Testing and ‘Racing’
Pascal Wehrlein topped the first session of pre-season testing at Valencia for Porsche this afternoon setting a best lap off 1:21.714s. That headed Mahindra’s Nyck de Vries by 0.2s. Taylor Barnard caused a red flag after stopping at T12 with a so far un-specified technical issue.
De Vries’ Mahindra and both of the Lola Yamaha ABT cars stopped briefly on track during the session. De Vries’ issue was caused by a standard FIA sensor needing to be replaced, while the Lolas are believed to have had minor software glitch orientated problems.
The first ‘race’ of the season will take place on Tuesday afternoon at approximately 14:10CET. It will be held over 27 laps and usable energy will be set at 38.5kWh (+3.85kWh Pit Boost) meaning that will be a Pit Boost ‘race’ and will have one Attack Mode as per the new sporting regulation which was confirmed at the FIA WMSC last week.
FEN understands that the FIA and Formula E is considering introducing an element of competitiveness to the official Rookie Test at Jarama next March. Initial proposals resolve around a potential qualifying simulation that will also see duel face-offs between rookies at a point during the test, which is provisionally moulded around six hours of available running.
TBC Deletion Defended
Formula E Operations Chief Championship Officer, Alberto Longo, defended the decision to not fill the May TBC date with an alternative venue other than Jakarta.
It became clear recently that an alternative venue for a race in the Indonesian capital city would not be able to be confirmed before the FIA World Motorsport Council sat last week. When asked by Formula E Notebook why another venue could not be added, Longo said “we then try to close the deals that we are at the moment dealing with. And if that doesn’t happen, I always try to bring options to the table.
“And in that table of discussion, together with the board of Formula E and the FIA, it is when we decide whether a replacement is needed or not. In this case, the clear message from the board was that we didn’t need to add an extra race.”
London Still Calling?
Formula E recently held talks with the ExCeL Arena about the possibility of a further extension to the London EPrix deal for the summer of 2027. FEN understands that the possibility of another race in July 2027 is feasible despite FEO’s consistent rhetoric about an alternative venue for a UK race.
An initial extension was agreed earlier this year for an August 2026 event but beyond that there is presently no firm agreement for what would see a seventh year at the London Docklands venue.
Speaking to media at a roundtable event earlier this month, FEO’s chief commercial officer Alberto Longo said that it would be “at the moment, I will say that it is challenging (for Gen4 to race at ExCeL).
“It’s probably that turn three and four in the ExCeL that makes it very challenging, not to say, almost impossible for us to remain there.
“What’s going to happen in the following year, obviously we’re looking into options as well.
“Unfortunately, that particular turn, it’s basically not doable, not viable to change it. I don’t think ExCeL as such is an option for us, unless they commit to do massive works that probably are not even doable,” concluded Longo.
Valencia Prep
Each team had shakedown sessions prior to arriving at Valencia this week with Jaguar TCS Racing and CUPRA Kiro conducting their work at Abingdon Airfield near Oxford, UK. Jake Hughes and Dan Ticktum ran for the latter team with Hughes believed to have been told shortly after that he would not be chosen for the seat. Pepe Martí was confirmed shortly after.
Nick Cassidy got his first mileage in the DS test and development car at the Guadix circuit in Spain a few weeks ago. The Kiwi will have a busy period coming up with testing of the Peugeot Hypercar in Bahrain straight after Valencia ahead of his full-time seat at WEC for 2026.
Andretti conducted its pre Valencia shakedowns at Mallory Park in the UK with both Filipe Drugovich and Jake Dennis getting time at the wheel before the hardware was freighted to Spain.
Nissan prepared for this week by running its cars at the Base 217 facility at Brétigny-sur-Orge just down the road from its headquarters in Viry-Châtillon. Norman Nato did the driving.
DS Penske had both its race drivers Maximilian Guenther and Taylor Barnard running at the Alès Cévennes proving ground track in France last week as it gets set to enter its final season in its present guise. DS and Penske will part after the coming season with the French brands future unclear and Penske looking likely to run its own powertrain.
Purple Porsche Power
In anticipation of the upcoming world premiere of the all-electric Cayenne, Porsche presented its 99X Electric with a special design at testing today. A striking prototype camouflage livery from the new performance SUV was mirrored on Pascal Wehrlein and Nico Mueller’s Porsche 99X Electric Gen3Evo cars. This design highlights the importance Porsche places on the transfer of technology between the racetrack and the road. The most notable commonality between the Cayenne and the 99X is that both recover large amounts of energy during braking and, with up to 600 kW of recuperation power, they feature highly efficient electric powertrains.
New Faces at New Places
FEN understands that longtime Envision Racing team manager Leon Price is set to leave the team and join a leading FIA WEC manufacturer for 2026. São Paulo will be his final Formula E race for the time being. Price has worked for the entry since 2015 when it was known as Virgin Racing. He is the son of well-known and much missed David Price, a motorsport industry legend in his time as a race team and composites company owner across 40 years.
