Maximilian Guenther went quickest as Formula E testing continued at Circuito del Jarama in Spain. The DS Penske driver, who joined the team in the off-season, set a best time of 1m28.408s, with all of the top 10 in the afternoon covered by just …
Maximilian Guenther went quickest as Formula E testing continued at Circuito del Jarama in Spain.
The DS Penske driver, who joined the team in the off-season, set a best time of 1m28.408s, with all of the top 10 in the afternoon covered by just 0.389s. His best time came in the final hour of the second three-hour session, just after a brief red flag to repair damage to the curb at Turn 9. Full repairs to the affected portion of the track will be made tonight.
Kiro Race Co. continued to impress its year-old Porsche powertrains, Dan Ticktum going second quickest in the afternoon, and David Beckmann fourth, the pair being split by Jean-Eric Vergne in the other DS Penske. Ticktum had gone fourth quickest in the morning session as well.
Nyck de Vries completed the top five ahead of Mahindra teammate Edoardo Mortara, with the two Jaguar TCS Racing cars of Nick Cassidy and Mitch Evans ending their first day of running (after being banned from taking to the track on Tuesday due to a cost cap infringement) seventh and 10th respectively. The pair were split by Lola Yamaha Abt’s Zane Maloney and Andretti’s Jake Dennis in the highest-placed current-spec Porsche. Cassidy stopped out on track on the run to Turn 1 towards the end of the morning session, with his car needing to be recovered, but he had a trouble-free afternoon.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1394]
Nico Mueller ended the day 11th overall, ahead of Oliver Rowland, another driver getting his first taste of official pre-season running after Nissan were also sidelined by the same cost-cap penalty as Jaguar yesterday.
Pascal Wehrlein and Antonio Felix da Costa were 13th and 14th respectively in the afternoon, having both featured in the top-10 in the morning, while Sebastien Buemi matched his morning performance by winding up 15th in the afternoon, one spot ahead of his Envision Racing teammate Robin Frijns, who’d improved from 17th earlier in the day.
Norman Nato was 17th in the second Nissan, having finished at the bottom of the timesheets in the first session of the day. He was ahead of Lucas di Grassi and the NEOM McLaren duo of Taylor Barnard and Sam Bird. Bird had an off in the morning, bringing out the first red flag of the day, after he went into the gravel at Turn 1 while moving out of the way of a quicker car while on cold tires.
Maserati’s Jake Hughes topped the morning session but was 21st in the afternoon having spent much of the session running in tandem with teammate Stoffel Vandoorne as they worked on race pace and long runs – subsequently neither Maseratis or the two McLarens ran on full power in the afternoon. Vandoorne ended the day last, having gone fifth fastest earlier on.
By rights, Zane Maloney should be well on his way to Formula 1. A rising star in the single seater world with multiple wins in Formula 2 and F3, the Barbadian has what it takes to reach the top. But like so many highly rated youngsters, he’s faced …
By rights, Zane Maloney should be well on his way to Formula 1. A rising star in the single seater world with multiple wins in Formula 2 and F3, the Barbadian has what it takes to reach the top. But like so many highly rated youngsters, he’s faced with there being no room at the inn when he’s knocked on the door.
But F1’s loss is Formula E’s gain, with Maloney making the switch to the all-electric series this season with Lola Yamaha Abt. For him, it’s not a backwards or sideways step by any means, but indicative of the talent backlog faced by the entire open-wheel world.
“I always say, first I’m a racing driver, so I take whatever the best opportunity I can get,” Maloney tells RACER. “There’s not many seats in general in IndyCar, Formula E, F1. I mean, it’s just me and Taylor (Barnard, who’s moved from Formula 2 to NEOM McLaren) this year in Formula E. So that just shows there’s not many seats.
“There’s too many good drivers for the amount of seats available. I saw this opportunity as an amazing one. What people don’t quite understand is coming towards Formula E, it’s a world championship — it’s a step up from anything else.”
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1394]
And while Maloney is happy with his new home in Formula E, he insists it doesn’t close doors to other categories either.
