Porsche’s Antonio Felix da Costa finished the opening day of Formula E pre-season testing fastest at the Jarama Circuit in Spain, as teams got to grips with the new Gen3 Evo machines.
The Portuguese driver posted a 1m29.220s with more than 60 minutes left on the clock during the three-hour afternoon session, leaving him 0.186s clear of Andretti’s Jake Dennis.
The opening session on Tuesday ran without issue after the all-electric championship opted to move venue following the devastating floods in Valencia, which has so far accounted for more than 200 deaths.
A minute’s silence was held on the grid prior to any running by all drivers and teams, with the decision taken only on Thursday to move the test from the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia to Jarama, just outside Madrid.
The 2.43-mile circuit previously held Formula 1 racing nine times between 1968-1981, and more recently has hosted bike and truck action having remained largely unchanged during its 57-year tenure.
Maximilian Guenther was the first man to go below the 1m30s barrier, posting a 1m29.661s before the halfway point of the session as he prepares for his first season with DS Penske having moved across from Maserati MSG in the off-season.
The German finished the session third, 0.441s off the quickest time and ahead of Mahindra’s Edoardo Mortara and Stoffel Vandoorne, the Belgian having directly swapped with Guenther and taken the vacant seat at Maserati MSG.
The second Andretti of Nico Muller finished sixth, the Swiss driver having joined from Abt, ahead of the second Maserati MSG of Jake Hughes, who joins the Trident from McLaren.
Da Costa’s team-mate and reigning champion Pascal Wehrlein finished eighth, having set the pace in the early running, as Jean-Eric Vergne (DS Penske), Abt’s Lucas di Grassi, with Lola/Yamaha power for the first time, completed the top 10.
Both Jaguar drivers Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy, as well as Nissan’s Oliver Rowland and Norman Nato, completed no running during the session.
This was due to the sporting punishment which was handed out to both teams after each were found to have breached the championship’s cost cap limit for the 2022-23 season.
Further running is due to take place on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with a simulation race due to be held on Wednesday afternoon, where the pit boost technology will be trialled ahead of being possibly implemented this season.
An all-female test is also due to still go ahead on Friday afternoon, with Indy NXT driver Jamie Chadwick and F1 Academy championship leader Abbi Pulling set to drive.
