The first of three Formula E pre-season test days took place today with New Zealanders Nick Cassidy and Mitch Evans taking to the track in Valencia.
It was a mixed day for both Kiwis who laid some quick times but also came into grief, triggering a red flag each.
It was Cassidy who triggered the first midway through the morning’s run. Coming to terms with the new Gen3 Jaguar, the Kiwi ran into the gravel, beaching himself. He was able to quickly resume after receiving help from a marshal, the delay minimal.
Evans then had his moment just before the lunch break, beaching his Jaguar in similar style to Cassidy. He was also retrieved with minimal disruption to the session.
Teams continued to get some solid runs in immediately following lunch, however rain soon became apart of the equation meaning the morning’s times weren’t improved on.
Maserati and Porsche are the manufacturers displaying the early pace, Maximilian Gunther setting the fastest lap of the day for Maserati MSG. He also set the fastest time in the afternoon session.
Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein got within .04 of a second of Gunther whilst his teammate Antonio Felix da Costa rounded out the top three.
Evans was the fastest of the Kiwis putting in 28 laps for Jaguar to sit just under a second off top spot in 11th.
Cassidy was just one place behind for Envision, also in a Jaguar. He put in 37 laps seeing his best time only .008 off his compatriot.
Defending champion Stoffel Vandoorne set the fifth fastest time for DS Penske.
The field return to the track over the next two days for further testing as teams fine-tune their cars ahead of the 2023 season.
That campaign begins in one month today, the Mexico City E-Prix at the legendary Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit beginning proceedings on January 14.
Sixteen rounds feature on the calendar for the year which concludes with the London E-Prix at the end of July. Some 21 cars are expected to take the grid.
Header Image: Gunther in action