“It also doesn’t stop any other opportunities in the future,” he says. “We saw with Nyck (de Vries), he moved to F1 from Formula E. I’m just trying to be in a race car. I love racing, and this was a new project, an amazing project, I was looking forward to, so I didn’t really think twice.”
It’s a fresh start both for Maloney and his Lola Yamaha Abt team. Sam Bagnall/Motorsport Images
Maloney moves to the new Lola project after a stint as Andretti’s reserve and development driver, where he got first-hand experience working with a championship-winning team and driving a championship-winning car, the Porsche 99X Electric. Abt, too, is a title-winning outfit, but under the skin of the striking yellow and blue car, it’s all new, with Lola returning from a lengthy hiatus to provide the powertrains as part of its new partnership with Japanese giant Yamaha.
“In terms of the environment in the team, and in terms of how the teams are moving forwards, I think that it’s clear to see that Lola Yamaha Abt is a championship winning team as well, straight out the box,” Maloney says. “So we just need to see where we stand in Brazil (at the season opener in Sao Paulo on Dec. 7) and how long we will take to get to that stage. But I’m confident that in the future, at some point, we can be there.
“When you start two or three or four or five years behind, then you’re always playing catch-up. But Abt has been around for a long time, they have a good idea of things. And it’s not a completely 100 percent new team, it’s got some new smart people with some — they call them ‘OGs’ — like Lucas (di Grassi) and some of the engineers within the team. I think we’re in a good place to start with. The development rate is going how we expect and what we want. It’s a team that can clearly win things in terms of the mindset, how motivated everyone is.”
Maloney finished the first day of Formula E’s pre-season test at Jarama on Tuesday in 16th with 13 laps in the bag. Teammate di Grassi was 10th with twice the number of laps under his belt. Maloney says the first day of running was “more of a shakedown” for his side of the garage, and there will be more to come.
“I think (on Tuesday), with the lack of tires and mileage that were allowed, in terms of performance it wasn’t much. The next two days will be a lot more,” he says. “Every day we can get in this car is a step forward, and the development rate is massive.”
That development rate means that the other 10 teams will have made gains from their already solid foundations. Naturally, that makes figuring out the competitive order a near-impossible task.
“From my side, neither the team nor me know where we’re going to stand when we come to Brazil,” Maloney says. “So you can’t really have expectations when you don’t know anything really. So my goal and my expectation for myself is just to maximize the car every time I go out.
“Of course, I have Lucas to compare to, which is a very good comparison, and how I’m doing will be based on where I am compared to him. Having said that, obviously, if we’re P19 and P20, we’re not going to be happy. We want to just keep moving forward.”
Another thing clouding the competitive picture is that every team has come into the test somewhat hindered by the late location change. Teams were deep into their preparation for four days of running at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia when the decision was made to move the test to Jarama near Madrid late last week in light of the floods that have blighted much of Spain. But Maloney sees positives for his team in the switch as it gets to grips with its all-new hardware.
“Everything that’s happening in Valencia, obviously it’s not great. We’re praying for everyone there,” he says “But for us, in terms of racing, it’s a good thing because it throws us in the deep end. We don’t have any data from this track, and every problem that we have will be magnified at this track versus what we would have known at Valencia.
“Everyone up and down the grid is in the same position. It’s just that we’re coming in with no data from any track. We’re always going to be learning.”
Formula E has pledged to donate at least €50,000 ($54,000) as part of a comprehensive support initiative which will provide immediate relief and long-term support to communities impacted by flooding in Valencia, Spain. The series, which has its …
Formula E has pledged to donate at least €50,000 ($54,000) as part of a comprehensive support initiative which will provide immediate relief and long-term support to communities impacted by flooding in Valencia, Spain.
The series, which has its technical and logistics headquarters in Valencia, has hosted pre-season testing at Circuit Ricardo Tormo since 2017. This season was set to be no different, but the four-day test was instead moved to Jarama just outside Madrid in the wake of the disaster.
Formula E has reiterated its commitment to Valencia by supporting with urgent assistance and sustainable recovery efforts. In addition to its initial €50,000 donation, Formula E has also set up a GoFundMe page for fans, partners, teams, and staff to also contribute.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1394]
Formula E’s support won’t just be financial. It has also committed to offering hands-on support via volunteer initiatives alongside local leaders.
“As my birthplace, Valencia has always been a very special place for me and my heartfelt condolences go out to all those affected in the region,” said Formula E co-founder and chief championship officer Alberto Longo. “From the pictures alone parts of Valencia look completely devastated, so I can only begin to imagine what the reality must be like for those living and working there.
“We feel it’s only right to support as many people as possible who are impacted both in the short and long term, given their support for us since 2017. Together as a Formula E community, we want to show our support and solidarity in any way we can.”
Antonio Felix da Costa topped the first day of Formula E testing at Jarama, Spain, as five teams and four drivetrains filled the top-five. The TAG Heuer Porsche driver’s best time of 1m 29.220s came in the final hour of the day amid a flurry of late …
Antonio Felix da Costa topped the first day of Formula E testing at Jarama, Spain, as five teams and four drivetrains filled the top-five.
The TAG Heuer Porsche driver’s best time of 1m 29.220s came in the final hour of the day amid a flurry of late improvements, and put him 0.186s ahead of Andretti’s Jake Dennis, who similarly set his best time late in the three hour session.
Maximilian Guenther was the fastest of the drivers who have changed teams in the off-season, going third for DS Penske, ahead of Mahindra’s Edoardo Mortara. Stoffel Vandoorne competed the top-five in his first public outing with Maserati MSG, and was the last of the drivers to crack the 1m 30s barrier.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1394]
Vandoorne headed a clutch of drivers in new homes, with Nico Mueller (Andretti) and Jake Hughes (Maserati) next up, while reigning champion Pascal Wehrlein was eighth after having topped the table early on. His fellow champions Jean-Eric Vergne and Lucas di Grassi rounding out the top 10 for the new Lola-Yamaha project.
Taylor Barnard, who has been promoted from a test and reserve role to race driver for NEOM McLaren this season, finished 12th quickest, having also topped the times in the first half of the session. He wound up behind Nyck de Vries in the second Mahindra, while Sebastien Buemi was 13th for Envision, his day being briefly interrupted late on after a pitlane stoppage for an unspecified technical issue.
McLaren’s Sam Bird was next up, ahead of Dan Ticktum who, alongside David Beckmann, is testing with the rechristened Kiro Race Co., although the team has yet to officially confirm its race lineup for the upcoming season.
Zane Maloney was 16th in the second Lola-Yamaha, with Beckmann and Robin Frijns completing the runners, although the Dutchman was the only driver to not set his best time with the full 350kw of power at his disposal.
Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy, and Nissan’s Oliver Rowland and Norman Nato were notably absent from the first day of running. Both Jaguar and Nissan were docked half a day of running as a result of a cost cap infringement, but due to the late change of venue from Valencia to Jarama, the first day of running was condensed to a single session in the afternoon, meaning neither team saw any track action at all on Tuesday. Both teams will be on track for the rest of the week.
Andretti has announced Jak Crawford as its reserve and development driver for the new Formula E season. The American replaces Zane Maloney who has moved into a race seat with Lola-Yamaha Abt, and gets the nod after testing for Andretti at last …
Andretti has announced Jak Crawford as its reserve and development driver for the new Formula E season.
The American replaces Zane Maloney who has moved into a race seat with Lola-Yamaha Abt, and gets the nod after testing for Andretti at last season’s rookie test in Berlin, where he was second-quickest of the 22 drivers.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1394]
“I’m very excited to be the official Reserve and Development Driver for the Andretti Formula E team in Season 11,” said Crawford. “Growing up in America, Andretti is such a household name in motorsport so it’s a privilege to have the opportunity to be part of the team.
“I’m keen to learn as much about the car as possible from both Jake (Dennis) and Nico (Mueller), and to play a role on the development side through simulator work. I’m looking forward to getting started and to hopefully have the chance to get more experience in the car.”
Crawford, also a member of the Aston Martin Formula 1 team’s young driver program, has been competing in Formula 2 for the last two years. He sits fifth in the points this season with four races to go, having won the feature race in Barcelona back in May. He also claimed a sprint race win at the Red Bull Ring last season.