Former Mercedes EQ and NEOM McLaren senior engineer Albert Lau has joined the software and technology company PACETEQ. Lau will take up the position of VP of Product in the company that is part-owned by Lola driving force Till Bechtolsheimer.
Andres Castillo has returned to the Formula E paddock as engineer to Formula E rookie Felipe Drugovich. Castillo was a familiar face in the paddock in the Gen1 era when he worked with the Mahindra and NIO 333 squads via his role as a founding director of the QEV Technologies company.
Former Pascal Wehrlein engineer Fabrice Roussel has left his position at Porsche to take up a senior engineering role at the Alpine Endurance Team where he will work with Wehrlein’s former nemesis at Porsche, Antonio Felix da Costa.
Roussel’s position engineering Wehrlein will be taken by Robert Sattler, who is expected to be joined by former Envision engineer Maxime Menneglier early in 2026. Full story can be found HERE.
Formula E Notebook has learned that Dan Ticktum is now being managed by former Maserati MSG team principal James Rossiter. Ticktum was previously represented by family members.
Citroen’s 4am Champs Elysses Adventure!
Citroen Racing made a spectacular entry in toFormula E last week when it ran one of its Citroen e-CX Gen3 Evo cars down the Champs Elysees! The run actually happened a few days before and was a precursor to Vergne driving on to the stage at the launch. FEN understands that Stellantis contracted driver and former Dragon racer and 2013 Le Mans winner Loic Duval was actually in the car.
Fries with that?
Liberty Global CEO and ultimate boss of Formula E, Mike Fries, experienced a Gen3Evo Jaguar at Abingdon Airfield in the UK in early October. Fries, an occasional trackday participant, is believed to have experienced a couple of spins in his run.
“I really wanted him in that car because I think until you’ve accelerated at that speed, even Nick Cassidy told me that when he got back in the car after a few months it reminded him of that kick in the stomach feeling,” Formula E CEO, Jeff Dodds, told FEN.
“I wanted Mike to get a sense of that. Of course, ever since it, he’s come back he wants to tell everyone about that. He wants to tell everyone how incredible the car is.”
Industry/Partners Insights
JP Morgan Chase is the new official Financial Services Partner of the Jaguar TCS Racing team.
Jaguar Land Rover’s head of partnerships and sponsorship, Ryan Taylor, said that “bringing a global financial powerhouse like JP Morgan Chase into the world of electric motorsport is a massive moment and a testament to the growing influence and commercial maturity of Formula E. For Jaguar TCS Racing, it’s a milestone that elevates our already strong partner ecosystem to new heights.”
Mahindra announced a new partner in lubricants company Valvoline ahead of its Season 12 launch in London earlier this month.
Valvoline, owned by the Aramco group, have over 150 years of experience providing leading-edge lubricants across the automotive and motorsport sectors, competing in a range of championships including Formula 1, IndyCar, NASCAR and – now – Formula E.
Jamal Muashsher, President and Chief Executive Officer of Valvoline Global said: “Partnering with Mahindra Racing marks a significant step in Valvoline’s journey to help shape the future of high-performance electric mobility.
“Through this technical collaboration, our teams are working closely to develop and test advanced eFluids and gearbox technologies designed to enhance efficiency, durability, and overall performance on the track. Formula E provides the ultimate testing ground for innovation, and together with Mahindra, we’re proving that performance and sustainability can go hand in hand.”
Cameron Maultby has left his position as chief commercial officer at Mahindra team. Maultby, who previously worked for DS Virgin in Formula E, is not expected to be replaced immediately as the team re-structures some of its internal staff.
Jim Wright has also departed from his commercial role at Andretti.
Markus Haupt has begun his role as CEO of SEAT and CUPRA, taking over from Wayne Griffiths who left the VW owned brands earlier in 2025.
“Looking back, I can’t help but think of that young boy arriving in Barcelona from Brazil with his family,” said Haupt.
“My love of cars grew from then. From the first SEAT my family owned, to the prototypes I worked on later as I began my career with the Volkswagen Group, to the game-changing CUPRA Raval that we’ll soon be producing at our Martorell factory: I’ve always been obsessed with the performance of cars and their potential to create emotion and provide the freedom to move. I never imagined that one day, I would be leading a company that embodies that passion and purpose.”
Women’s Test Details
Formula E has an exclusive hospitality setting for the Women’s Test this Friday, in a space where guests can immerse themselves, combined with exclusive experiences and dedicated grandstand seating for the best seat in the house.
The Full entry for the test is now confirmed as:
Jaguar TCS: Jamie Chadwick/Juju Noda
Envision: Ella Lloyd/Alice Powell
Mahindra: Chloe Chambers
Nissan: Abbi Pulling
Citroen: Tatiana Calderon
DS Penske: Jess Edgar/Lindsay Brewer
Lola Yamaha ABT: Marta Garcia
Porsche: Gabriela Jilkova/Janina Schall
Andretti: Nerea Marti
CUPRA KIRO: Bianca Bustamante
FEN will be following the women’s test closely this Friday with Georgia Williams leading the coverage throughout on social media and the FEN site. Features and a film wrap-up of the day will be available on FEN post-test and throughout the following week.
