Formula E has already kicked off the testing of the Gen3 cars that will become part of the category next year. In the first stages, the focus is on observing front-engine regeneration and the wear of the new Hankook tires
Formula E is preparing for a real revolution next season with the implementation of Gen3 cars in the category. And the first tests have already begun to be made with the new single-seater - at least by the supplying teams. DS, Nissan, and Porsche have already started reliability work in tests held in Europe on Monday (13).
The exact location of the tests was not disclosed by the teams, which did not even record the moment on their social media. The mystery is because Formula E divides testing into two groups: teams based in the UK test on the island, while those from outside the UK do their sessions on the continent.
Last week, the UK-based teams had already done their first tests: Jaguar took Sam Bird and Nick Cassidy - who will remain with Envision in 2023, but took advantage of the client teams' right to four days of testing to take the Gen3 car for the first time - while Mahindra had Oliver Rowland and NIO tested with Oliver Turvey.
So the so-called "Continental Test" - because it involved European teams from outside the UK - saw all three teams on track, all without their main drivers. DS even ran the program with a dedicated testing team, independent of its race team - but with engineers working on both sides.
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Regarding the car of the French manufacturer, the test driver and sports manager, James Rossiter, will be responsible for driving the new single-seater - because the duo of drivers of the team that will be formed between DS and Penske for next year still wears other colors.
Jean-Èric Vergne will only start the car after completing the sequence of races between the Marrakech eP and the New York one - with a World Endurance Championship race between the two stages -, while Stoffel Vandoorman will be in charge of driving the new single-seater.while Stoffel Vandoorne will only enter the cockpit after he has fulfilled his contract with Mercedes, which runs until August - the end of the Formula E season.
Nissan, meanwhile, is still working to complete the restructuring of the team after buying the part that belonged to e.dams, with the aim of taking full control of the team from next year on. Therefore, the person responsible for driving the team's car in testing is the British driver Jann Mardenboough, a simulator driver for the team.
The reason for not having one of the regular drivers at the test is precisely the fact that Nissan has not yet secured a duo for next year. The team already knows it will lose Sébastien Buemi - who is leaving for Envision - but has not yet guaranteed the definitive permanence of Maximilian Günther - who tends to stay - and is still analyzing options to close the two seats. Thus, French reserve Stéphane Sarrazin may also take over the car during Gen3 testing.
Finally, Porsche. The first team to release images of its Gen3 single-seater during testing at the Weissach plant, the team used French factory driver Frédéric Makowiecki, winner of the LMGTE class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans along with Gianmaria Bruni and Richard Lietz.
Makowiecki's feedback is highly regarded at Porsche, as the driver has experience as a tire tester and has already participated in the team's own 2020 rookie test in Marrakech. It is worth noting that testing the compounds will be vital for next year, when Formula E will switch official suppliers and will receive tires from Hankook - until the end of the season, the deal is still with Michelin.
The team's driver duo has already been decided for next year, but one of the starters has not yet been able to take part in the tests. It is António Félix da Costa, who is still in the last months of his contract with DS Techeetah and will take the place of André Lotterer - who is leaving for Andretti - from next year. On the other side of the garage, Pascal Wehrlein remains for another season.
"[Porsche will] check the hardware, the systems and the functions, whether everything is working as expected," explained Florian Modlinger, Porsche's director of Formula E. "It's not just a reliability test, clearly it's one point on the list, but there's a lot more to check. With Hankook, a new tire supplier has arrived, and a clear target is to learn and understand as soon as possible the needs of these tires and how you get the most out of it. Front engine regeneration is the next topic. Braking will be a key performance factor," he added.