“We are very pleased to announce that Jak is taking a more permanent role with the Andretti Formula E team as our reserve and development driver,” said Andretti team principal Roger Griffiths. “His debut with us at the Berlin Rookie Test was very impressive and he immediately showed strong pace.
“When the opportunity of a reserve and development driver arose, Jak was immediately of interest. He has demonstrated a mature approach through his second season in Formula 2, and since his appearance with us, has already achieved a win and three additional podiums. We look forward to his contributions in helping improve the team’s performance through his active role driving the simulator.”
New Maserati MSG team principal Cyril Blais is hoping his team can step up to become championship contenders with its new driver lineup. Under the guise of the legendary Italian brand, the former Venturi team has secured two wins over the last two …
New Maserati MSG team principal Cyril Blais is hoping his team can step up to become championship contenders with its new driver lineup.
Under the guise of the legendary Italian brand, the former Venturi team has secured two wins over the last two seasons, with Maximilian Guenther triumphing in Jakarta in 2022-23 and Tokyo last season. Guenther has moved to sister Stellantis team DS Penske for this season, with 2021-22 champion Stoffel Vandoorne moving in the other direction, and highly-rated youngster Jake Hughes joining from NEOM McLaren in place of the departed Jehan Daruvala.
The team has shown to be competitive on occasion, but with its fresh driver pairing, Blais thinks the team can make another step forwards.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1394]
“Like every team up and down the pitlane, we want to be in the fight – no one is here to make up the numbers,” he said. “But winning a Formula E race is no easy challenge, especially with the style of racing that we’ve seen develop over recent seasons. With our milestone victories in Jakarta and Tokyo we demonstrated that we have what’s needed to reach the top spot on the podium but contending championships means more than winning races. You need consistency, you need stamina, strategic skill, team play, and you need more than a little luck.
“Our driver line-up is one of the strongest on the grid. Stoffel and Jake have really impressed us in recent years, you don’t win a World Championship title by accident. Jake’s one lap pace has been formidable, now we need to work on our race craft. We are hopeful and we are determined, we just need to put all the pieces together when it comes to qualifying and the races.”
Maserari, along with the entire Formula E paddock, has had its preparations for the upcoming season impacted by devastating floods in Spain which have forced the four-day pre-season test to be moved from Valencia to Jarama and postponed by a day. With the new GEN3 Evo formula coming into play this season, testing is even more vital.
“For various reasons, testing in Formula E is really limited so we need to make the absolute most of every opportunity we get to run our cars,” he said. “Especially when we have a generation change as we do now from GEN3 to GEN3 Evo. Not only has the car changed, but we have a new tyre compound to contend with which should improve grip during races.
“The circuits we test at aren’t exactly typical of Formula E street circuits, we have an updated car, new tyres and an all-new driver line-up to test so there’s still plenty of work for us to do there. We’ve also never tested at Jarama before so that adds in an additional element of challenge and discovery but it’s the same for all the teams.”
Blais may be wary of the disruption, but he is still positive of the team’s position ahead of testing, which begins on Tuesday.
“As team principal, my priority is to make sure that each person in the team has the optimal working environment to do the best possible job,” he said. “In a motorsport team in a rapidly evolving championship, this is always going to be a work in progress. We have done a lot of work in the background between the season finale in London and now and we have also welcomed some exceptional new people to the team so I’m looking forward to seeing everyone working together at the track and to making sure that the chemistry and team dynamic is right.
“Performance on track is directly impacted by team culture, in motorsport, you need to make split second decisions and people feel most comfortable and confident to do this when they are working in a calm and trusting environment. Testing plays a huge role in creating this dynamic as we can run lots of different simulations and scenarios to give us an idea of how different situations might pan out during the season.”
The GEN3 era has been a challenge for Mahindra Racing so far. A single podium – in the first race of the ruleset back in 2022 – is the best the team has had to show for its work with the latest incarnation of Formula E car. With that in mind, the …
The GEN3 era has been a challenge for Mahindra Racing so far. A single podium – in the first race of the ruleset back in 2022 – is the best the team has had to show for its work with the latest incarnation of Formula E car. With that in mind, the team has pressed the reset button ahead of the upcoming season, where the GEN3 Evo regulations will come into force.
