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Life in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship started well for the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team, as the British side performed very well in the official pre-season test at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia.

Across the week in Spain, rookie Jake Hughes and the returning René Rast completed an impressive 517 laps between them, with McLaren having been a regular side in the top six. Interestingly, the all-electric championship’s newest side fared better than the team they are a customer side of, with the Nissan Formula E Team having done nothing special during pre-season.

Despite this, NEOM McLaren Team Principal Ian James was pleased to see that Nissan have given them a “very solid basis” to start Season Nine and Gen3 from; however, James noted that there is “still a lot more learning to do”.

“We came to Valencia not knowing exactly what to expect. We didn’t have sight on how the other teams and manufacturers had been preparing for the event and have had little track time with the new generation of cars. I’m pleased to say that overall, we’ve had a successful few days of testing here. It’s been crucial given how little time we’ve had as a team to prepare for the season and how little track time we have been able to get with the Gen3 cars. So, it’s been very important for the drivers and the team to get in some good mileage.

“From a package perspective, the car performance has been promising. We’ve been able to see that Nissan have given us a very solid basis on which we can build on during Season 9. The team itself is getting used to the new generation of cars and the nuances of these cars. It comes with its own complexities, which we are just now starting to get to grips with. And we know there is still a lot more learning to do.”

The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship‘s newest outfit, the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team have enjoyed a very strong start to their time in the all-electric series, with rookie driver Jake Hughes having been one of the stars of pre-season testing.

Hughes was phenomenal all week at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo and was a regular name towards the top of the timesheets, mixing it amongst the DS Automobile powered challengers. McLaren are, of course, using the Nissan Formula E Team‘s package for Season Nine and have interestingly faired better than the Japanese side in Valencia.

The Brit incredibly won a mock-race on Wednesday, cementing his place as someone who could pull-off a few surprises in the upcoming season. Apart from causing a red flag on the opening day after breaking down, the week was largely positive for the former Formula 2 driver, who is aware that there is a “certain level of expectation” on his shoulders.

Based on completed laps, Friday was his best day by far after completing ninety-five circulations of the circuit; however, two sessions did take place on the last day of the official test. Despite it being a new car and a new team, Hughes appeared somewhat surprised at how well everything went, something he said was a “testament to the hard work” of every colleague in his team and at Nissan.

“It’s been overall positive I would say. It was my first proper time in this car with this team and I feel good about it. As a team we haven’t had much time with this new generation car.

DS Penske are perhaps the team to beat looking ahead to the season opener of Season Nine and Gen3 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, after the newly-signed reigning World Champion Stoffel Vandoorne and Jean-Éric Vergne enjoyed a solid week of testing at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia.

All the teams were thankfully greeted by sunny skies for three out of four days at the official pre-season test in Valencia, as the Gen3 challengers were put to work. Both Vandoorne and Vergne were towards the top of the timesheets in every completed session all week, with the DS Automobiles powertrain having liked very much like the package to have.

The early signs point to this with Maserati MSG Racing having also had Maximilian Günther and Edoardo Mortara in the top five almost all week; Maserati too are using DS powertains. It was a common sight to see all four DS powered cars in the top six during the week, signalling that they’ve made the best start with their Gen3 package.

Eugenio Franzetti, director of DS Performance, hailed the week of testing as “intense” and that the data gathered shows that Gen3 is set to be “very closely-fought” throughout the field.

“After having worked very hard on the development of the DS E-TENSE FE23, the Valencia tests have finally taken place. There, it was possible for us all to come together and to begin to understand the performance of our competitors. It was an intense week that gave us some very positive signs but also showed us that the level of competition will be extremely high and that Season 9 is set to be very closely-fought!”

Stoffel Vandoorne and DS Penske enjoyed a strong week of testing to start Season Nine of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, with the team’s DS E-TENSE FE23 appearing to be the real deal in Gen3.

Following his switch from the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team to DS Penske, which is, of course, a merge of DS Automobiles and Penske Autosport, many wondered how the reigning World Champion would get on this week at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia. Unsurprisingly, he’s adjusted to his new work environment brilliantly and was a regular figure towards the top of the timesheets all week in Spain.

DS Penske appear to be one of the strongest teams on the grid this season, at least that is the early suggestion based on the fact that the DS powertrain being used by DS Penske and Maserati MSG Racing looked very good all week.

Vandoorne ended the week very pleased with how the test went, with the Belgian driver confident that his side “have a good base” going into the season opener in January.

