- Formula E will continue its plan of blooding rookie drivers this season with an extra free practice session at the Misano Adriatico EPrix in April. This will be in addition to another full day of testing a month later at Berlin Tempelhof.
- FEN can reveal that agreement has been reached for Misano to host an additional free practice session on the afternoon of Friday 12th April for drivers that have not previously taken part in a Formula E race.
- Each team will run one car in the 30-minute session meaning that 11 rookie drivers will get the chance for mileage at the event. The Misano weekend sees few calendar clashes with other championships meaning that some F2 and F3 drivers are likely to take part in the session.
- These plans follow the first extra free practice session for new drivers in Rome last season. At the time this was seen as a contentious decision by the FIA who were lobbied heavily by teams as they felt was excessive jeopardy in running new drivers on a difficult street circuit.
- Misano has replaced Rome on the 2024 calendar after Formula E decided on a permanent facility largely due to financial reasons although this was masked by a perceived safety narrative around the popular EUR circuit.
- FEN understands that drivers expected to take part at Misano include Zane Maloney for Andretti, Tim Tramnitz for Abt Cupra, Kush Maini for Mahindra and Caio Collet for Nissan.
- The double header at Misano could also include the first in-race use of the Attack Charge boosting which has now been delayed by over a year.
- Supply and reliability issues of the hardware have seen teams having to test the equipment in private testing and during the opening season first free practice session in Mexico City.
- However, issues during that test triggered an investigation by suppliers WAE after one of the Envision Racing Jaguar cars went in to a red ‘no touch’ mode after being charged and then had to be quarantined.
- Several drivers told FEN in Riyadh last month that they had little to no experience of genuine Attack Charge practice.
- Mahindra’s Edoardo Mortara said that he “did a few [Attack Charges], but honestly I didn’t properly use them a lot.
- “I’d rather not say anything on [planned introduction of Attack Charge in Misano] because they were supposed to arrive in Mexico last season, then this was delayed and postponed.
- “I don’t know when we’re going to have it, if we’re going to have it. I’d rather go with the flow and wait.
- “It’s just going to be a matter of being ready, and I think the team – in terms of software development – I think they’ve done a good job in order to be ready.”
- Teams are expected to again test the Attack Chargers at Sao Paulo and Tokyo next month before a definitive decision on whether they can be used with the race structure at Misano.
- Should it be deemed reliable, the FIA has put in place a framework for it to be used at each of the remaining double headers after Misano in April – Berlin, Shanghai, Portland and London.