As the name suggests, the new cars will be an evolution of those that came before them. But Mahindra has opted for an entirely fresh approach, instead developing a new drivetrain from scratch to use in the next two seasons rather than developing the one it used in the last two.
“It’s not an easy one, because you cannot say that everything was wrong on the previous one.” team principal Frederic Bertrand tells RACER of the decision to start afresh. “The difficulty is that we are speaking about details. We’re talking about half a percent. You speak about small changes somewhere which potentially creates a big step, but you don’t find the silver bullet where you say, ‘Ah, I changed this, and I go from nowhere to I am the best.’ Unfortunately, it’s not that easy.
“Even if you identify those weaknesses, you need to make sure that you accumulate all those small corrections or improvements. And sometimes the question is, if you touch the limit of the hardware, you need to think of a new one, and that’s probably what has driven the approach.”
Those small changes, corrections and improvements haven’t just come from within the team itself, but with whom the team chooses to work with as well.
“We knew quite easily what was not at the level of the previous car, so it was quite easy to identify the areas where we were not strong enough, or where we were not at the level of the competition,” he says. “So we started by identifying all those areas, and then we started to understand what could be the options for us to make a drastic change. Sometimes it’s more people, sometimes to work on it, sometimes it’s changing the supplier, or working differently with the supplier.
“You need to make sure that everybody is fully aligned on what we are ready to do to achieve what we want, and you need to share the same type of approach. I think the risk sometimes is that you end up with a supplier who is happy with 95 percent of the job done — and unfortunately, 95 percent of the job done in our system is like being nowhere. So you need to find someone who will never be happy, more or less, or happy when you reach 101, 102 percent.
Mahindra’s M11Electro is new inside and out. Lou Johnson/Mahindra Racing
“So that’s what also drives the decision. You need to make sure that you are confident enough in the fact that the one who will work with you shares the same very ambitious strategy. Maybe the right way is to say you need to find someone that will challenge you, for sure; but if, from the beginning, you feel that they are demanding, that will raise the bar.”
A major focus for the team during the development of its GEN3 Evo car has been efficiency. It’s a crucial factor in Formula E, with drivers starting every race with around half the energy they’ll need to finish a race. A fast car is only half of the equation, with a car that can allow a driver to perfectly manage energy just as vital. And while the efficiency element is crucial, improving in other areas can increase that, too.
“We were not efficient enough last year,” Bertrand says. “So efficiency definitely, and then a lot of small elements which are giving confidence to the drivers in the way they can drive the car to the limits.
“So it can be braking, it can be the way they manage the energy themselves, and they can attack more or be more in the fight. Because right now, what we were suffering from is definitely holding on to efficiency, mostly. And because you cannot be confident in the level of efficiency you have at the start, then you start to have a strategy which is influenced by the fact that you know that you are weak. We wanted to deploy a strategy which is maybe more aggressive, maybe more offensive for the future, and not so much on trying to hope that something will happen to the others.”
As well as a fresh drivetrain, another major change for the Mahindra organization this season will be the lack of a customer team. Unlike the likes of reigning manufacturers’ champion Jaguar, Nissan, and Stellantis which will all supply two teams, and Porsche will provide for three, Mahindra’s tech will only be found at the factory team this season, with Abt splitting in favor of a works partnership with Lola and Yamaha.
The move allows Mahindra to focus its efforts, but there is a downside to scaling back, too.
Mahindra no longer has a customer outfit to share the workload with. Alastair Staley/Motorsport Images
“On one side, you know that you will suffer from that lack of information, because when you are last at one event, if the other team has something good or better, at least, you have a direction to go in,” Bertrand admits. “Now might be something where if we are wrong, we struggle.
“The good thing is that we are in a third phase of using GEN3 more or less, so it’s not exactly the same, but still, most of the tracks are … so that that gives a little bit less of stress on data, because we already have a lot.
