porsche FE too who gave me the opportunity to lead the team into their Formula E debut in Season 6!
“Last but not least, my engineer Fabrice Roussel who has shown amazing support since the beginning and all the way through the three Formula E teams, and the Avalanche Andretti Formula E team for trusting me during Season 9.”
“I would like to personally thank Alejandro Agag, his team and the FIA for creating Formula E — it has been a fantastic journey and you have changed many of our lives. Formula E has been the most challenging and fun Championship I have competed in! I am extremely grateful and proud to have raced in Formula E, promoting all the sustainable technologies and for meeting the amazing people in this paddock, a few of which have become my best friends today.”
Lotterer will now focus his full attention on sports cars with Porsche. Motorsport Images
Lotterer’s biggest successes have come in the sports car arena. As well as a brace of Super GT titles (2006 and 2009), he won the Le Mans 24 Hours three times for Audi (2011, 2012, and 2014), and was champion of the inaugural FIA WEC season in 2012. Lotterer was with Audi from 2010 until its withdrawal from prototype racing at the end of 2017, when he then moved to Porsche’s prototype program.
Despite closing the door on single-seaters, Lotterer will remain an active driver with Porsche. He has been a part of the brand’s return to top-level sports car racing this year, contesting the WEC season alongside Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor. The trio took a podium finish at the 6 Hours of Portimao back in April.
NEOM McLaren has confirmed that Sam Bird will replace Rene Rast at the team for its second Formula E season. Bird joins Jake Hughes in an all-British lineup for the team which debuted in the 2022-23 season after taking over the back-to-back …
NEOM McLaren has confirmed that Sam Bird will replace Rene Rast at the team for its second Formula E season.
Bird joins Jake Hughes in an all-British lineup for the team which debuted in the 2022-23 season after taking over the back-to-back championship-winning Mercedes entry. The move comes after Bird’s departure from Jaguar TCS Racing, his seat there being taken by Nick Cassidy.
[lawrence-related id=333336]
“I’m super excited to get going with the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team. Becoming part of a team with so much heritage and prestige as the McLaren Racing family feels special,” said Bird. “We know there is some work to do ahead of Season 10, to ensure we get to where we want to be, which is at the front of the Formula E pack.
“It feels great to be part of the team and I can’t wait to kick off the season preparations. I’m super motivated and driven to deliver success with the team in Season 10.”
Bird’s resume boasts a second-placed finish in the 2013 GP2 season,an FIA World Endurance Championship title in the LMP2 class with G-Drive Racing in 2015, and a runner-up finish in the GTE class with Ferrari a year later, as well as stints as a test driver for the Williams and Mercedes Formula 1 teams.
Bird (left) will take the seat vacated by Rene Rast (right). Alastair Staley/Motorsport Images
But it’s in Formula E where Bird has spent the majority of his top-level career. He has competed in every season of Formula E, and sits joint second on the series’ all-time entry list with 114 races entered, just two behind Lucas di Grassi. In that time he’s notched up 11 race victories (third overall) and had a best championship finish of third in the 2017-18 campaign.
He made his category debut with Virgin Racing, remaining with the team for six seasons as it morphed into DS Virgin and eventually Envision Racing. He moved to Jaguar for 2020, where he remained until the 2022-23 season finale.
It’s that experience that Ian James, managing director of NEOM McLaren Electric Racing and team principal, NEOM McLaren Formula E Team, believes will help propel the team forward.
“It’s great to be able to share the news that Sam will be joining the team for Season 10, alongside Jake,” he said. “Sam is a proven force in Formula E, as well as other categories of racing, and his experience and determination will fuel the team ahead of an exciting season to come.
“As soon as the deal was done, his first question to me was when he could come into the office to start the preparations for Season 10 – this clearly shows his hunger and commitment to making Season 10 a success for the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team.
“Having both Sam and Jake on board has already instilled confidence in the team.”
Mclaren Racing CEO Zak Brown added: ““It is a pleasure to welcome Sam to the McLaren Racing family. Throughout his time in Formula E, Sam has proven himself to be an impressive talent, and we are eager to leverage his experience and expertise to help bring the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team further success in Season 10.
“Alongside Jake, I’m confident that we have one of the strongest pairings on the Formula E grid. Bring on Season 10!”
Nick Cassidy has joined Jaguar TCS Racing for the 2023-24 Formula E season, replacing Sam Bird who raced for the team for the last three seasons. The move comes after Cassidy finished second in the 2022-23 season with four race victories driving for …
Nick Cassidy has joined Jaguar TCS Racing for the 2023-24 Formula E season, replacing Sam Bird who raced for the team for the last three seasons.
The move comes after Cassidy finished second in the 2022-23 season with four race victories driving for Envision Racing – a Jaguar customer operation which took the Teams’ championship.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1394]
“I’m very excited to be joining the Jaguar TCS Racing team for the 2024 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship and I am looking forward to racing for a team like Jaguar that has such a successful motorsport history,” said Cassidy. “This season has been my most successful to date, so I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the Jaguar I-TYPE 6 and fight for points, podiums and wins.”
Cassidy will line up alongside compatriot Mitch Evans, who was also a 2022-23 title contender and matched Cassidy’s season-high wins tally.
“Looking forward to having Mitch as a teammate, we have known each other since we were kids and have raced against each other for years, so I’m proud that we will be racing together and hope to continue to put New Zealand on the map in motorsport.”
Jaguar team principal James Barclay hailed the signing of the 2017 Super GT and 2019 Super Formula champion, and declared his team’s new all-Kiwi lineup as “one of the strongest driver line-ups on the grid”.
Cassidy and Evans will be teammates from next season. Alastair Staley/Motorsport Images
“We are thrilled to announce that Nick Cassidy has joined Jaguar TCS Racing,” he said. “Nick’s track record speaks for itself and is someone we have always had our eye on back to his time racing in Japan.
“Since joining Formula E he has gone from strength to strength and his 2023 season was very impressive. Nick was highly motivated to join the team and we are proud to welcome him into the Jaguar family.
“We head into the new season with one of the strongest driver line-ups on the grid and paired with the Jaguar I-TYPE 6 and our talented team we will be looking to once again challenge for both the Drivers and Teams World Championship titles.”
Cassidy’s signing follows news that Evans recently signed a new “multi-year” contract with Jaguar, continuing a relationship that began in 2016, making it the longest driver and team pairing in Formula E history.
“Having been with Jaguar TCS Racing since 2016, it was the natural choice to continue our successful partnership,” he said. “We’ve had some incredible moments over the last seven years and I’m looking forward to writing our next chapter together. I am proud to race for Jaguar and play my part with the team in JLR’s Reimagine strategy.”
After his exit from Jaguar, Bird is expected to join NEOM McLaren for the 2023-24 season.
