Buemi fastest on opening day of pre-season testing
New manufacturers take to the track at Donington Park ahead of season two
Photo by: John Rowley
Donington Park, UK : Just six weeks after the first season of Formula E concluded with the spectacular Visa London ePrix, testing kicked off for season two at Donington Park.
Initial bragging rights went to Sebastien Buemi of Renault e.dams, who set the pace during a day that was interrupted by a brief rain shower in the mid-afternoon. The quickest time of 1:32.092s, compares to Buemi’s best time of 1:31.083s, set during the penultimate day of pre-season testing last year.
New powertrains
The day was the first public outing for the season two technology with a healthy crowd turning out to see the cars in action. This season eight new manufacturers have produced powertrains, however, neither Andretti – in its new Amlin livery, nor Trulli completed a lap, although both teams expect to run tomorrow.
Familiar faces in unfamiliar colours
It was also the first time new Venturi signing Jacques Villeneuve had driven a Formula E car in public. The 1997 Formula 1 world champion ended up in 14th place with a best time of 1:38.176s.
Frenchman Tom Dillmann made his Formula E test debut for Team Aguri, completing a few exploratory laps in the wet ahead of a full run tomorrow. There were familiar faces in unfamiliar colours as Jean-Eric Vergne made his public test debut for DS Virgin Racing, while Nick Heidfeld had his first outing as a Mahindra Racing driver.
Donington Park – Pre-season testing (Day 1) – Results
1. Sebastien Buemi, Renault e.dams, 1:32.095s
2. Lucas di Grassi, ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport, 1:32.158s
3. Nicolas Prost, Renault e.dams, 1:32.286s
4. Sam Bird, DS Virgin Racing, 1:32.523s
5. Salvador Duran, Team Aguri, 1:32.549s
6. Bruno Senna, Mahindra Racing, 1:35.653s
7. Nick Heidfeld, Mahindra Racing, 1:35.700s
8. Jerome D’Ambrosio, Dragon Racing, 1:36.324s
9. Tom Dillmann, Team Aguri, 1:36.329s
10. Stephane Sarrazin, Venturi, 1:36.361s
11. Jean-Eric Vergne, DS Virgin Racing, 1:36.704s
12. Loic Duval, Dragon Racing, 1:37.987s
13. Nelson Piquet Jr, NEXTEV TCR, 1:38.052s
14. Jacques Villeneuve, Venturi, 1:38.176s
15. Jarno Trulli, Trulli, no time set
16. Simona de Silvestro, Andretti, no time set
Formula E
Be part of Motorsport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Abt to be powered by Lola/Yamaha's Formula E powertrain
Di Grassi returns to Abt in Formula E in 2024, partnering Muller
Muller: Ninth in Berlin race the maximum after qualifying shock
Latvala: Neuville, Evans tied for WRC Croatia lead "something special"
Streets of Long Beach receive changes ahead of the IMSA, IndyCar doubleheader
The Chinese Grand Prix's Chaotic Return and Cloudy Future
Kirkwood: “More durable” tires hindering passing on street circuits in 2024
How Porsche won, lost and won in Misano Formula E mayhem
How Guenther’s patience provided his Tokyo Formula E triumph
How brilliant Bird survived the heat to end Formula E win drought in Sao Paulo
How Cassidy surprised himself to storm to Formula E's summit in Saudi
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments