Written by Vyas Ponnuri
In under 24 hours, Formula E will be taking to the Circuito del Jarama, Madrid, for pre-season testing one month ahead of season eleven, which gets underway in São Paulo on December 7th. With changes, interesting new elements, and a few late changes, Vyas brings you up to date in everything you need to know for the four days of testing ahead.
The dust may have settled on Pascal Wehrlein's championship-winning campaign in season ten, but him, as well as 21 other Formula E racers, and eleven teams will be going for glory once again, with the upcoming campaign of the all-electric racing series getting underway in only a month's time, on 7th December.
While Formula E returns to it's dual-year nomenclature, a common practice of commencing the season in the winter before the COVID pandemic hit, the drivers and teams will first have to tackle a revised pre-season testing schedule at the Jarama circuit in Madrid.
Here's all you need to know ahead of pre-season testing for season 11 of Formula E.
When will pre-season testing be held?
Pre-season testing for Formula E will be held from Tuesday, 5th November, 2024, to Friday, 8th November, 2024. It is a four-day test, allowing drivers and teams to officially test their Gen 3 Evo machines for the first time since they were unveiled.
Where is pre-season testing being held?
After floods and devastation hit Spain over the last few days, pre-season testing has been shifted almost 400 km away from the traditional testing venue of the Ricardo Tormo circuit, Valencia, to the Circuito del Jarama, Madrid.
With the Valencia region one of the worst affected, having received almost a year's worth of rainfall in eight hours, both Formula E and MotoGP events scheduled at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo were forced into cancellation. While Formula E has been able to move testing to Jarama, MotoGP hasn't yet found a concrete solution to their season finale.
However, the Circuito del Jarama serves as an ideal backdrop for the four-day pre-season test. A former host of Formula One's Spanish Grand Prix between 1968 and 1981, and to 15 Spanish MotoGP races, the circuit's contours will once again be in use for a third international racing series when Formula E takes to the track.
The 3.915 km long layout being used for pre-season testing features a main straight featuring a chicane at the entrance to the pits, while attack mode is situated at the hairpin of turn seven.
What is the schedule for pre-season testing this year?
The provisional testing schedule was released earlier this week by Formula E, which goes as follows:
Tuesday, 5th November, 2024: Test session 1 - 14:00 - 17:00 local time (13:00 - 16:00 UTC)
Wednesday, 6th November, 2024: Test session 2 - 09:00 - 12:00 local time (08:00 - 11:00 UTC)
Test session 3 - 14:00 - 17:00 local time (13:00 - 16:00 UTC)
Thursday, 7th November, 2024: Test session 4 - 09:00 - 12:00 local time (08:00 - 11:00 UTC)
Test session 5 - 14:00 - 17:00 local time (13:00 - 16:00 UTC)
Friday, 8th November, 2024: Test session 6 - 09:00 - 12:00 local time (08:00 - 11:00 UTC)
All women's test session - 14:00 - 17:00 local time (13:00 - 16:00 UTC)
Who are the teams and drivers taking part in pre-season testing this year?
Barring the newest name on the grid, Kiro Race Co, who acquired the assets of the erstwhile ERT outfit over the winter break, the teams have announced their driver pairings for season 11.
Here are the teams and drivers taking part in pre-season testing this year:
TAG Heuer Porsche: Pascal Wehrlein, Antonio Felix Da Costa
Jaguar TCS Racing: Nick Cassidy, Mitch Evans
Andretti Formula E Team: Jake Dennis, Nico Mueller
Nissan Formula E Team: Oliver Rowland, Norman Nato
DS Penske: Jean-Eric Vergne, Maximilian Gunther
Envision Racing: Sebastian Buemi, Robin Frijns
NEOM McLaren: Sam Bird, Taylor Barnard
Maserati MSG Racing: Jake Hughes, Stoffel Vandoorne
Lola Yamaha ABT Formula E Team: Lucas Di Grassi, Zane Maloney
Mahindra Racing: Nyck de Vries, Edoardo Mortara
Kiro Race Co: Dan Ticktum, David Beckmann*
What do I need to keep an eye out for?
While you will certainly need to keep an eye out for the new liveries by teams for the season ahead, and drivers who have shifted teams or joined the series as rookies this year, a la Zane Maloney or Taylor Barnard, or David Beckmann, there's certainly two things you would have to keep an eye on during the upcoming four days of pre-season testing.
There's also the prospect of watching the Gen3 Evo car put through its paces, as it features all-wheel drive, quicker acceleration, increased power output from 300 kW to 350 kW, and improved handling compared to its predecessor.
Thursday's afternoon session (session 5) is expected to feature a special race simulation featuring the "Attack charge", an element Formula E believes will add a new strategic element to their races once introduced.
First expected to be introduced for season nine, ahead of the Gen3 era, the plans to introduce attack mode were shelved, later missing several deadlines across seasons nine as well as ten.
The latest trial of this attack charge will be in the form of a 24-lap race on Thursday afternoon, with 42.35 kWh energy allowance to each drivers, and two attack mode activations totalling eight minutes.
Should the latest attack charge trial be successful, and introduced for season eleven, it could introduce an entirely new dynamic in the way Formula E races are run. Teams will then have multiple strategy options at hand, including options of undercut and overcut.
This would be in the form of running longer or shorter, with drivers potentially using the available energy differently compared to their competitors ahead.
Another important development you would need to look at is the all-female test session, slated for Friday afternoon. More on that in a bit....
What is the new "all-female Formula E test"?
Part of a new development to make Formula E more inclusive, each team must mandatorily field atleast one female driver for this half-day Formula E test exclusively for female racers. While teams have the option of fielding one female racer, they can also field two, allowing for a grid of upto 22 female racers for the session.
The test aims to provide the women not only with a destination but also a pathway to develop their careers and skills using current technology at its full potential.
Apart from their valuable experience piloting Formula E cars on the racetrack, the female racers will also be exposed to media opportunities, including attending press conferences, briefings, interviews, and other opportunities helping them improve their visibility and personalities within the world of motorsport.
Finally, here are the contingent of female racers taking part in the Formula E test, featuring a wide array of racers from across the pond, including past and present F1 Academy racers, former W Series racers, Indy NXT racers, and drivers who have raced in Formula E, Formula 3 and Formula 2 in the past.
Some major names include F1 Academy championship leader Abbi Pulling, 2023 F1 Academy champion and FRECA racer Marta Garcia, Indy NXT racer Jamie Chadwick, as well as former W Series racers Alice Powell, Beitske Visser and Miki Koyama. A former Formula E racer herself, Simona de Silvestro will be testing for the newly-instated Kiro Race Co outfit in the half-day test.
TAG Heuer Porsche: Marta Garcia, Gabriela Jilkova
Jaguar TCS Racing: Jamie Chadwick, Lilou Wadoux
Andretti Formula E Team: Chloe Chambers, Nerea Marti
Nissan Formula E Team*: Abbi Pulling
DS Penske: Jess Edgar, Beitske Visser
Envision Racing: Alice Powell, Alisha Palmowski
NEOM McLaren: Ella Lloyd, Bianca Bustamante
Maserati MSG Racing: Carrie Schreiner, Tatiana Calderon
Lola Yamaha ABT Formula E Team: Miki Koyama
Mahindra Racing: Lena Buhler
Kiro Race Co: Simona de Silvestro
While the test will not be broadcast live, do keep a watch on Formula E's social channels for further updates regarding the test.
ps - this article was updated after Nissan's Sophia Floersch confirmed her unavailability for the test.
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