“It was really exciting to be back in Valencia for these pre-season tests! The sessions were extremely positive for us. We learned a lot of things about our new car. Now we have a good base from which to tackle the first race of the season in Mexico!”

Ultra4 Racing prides itself in being the top “extreme off-road” series, which consists of rock crawling and navigating thick forests in especially difficult terrain. Likewise, rally raid is regarded as the most difficult form of off-road racing with its multi-day and -stage endurance format.

Starting in 2023, the two disciplines will join forces as Ultra4 joins RBI Sport‘s Rallye Breslau in Poland on 25–30 June. This partnership will expand to all three RBI rounds in 2024 including the Fenix Rally in Tunisia and the Balkan Offroad Rallye in Transylvania/Romania. Ultra4 will be a separate class and points earned in Breslau will go towards the Ultra4 Europe championship.

“I am happy that Dave and I work in one direction and share common values in terms of the
overall organisation of off-road events,” said RBI Sport CEO Alexander Kovatchev. “We want to deliver high quality experience to the participants and assist them in making life time memories in a very friendly atmosphere despite of the competitive characteristics of a rally. We both know our teams and what they love at the races. I very much look forward to this great cooperation.”

Ultra4 Europe and its Australian counterpart are independent of Ultra4 USA, which is owned by MidAmerica Outdoors. The non-American championships are overseen by Hammerking Productions, who runs King of the Hammers and previously Ultra4 USA until its sale in March.

“Since the founding of King of the Hammers and Ultra4, our mission has been to give teams the opportunity to prove their skill while also having lifetime experiences,” commented Hammerking owner Dave Cole. “Alex and the RBI team exemplify this approach. This opportunity is an honour, one which I’m sure our drivers will rise to the challenge. Thank you RBI for allowing us to join your party.”

As the name suggests, the Short-course Off-road Drivers Association (SODA) primarily races off-road tracks. But in back-to-back years, it will begin a season at a track mainly known for stock car pavement racing as the 2023 calendar kicks off at Wisconsin International Raceway.

Located in Kaukauna, WIR is a four-track speedway with half-mile and quarter-mile ovals, a figure 8, and a drag strip. Grassroots racing dominates the track and it is one of the many Midwestern circuits that future NASCAR stars have used to build their name: 2003 Cup Series champion Matt Kenseth won the 1994 and 1995 Super Late Model track titles, while 1992 Cup titlist Alan Kulwicki did so in 1979 and 1980. The decorated Sauter family is a household name at WIR, as are 2017 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Mark Martin, 2022 Truck Series Championship Round contender Ty Majeski, and the late Dick Trickle.

Of course, a short course off-road series is a far cry from the aforementioned. While the premise of off-road trucks jumping ramps and plowing through the grass at a stock car track is certainly an oddity, SODA has a weekend of experience after beginning the 2022 season at Slinger Super Speedway. Slinger, which is slightly over an hour’s drive away from Kaukauna, has a figure 8 that SODA used in addition to much of its main quarter-mile oval; SODA’s track layout also included an over/under jump at the figure 8’s intersection and a series of kicker jumps.

In an interview with The Checkered Flag in May, SODA President Willie Freshour said he and Slinger owner Todd Thelen were initially skeptical of the idea, but “figured it out” and “it was a lot of fun.” Freshour explained visiting asphalt courses in addition to the usual dirt tracks is a boon for Wisconsin’s racing scene as it allows SODA’s drivers to stay within the area while providing a unique racing experience for fans accustomed to stock cars. This was especially the case as most asphalt tracks host an “Eve of Destruction” night where they invite drivers to race bizarre vehicles in events like demolition derbies and stunt shows; such an event is one of WIR’s most popular, while Thelen told TCF that Slinger’s Slamfest was the genesis for the SODA round.

“[The asphalt tracks] don’t make a ton of money on their regular show, and then they’ll have a destruction-type show where they pack the house every year,” said Freshour. “What kind of our hope is that basically within three years or something, we’re competing with these tracks. We’re competing with those numbers of their destruction shows where we can pack the place once a year for these tracks. Our circuit can tour around this area of Wisconsin and really bring the fans out. It’s just good for the whole sport because then those fans are going to come to the regular races too at those circle tracks and/or follow our circuit around.

Felipe Drugovich is keen to race something in 2023 to complement his role as reserve and test driver for the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula 1 Team.

