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Pascal Wehrlein Dominates Early Formula E Testing in Valencia Return
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Highlights
- Pascal Wehrlein set fastest time on Formula E testing day
- Testing returned to Valencia after last year’s flood disruption
- Nyck de Vries and Edoardo Mortara finished second and fourth
- Taylor Barnard caused a brief red flag, finished 13th
- Rookies Pepe Martí and Felipe Drugovich finished last and 19th
- Six sessions planned for further car refinements in Valencia
Pascal Wehrlein tops opening day of Formula E pre-season testing in Valencia, as the championship returns to Circuit Ricardo Tormo after last year’s flood-enforced late move to Madrid.
The 2024 champion records a 1m21.714 in Porsche’s 99X Electric, nearly three seconds faster than the 2023 Valencia test benchmark, underlining the Gen3 Evo package’s performance step.
Running stays mostly dry, interrupted only by a brief red flag after Taylor Barnard stops at Turn 12. Marshals recover the car quickly, and he resumes to end 13th.
Mahindra signals progress. Nyck de Vries ranks second and Edoardo Mortara fourth, with Andretti’s Jake Dennis splitting them in third.
Reigning world champion Oliver Rowland is fifth, his best lap a touch over three tenths shy of Wehrlein’s mark after a late push.
Wehrlein’s 1m21.714 in the Porsche 99X Electric sets the day-one benchmark.
Citroën’s new pairing, Jean-Eric Vergne and Nick Cassidy, complete the top 10 in ninth and 10th respectively, delivering a tidy baseline on their first public run together.
The rookie group banks mileage. Cupra’s Pepe Martí finishes last, 2.7s off the pace, while 2022 Formula 2 champion Felipe Drugovich places 19th, narrowly ahead.
Mahindra places Nyck de Vries second and Edoardo Mortara fourth, with Jake Dennis third.
Porsche’s headline time sets the early reference, yet the competitive spread suggests scope for swings as software, regeneration, and tyre preparation programmes converge through the week’s remaining six sessions.
Returning to Valencia matters. Stable running accelerates correlation work after last year’s disruption, and the Gen3 Evo’s efficiency appears to unlock significant laptime at this circuit.
Gen3 Evo pace is nearly three seconds quicker than Valencia’s 2023 test reference.
With programmes now bedded in, teams pursue setup refinement and race-run consistency. The tone is set: Porsche holds an edge, but margins look manageable for the main contenders.
Visual Summary
1:21.714
Fastest Lap • Wehrlein
🚗
Pascal Wehrlein launches the 2024 Formula E pre-season with a record-breaking lap in Valencia. Porsche’s Gen3 Evo sets a new standard, nearly 3s faster than ever.
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Porsche Surges Ahead
Porsche Surges Ahead
Porsche
Mahindra
Others
Mahindra
Others
🥇 Wehrlein
Porsche
Porsche
⚡️
🥈 De Vries
Mahindra
Mahindra
⚡
🥉 Dennis
Andretti
Andretti
Championship contenders fire the opening shots. Mahindra and Andretti refuse to let Porsche claim the season yet.
⛔
Red Flag: Barnard stalls at Turn 12, action paused briefly—testing resumes in minutes.
Rookies climb the mountain of Formula E
🧑🚀
Drugovich
Drugovich
🧑🎓
Martí
Martí
Martí finishes last but gains experience on debut. Drugovich edges ahead.
As Valencia’s sun shines on fierce rivals, Formula E’s new lap record & pace ignite a season of even tougher battles.
Four days to go. The fight has only just begun.
Four days to go. The fight has only just begun.
Zane Muniz writes across NASCAR, IndyCar, F1, IMSA, NHRA, and dirt-racing news. His breaking-news alerts and event previews ensure motorsport fans never miss a lap, drift, or drag-strip showdown.
