Formula E’s 2025 season preparations are officially underway in Valencia. Teams begin evaluating updated powertrains, new driver pairings and the final refinements ahead of the last GEN3 Evo season. With every manufacturer running different testing programmes, early performance indicators are emerging, and storylines are already forming.
Session One, Top 10:
With clear skies, sun shinging and track temperatures of around 30°C, the opening three hour session produced a closely matched field.
- Pascal Wehrlein – Porsche Formula E Team
- Nyck De Vries – Mahindra Racing
- Jake Dennis – Andretti Formula E
- Edoardo Mortara – Mahindra Racing
- Oliver Rowland – Nissan Formula E Team
- António Félix da Costa – Jaguar TCS Racing
- Maximilian Günther – DS Penske
- Mitch Evans – Jaguar TCS Racing
- Jean-Éric Vergne – Citroën Racing
- Nick Cassidy – Citroën Racing
Wehrlein set the fastest time of the session with a 1:21.714 on his 38th lap of 45. His time was only 0.112 seconds quicker than De Vries, which indicates a competitive field at the very start of the test. Teams will continue to refine their programmes throughout the week. The lap times may therefore not be fully representative of true pace. However, Porsche will feel encouraged by this strong beginning.
Mahindra will also be pleased to have both drivers within the top four as the team works toward a more competitive season.
Taylor Barnard Sees the Gravel
The first red flag interruption of the pre-season arrived one hour into the session. DS Penske rookie Taylor Barnard locked up at Turn 12 and ran into the gravel. Team Principal Phil Charles provided an explanation for the issue.
”We had a component failure in the car. When you shake down new equipment occasionally, little things like that could sneak through. We shook down our cars in the last couple of weeks, but that component unfortunately just caused us a problem yesterday.”
The car was returned to the garage and repaired. Barnard rejoined the session and completed enough laps to gather useful data. He finished in 15th position.
Track Limits vs the Cars
Strict track limits at Ricardo Tormo proved to be a significant challenge for the drivers. Sixteen of the twenty drivers had at least one lap deleted. Thirty three infractions occurred at Turn 1 and Turn 12 alone. Many drivers struggled with braking precision into Turn 1 and the kerbs at Turn 12. The circuit conditions are expected to improve later in the week, which should reduce the issue.
There are several sessions remaining in Valencia, so the competitive picture will continue to evolve. It is still too early to draw meaningful conclusions. Porsche will hope to maintain their strong start. Mahindra will look to confirm their apparent progress.
The season has not begun yet, but teams understand that early momentum can make a difference.