While the Gen3 electric single-seaters have reached the halfway point of their career, the Gen3 ‘EVO’ cars took to the track this week. More powerful, more technological and equipped with new tyres, they are machines of a new kind on which the teams will use to put on a show and try to win.
Given the dramatic weather conditions that affected the Valencia region just a few days ago, the test was held at the Jarama circuit in Madrid. "It's a very pretty place; it reminds me of Mugello," says Eugenio Franzetti, Director of DS Performance, the DS Automobiles competition department which designs DS Penske's electric single-seaters. "But what counts is its ability to host Formula E cars. Valencia and Jarama are permanent circuits, less typical of FE, but that doesn't stop us from working and the championship organisers have done an incredible job in reorganising testing in such a short space of time.
"This week, the most important thing for everyone is to be able to test as many things as possible before Friday evening. After that, the cars will head for Brazil and we won't see them again until we get there in early December."
DS Penske has identified three key points that could have an impact on the results
Featuring more powerful cars, and four-wheel drive activation, these tests were all the more important as they represented the only opportunity to see all the teams together on track, to simulate a race, and for each of them to begin to gauge the level of performance of the other competitors.
"This season there are three very important points to keep an eye on," continues Franzetti. "Firstly, the new tyres. They are softer and offer peaks in performance that we haven't seen until now. We’re going to have to understand how to make them work, and above all make the most of their skills at the right moment, particularly in qualifying.
"The second key point is the attack mode. Between 300 kW and 350 kW, especially with four-wheel drive as is the case this season, there is a two-second gain per lap. That's huge, up to four times more than last season. Finally, the last key point will be the number of cars per manufacturer. This season Porsche will have six cars entered [two ‘works’, two Andretti and two Kiro]. So there will be two more top-level competitors, but we'll be doing everything we can to be out in front. We put up a good fight last year and we've prepared even better this year."
At the time of writing, the third practice session has just finished with the two Penske DSs in first and third places, and the two Porsche-powered Kiro cars in second and fourth. Does that mean there is a dominant season to come?
"It's always better to be at the front, but you shouldn't rely on this kind of ranking," concludes Franzetti. "The pre-season tests are designed to test things in preparation for the season. We'll have to wait for Sao Paulo or Mexico City before we start to see any signs of domination. For the moment, we're happy with our drivers and our cars, the reliability is there and the lap times are allowing us to see things. But for everyone's real performances, we'll have to wait a little longer."
In the meantime, Jean-Eric Vergne and Maximilian Gunther, DS Penske's two regulars, will be putting in as many laps as possible at a good pace at the wheel of their DS E-TENSE FE25 on the Jarama circuit.
Then, on Friday evening, the cars will be dismantled and shipped to Sao Paulo, where the first round of the season will take place on 7 December.