“But still, it’s true that it’s a risk. It’s something which we will miss, but definitely the way we were structured in the past was maybe too early for us to have a customer team in some other ways, because we had not enough people, not enough understanding, not enough control of what we were doing ourselves. And then we were challenged by someone else who was expecting a higher level from us — at that moment, it was a bit too much. So that’s why it is a minus and plus on both sides.”
There’s been a lot of change at Mahindra, but one thing that will remain the same will be the driver line-up, with Edoardo Mortara and Nyck de Vries both remaining amid the revolution, being the final pieces of a puzzle that’s been gradually building over several months.
“It’s revolution, but with stability,” Bertrand says. “The revolution, I would say, was in season 9-10, and for the first time, 11, we start with the team fully structured. So all the guys we have hired are in because all the ‘gardening leaves’ are done — we had hired people six months ago [but] we had to wait until last week to get some of them.
“I had a cool summer because my drivers are here, both happy to be here, not even discussing what to do. It was safe for me, but which was not the case last time.”
Nevertheless, the job’s not done. Bertrand says the team now needs to find the last “five percent” but he knows that the team has to keep its expectations in check while competing against major manufacturer behemoths.
Bertrand is hoping Mahindra’s off-season overhaul will give it more reasons to celebrate this season. Simon Galloway/Motorsport Images
The team ended last season with three top-five finishes across the last four races – while former customer Abt managed four straight in the same time, plus a double points finish in the season finale in London – and it will want to build upon that momentum with its new car and refreshed backroom roster.
“It gives a lot of confidence with the fact that now we can start being ambitious, while remaining very humble,” Bertrand says. “We are not the one people expects to perform. We are not the one able to spend crazy money. We have to do it with a very, let’s say, rational budget, and we try to spend the money at the right place.
“But what is true is that, for the first time, there will be less excuses. That’s also one thing for me which is more dangerous in a way. I will not be able to blame the car of last year. That car is not a winning car in the design and in the money we spent.
“We raised the bar everywhere, so we should be in the mix, and we need to be in that mix in the second half of the season. We know that the first half will be kind of a learning curve, and I hope it will be steep, so that we can very quickly get into that area where we can regularly making good points, scoring top 10s, etc.
“I want to manage the enthusiasm right now. I want to manage so people keep that momentum, which has grown slowly at the end of season 10, that if we do things well, even with a car which was not fulfilling all our expectations at that time, we were able to be there on a genuine basis.”
Formula E has postponed its four day pre-season test that was set to take place in Valencia next week following devastating floods in the region. At least 158 people have been killed in floods that have struck Valencia and the surrounding areas …
Formula E has postponed its four day pre-season test that was set to take place in Valencia next week following devastating floods in the region.
At least 158 people have been killed in floods that have struck Valencia and the surrounding areas since Wednesday. While Circuit Ricardo Tormo, which was set to host the test, is said to be largely unaffected, the main road to the facility was damaged, leaving it difficult to access via vehicle.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Formula E said: “We have all been monitoring the tragic situation in Valencia, where flash floods have devastated the region and claimed many lives. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by these terrible events and we at Formula E are looking at how we can practically support the region during this awful time.
“Following consultation with local authorities, the FIA and our colleagues at Circuit Ricardo Tormo, we have decided not to proceed with our pre-season test in Valencia, planned for 4-7 November. While it may have been possible to go ahead logistically, it is important not to create any distraction or use valuable resources that are much better served supporting the local community. We have a number of Formula E team members who have been working on the ground in Valencia over the past week, and we want to personally thank them for everything they’ve done, and continue to do, to support the area.”
The test has not yet been canceled entirely, however, and plans are in the works to move it around 220 miles northwest to Circuito del Jarama near Madrid. Should that plan come off, the test will instead run from Tuesday, November 5 until Friday, November 8, with the series’ first all-female driver test still taking place on the morning of the final day.
“We have taken the decision to secure an alternative location, and Circuito del Jarama in Madrid will host both the FIA Formula E Official Test and the Women’s Test next week, scheduled for Tuesday 5 to Friday 8 November,” Formula E’s statement continued. “The full event schedule will be confirmed in due course, as we navigate a number of logistical and operational challenges which will determine if it’s possible to move our test operations to Madrid within this timeframe.