The Brazilian, who claimed the FIA Formula 2 title in 2022, was the first driver to be brought into the Aston Martin young driver programme earlier this year, and he was given his first taste of Formula 1 machinery by the team, as well as a free practice outing in Abu Dhabi.

Alongside FIA Formula E champion Stoffel Vandoorne, Drugovich will act as part of the reserve driver rota in 2023, but he is keen to not lose his competitive edge by adding a racing programme alongside his Aston Martin duties, something the team are also happy for him to do.

“I will be doing the reserve role for Aston Martin, I’m going to be following the team and learning as much as I can, I’ll do a few FP1s as well, that’s something very nice to look forward [to],” Drugovich is quoted as saying by F1i.com during the FIA Gala in Bologna.

“The team is keen to let me do something else, which I don’t know yet, but we’re trying to see if there is an opportunity to just keep racing, but the priority is also going to be Formula 1.”

Sergio Pérez does not feel any additional pressure despite the arrival of Daniel Ricciardo at Oracle Red Bull Racing as their reserve driver for the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season.

Ricciardo has re-joined Red Bull after losing his ride with the McLaren F1 Team, despite the Australian taking the team to their first race victory in nine years when he took first place in the 2021 Italian Grand Prix.

The Australian’s first spell at Red Bull between 2014 and 2018 saw him take seven of his eight career race victories, with his lowest finishing position in the Drivers’ Championship in that time being eighth in 2015.

Pérez finished third in the Drivers’ Championship in 2022, the best finish in his career so far, but he only took two race victories compared to the fifteen of team-mate Max Verstappen as the Dutchman stormed to his second World Championship triumph.

But despite the obvious pressure of having a multiple race winner looking over his shoulder as reserve driver, Pérez insists the Australian’s arrival does not add any pressure onto him, and he is going about his preparation for the upcoming 2023 season in the same way he was always going to.

The Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula 1 Team will not benefit from their new wind tunnel until at least the 2025 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season, according to Technical Director Dan Fallows.

Aston Martin are currently building a new factory at Silverstone, and part of the development plan is to build their own wind tunnel, something the current set-up does not have.

Fallows hopes the wind tunnel will be in operation midway through the 2024 season, which means the 2025 car will be the first to benefit from its use.

“The target for the wind tunnel is to be online in the middle of 2024,” Fallows is quoted as saying by Motorsport.com. “We’re hoping that will have at least some contribution to the ’25.

“I think depending on how the commissioning and things of the tunnel goes, that will be probably the first car that will have a significant impact with the new tunnel.

Esteban Ocon has warned that the planned banning of tyre blankets could pose warm-up problems and cause unnecessary safety concerns if they are introduced as scheduled for the 2024 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season.

Pirelli were set to drop the tyre blanket temperature from seventy degrees Celsius down to fifty degrees for the 2023 Formula 1 season in anticipation of removing tyre blankets all together the following season, and they tested this scenario in free practice for the United States Grand Prix.

However, Ocon reckons that safety could be compromised should the tyre blankets be outlawed in 2024, and it would have a negative effect on strategy, with the BWT Alpine F1 Team driver reckoning that any idea of using the undercut to pass someone would disappear.

“It’s not working at the moment,” Ocon is quoted as saying by PlanetF1.com.  “We’ve tested in Austin, which was quite a warm weekend. It’s a high energy track and we were improving every lap, but we were very far off the pace on the out-lap, it was like being on ice, for example, in the first couple of corners.

“So it is not Formula 1 philosophy let’s say, you can forget the undercuts, you can forget any strategy goal, because you will take three or four laps to warm up the tyres, so it is quite boring.

Both Mitch Evans and Sam Bird concluded pre-season testing for Season Nine of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship seemingly happy with Jaguar TCS Racing‘s Gen3 challenger the I-TYPE 6, with the British side having completed over 1,500 kilometres of running across the test.

The team were met largely by dry weather at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia, excluding on the first day of the official test (Tuesday), where typical winter weather met the all-electric series.

This week has seen Jaguar get as much of an understanding of the new era of the sport as possible, with Gen3 being a “big step forward in technology and electrification”. The peak of the team’s weak was perhaps Evans and Bird claiming first and second during the fifth testing session of the week, in regard to the new 300KW race power mode. Evans also claimed third on Wednesday during the mock-practice and qualifying sessions, suggesting that he won’t experience the same qualifying struggles that he faced in Season Eight.

Team Principal James Barclay labelled testing as a “vital process”, and admitted that the team had “seen some promising car performance and efficiency” from the I-TYPE 6 in Valencia.

