Pre-Season Testing Day One: Maximilian Günther Dominates Rain Disrupted First Day

It was a dream start to Season Nine of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship for Maximilian Günther and Maserati MSG Racing, as the German comfortably set the fastest times on the first official day of testing the new Gen3 challengers.

With there being so much anticipating surrounding the new era of the all-electric series, drivers were quick to get out onto the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, in Valencia. The morning session saw the teams gather vital data, as it quickly became apparent just how fast the new generation of Formula E is going to be.

Günther, who is no stranger to topping Formula E testing, set the fastest time in the first session of the day, after posting a 1:26.096, just eight-hundredths faster than Formula E rookie Jake Hughes, who put the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team in second spot after an impressive morning’s work. There was yet more for Maserati to be pleased with, as Edoardo Mortara rounded-off the top four, after Mahindra Racing‘s Oliver Rowland sealed the final spot in the top three.

Stoffel Vandoorne ended his first session with DS Penske in fifth, with the reigning World Champion having been four-tenths off Günther’s strong time. Season Six Champion António Félix da Costa ended the morning in sixth, after conducting a solid morning in his new Porsche TAG Heuer Formula E Team colours.

Whilst there was much to be pleased with for a lot of the teams, the session was disrupted annoyingly by typical winter weather, as rain caught out Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy, who beached their new Gen3 wheels.

Afternoon Session: Günther Tops Disrupted Running

The afternoon session on the opening day resulted in more early joy for Maserati and Günther, as the German once again topped the session. His best time in the afternoon was a couple-tenths slower than his time from the morning; however, this was largely due to earlier rain which affected the end of the morning session.

Günther topped the session thanks to a 1:26.221, after comfortably being the fastest driver in the final two sectors of the circuit in Valencia. The rain once again, though, caused havoc not long after the Maserati driver completed the strong lap, making for an annoyingly disrupted afternoon due to the circuit having been soaked.

Despite this, the opening day proved to also be a strong one for Porsche, as Pascal Wehrlein claimed second in the afternoon session just ahead of his new team-mate Da Costa. Second and third marks a strong start to the new generation for the German manufacturer, who are yet to really set the championship alight despite their motorsport pedigree. Is 2023 their year?

The Porsche drivers were seemingly the filling of an Italian sandwich, as Mortara claimed fourth once again the afternoon session, cementing a brilliant return to motorsport for Maserati. With the DS Penske driver’s claiming fifth and sixth, it means that the DS powertrains on the grid were all in the top six, with Maserati being a DS customer side. DS Automobiles really do seem to have hit the nail on the head with the Gen3 powertrains, something that’ll be intriguing to see as pre-season testing continues.

The afternoon session wasn’t without it’s difficulties, with Hughes, who was brilliant in the morning session, having caused a red flag after coming to a halt between Turns Five and Six. Sérgio Sette Câmara also had to be rescued from the same spot, whilst his NIO 333 FE Team partner Dan Ticktum ended the day in the top ten.

It was an afternoon to forget for the Nissan Formula E Team, after Norman Nato ended the day in twenty-first following a plethora of issues, whilst rookie Sacha Fenestraz claimed seventeenth. It was even worse, though, for Envision Racing and Sébastian Buemi, who failed to set a single lap-time in the afternoon session.

Warmer and drier weather is expected tomorrow, with it likely to be the best conditions that the teams and drivers will get during the entirety of the pre-season test, meaning data gathering will be crucial.