“Our first thoughts are with the community of Valencia. The city has a special place in our hearts: it has been ever-present on our calendar since 2017 and we have recently moved our operations base there. It is like a second home for Formula E. We will support the community to recover from these tragic events in any way we can, and ensure that while our testing continues in Madrid, it is done with the utmost sensitivity.”
Formula E has said that the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia – which will host four days of pre-season testing next week – is showing “no signs of damage” despite devastating flash floods impacting the area in southeastern Spain overnight. The …
Formula E has said that the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia — which will host four days of pre-season testing next week — is showing “no signs of damage” despite devastating flash floods impacting the area in southeastern Spain overnight.
The floods have killed at least 72 people and left more than 150,000 homes without power, after the rains and accompanying strong winds affected power lines. Bridges have also fallen and cars, abandoned in the streets, have been swept away.
The BBC has reported that Chiva, just over six miles from the circuit, experienced more than a year’s worth of rain in less than half a day. In a year the region can expect around 18 inches of rain, but more than 19 inches fell in eight hours, with more than six of that coming in one hour. Neighboring nations and the European Union have already offered help with flood relief.
Flights into the region have been impacted, while high-speed trains connecting Valencia to Madrid and Barcelona have been canceled, and soccer matches involving local teams Valencia CF and Levante UD have also been called off. Meanwhile the track, while itself not showing any damage, has been left inaccessible by vehicle as a result of a burst riverbank nearby.
Horrific floods in Spain – this is the entrance road to Circuit Ricardo Tormo today pic.twitter.com/exB2BLLyNy
Formula E is due to be in Valencia from Monday, Nov. 4 until Thursday, Nov. 7 for four full days of running at the track, which has hosted Formula E testing since 2017 and was previously a regular spot for Formula 1 testing. At present, the test is still going ahead, with teams’ freight currently en route to the track, although Formula E is continuing to monitor the situation.
“Our thoughts go out to those affected by the extreme weather conditions in Spain,” the series said in a statement. “We are working closely with the local authorities and representatives of the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia ahead of the scheduled FIA Formula E official test next week.
“Due to damage to the main access road caused by a burst river bank nearby, the circuit is currently inaccessible by vehicle. Four members of Formula E staff stayed at the circuit last night as a precaution, but are safe and able to transfer to and from the circuit by foot. Track conditions show no signs of damage, and we continue to assess garages and freight. Alternative access routes in and out of the circuit are currently being investigated.
“We are closely monitoring the situation and will provide further updates in due course.”
Last weekend Circuit Ricardo Tormo played host to the third FIA Motorsport Games, a multi-discipline event featuring drifting, Esports, Formula 4, GT racing, karting, rallying and rallycross. Host nation Spain topped the medal table with six gold medals, six silver, and six bronze, ahead of Germany and Italy. Of the 85 nations entered, 26 achieved medals.
MotoGP’s season finale is also set to take place in Valencia on Nov. 17, with the only official update on that event so far being that “MotoGP is in contact with the circuit and the local authorities to offer our support and assistance as we work together to recover as soon as possible.”
Further south, the city of Jerez has also had flooding, and is anticipating more very heavy rain in the next 12 hours, according to Spanish broadcaster RTVE. Nearby Circuito de Jerez is hosting the Spanish Superbike championship this weekend and the Lamborghini SuperTrofeo World Finals on Nov. 16-17.
Catalonia — in the north of Spain, where Circuit Barcelona-Catalunya is situated — has been issued with a severe weather warning too, with large hail storms and winds in excess of 56mph expected. Circuit Barcelona-Catalunya will host Spanish Formula 4 and TCR Spain touring car racing on Nov. 9-10, and GT and TCR competitions on Nov. 23-24.
Jamie Chadwick and Simona de Silvestro headlined a final flurry of announcements as the lineup for Formula E’s first all-female test was completed on Tuesday. The pair will drive for Jaguar TCS Racing and Kiro Race Co. respectively at the half-day …
Jamie Chadwick and Simona de Silvestro headlined a final flurry of announcements as the lineup for Formula E’s first all-female test was completed on Tuesday.