“This pre-season all-teams test week marks the start of the 2023 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship season. It has been good to return to Valencia and test our Jaguar I-TYPE 6 race cars along with all other teams for the first time and gauge where everyone stands from a performance perspective. The Gen3 car represents a big step forward in technology and electrification.

Mitch Evans enjoyed a solid week of pre-season testing at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia, with the New Zealander having looked particularly strong over a single push lap, something that let him down in Season Eight.

Whilst the timing sheets were being set alight by Maserati MSG Racing and DS Penske, Jaguar TCS Racing quietly went about their business, before cementing their place in the leading group on Wednesday.

Wednesday saw a mock-race weekend take place, with Evans having claimed third in the practice and qualifying sessions, suggesting that his qualifying woes of Season Eight won’t reappear in Season Nine. The week sadly didn’t end brilliantly for the Season Eight Vice-Champion, who brought out a red flag during the afternoon session on Friday after appearing to breakdown.

Nevertheless, Evans hailed the week and their qualifying simulations as “positive”, with the Jaguar driver hoping that the team will be “in a good place” come the season opener next month.

“We’ve been competitive in the sessions, as well as the qualifying simulation which is positive. Qualifying is key to success in Formula E so to be at the front of the group gives me confidence. Technically, the Gen3 race car is more complex, but as a team we’ve learned a lot this week and hope to be in a good place in Mexico in a month’s time.”

It has been a dream return to the motorsport scene for Maserati, as Maserati MSG Racing have looked imperious in pre-season testing for Season Nine of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

The team’s new signing, Maximilian Günther, has been driving like a man possessed all week at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia, with the German having topped the vast majority of the sessions. Throughout Tuesday-Friday, Günther has ended everyday on top except Thursday, with the twenty-five year old having also set a new Formula E lap record in the final afternoon session on Friday.

Edoardo Mortara hasn’t been fair behind all week, with the Swiss driver – who remained with the team through it’s rebranding from ROKIT Venturi Racing to Maserati MSG Racing – having consistently been in the top five all week. He did dip below the top five in the mock-race weekend that was trialed on Wednesday but only just, after finishing sixth. Günther claimed second in the mock-race, despite having topped the practice session and qualifying.

By the end of the week, the duo had completed 597 laps, putting them in a great position looking ahead to the season opener in Mexico City.

Team Principal James Rossiter labelled the side’s performance as “immense”, with Maserati having looked like perhaps the team to beat going into the first round of the new era of the all-electric series.

Andreas Seidl, the outgoing Team Principal of the McLaren F1 Team, says his former team will want to make a step forward during the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season after losing ground last season compared to 2021.

McLaren slipped to fifth in the Constructors’ Championship in 2022, scoring only one podium finish thanks to Lando Norris in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, having taken fourth place in 2021.  They were involved in a season-long battle with the BWT Alpine F1 Team for that fourth place, only to fall short in the final reckoning by fourteen points.

Seidl, who will take up a new position as CEO of the Sauber F1 Team in January, admits McLaren do still have some limitations, such as using a wind tunnel that is not their own, but it is up to the team to overcome those limitations and push forward to develop a better car for 2023.

“The objective is clear also next year, we want to make another step again in all areas of the team,” Seidl is quoted as saying by Motorsport.com prior to his departure from McLaren.

“That’s not just with the car itself, including some of the weaknesses we’ve seen this year, but also with just simply making another step as a team in all aspects.

It has been a dream start to Season Nine of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship for Maximilian Günther, as the German has adjusted to life at Maserati MSG Racing somewhat perfectly, after topping three out of four days at pre-season testing in Valencia.

Maserati’s return to motorsport has been majestic so far, with Günther and Edoardo Mortara having looked extremely comfortable in the Maserati Tipo Folgore, their first Gen3 challenger.

Günther in particular has been incredibly impressive, with the twenty-five year old having gotten up to speed in the new era of the all-electric series instantly. The German ended both Tuesday and Wednesday at the top of the timesheets, as the times quickly tumbled below what the Gen2 cars produced at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo. After finishing towards the bottom on Thursday, he returned to the top in the final afternoon session on Friday, setting a new lap record for a Formula E car around the Spanish circuit.

The former Nissan Formula E Team driver also looked good during the trial race weekend that took place on Wednesday, after topping the practice and qualifying session before finishing second in the mock race.

The German is certainly in a very solid position looking ahead to the season opener in Mexico City, with Günther admitting that pre-season testing was “very positive”.