The pair will drive for Jaguar TCS Racing and Kiro Race Co. respectively at the half-day test at Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo Circuit on November 7.
de Silvestro’s outing will be her first in Formula E since the 2015-16 season when she competed for Andretti. For the last five years she’s been a test and development driver for Porsche, which will supply powertrains to Kiro in what will be its debut season, having taken over the former ERT team during the off-season.
“I’m thrilled to join Kiro Race Co for the Formula E Women’s Test,” said de Silvestro. “It’s a great opportunity to work with a new team and contribute to their development. I’m excited to see what we can achieve together.”
de Silvestro raced for Andretti in the first two seasons of Formula E. Zak Mauger/Motorsport Images
Kiro Race Co. has yet to confirm its race drivers for the upcoming season, but an announcement is expected later this week. In the meantime, the team’s chief operating officer Russell O’Hagan is “incredibly excited” to secure the experienced de Silvestro for the female driver test.
“Her vast experience and proven track record make Simona the perfect addition to our driver lineup,” he said. “We believe that her participation will play an important role in our ongoing preparation for the new season ahead as well as inspiring our fans and the wider motorsport community.”
For Chadwick, it will mark her first official Formula E outing since 2020, when she tested for NIO and Jaguar in Marrakesh. She also demonstrated a GEN3 car at the Portland E-Prix last season (pictured top).
“I’m very excited to be back working with Jaguar TCS Racing – a team that have had so much success recently – and to be back in the world of electric racing,” said Chadwick. “Formula E is such an exciting, future-facing championship and I’m really looking forward to testing out the Jaguar I-TYPE 7.
“It will be a great opportunity to grow my relationship with the team, meet many other talented drivers and get to experience the mind-blowing technology in these cars.”
Chadwick will be joined at the reigning Teams’ champions by sports car racer Lilou Wadoux, who has been competing in IMSA’s LMP2 category (in which she won at Watkins Glen) for AF Corse, and in Japan’s Super GT series with PONOS Racing. She was also a winner in the FIA World Endurance Championship LMGTE Am class at Spa-Francorchamps last year.
“This will be my first time in a Formula E car and I can’t wait for the experience,” said Wadoux. “This test is an amazing opportunity for me to get involved in the sport, one that is so well known for inspiring the next generation, and to get women more involved in motorsports.
Wadoux has podium finishes in sports cars in Europe, the U.S. and Japan. Yasushi Ishihara/Motorsport Images
“I’m so grateful for the opportunity and look forward to getting behind the wheel of the Jaguar I-TYPE 7.”
Mahindra also revealed that Lena Buehler will drive for it at the test. Like Kiro and Lola-Yamaha Abt – which will field Miki Koyama – Mahindra will only field one driver in the test.
“I’m very grateful to have this opportunity to take part in the Women’s Test with Mahindra Racing,” she said. “It’s one of the championship’s iconic names, and with two strong drivers, and a wealth of engineering knowledge and experience, I know I’ll have not only a fantastic opportunity to learn, but also be given the best preparation possible for my first time in the Formula E car.
“This test is such a great initiative, and the GEN3 Evo is going to be a very interesting car to drive. The goal is to learn as much as possible, both in and out of the car, and make sure I’m spending time with the team, understanding the processes and so on to grow as a driver. Above all, I just want to enjoy the experience.”
Formula E female driver test lineup
Jaguar TCS Racing – Jamie Chadwick, Lilou Wadoux
TAG Heuer Porsche – Marta Garcia, Gabriella Jilkova
DS Penske – Jess Edgar, Beitske Visser
Nissan Formula E Team – Abbi Pulling, Sophia Floersch
Andretti Formula E – Chloe Chambers, Nerea Marti
Envision Racing – Alisha Palmowski, Alice Powell
NEOM McLaren – Ella Lloyd, Bianca Bustamante
Maserati MSG Racing – Tatiana Calderon, Carrie Schreiner
Lola-Yamaha Abt – Miki Koyama
Mahindra Racing – Lena Buehler
Kiro Race Co. – Simona de Silvestro
