MotoGP is not the only motor championship that already rolls on the track in 2021 to specifically prepare for the next season, it also does so from Monday until Thursday Formula E. The Spanish route is one more year, and there have been five since 2017, the setting chosen for the electric World Cup tests which returns to film three months after crowning its last champion in Berlin, the Dutch Nyck de Vries, and two before starting a new year in Saudi Arabia (on January 28).
There will be eleven teams, one less after the departure of Audi, and their colors and drivers have been known in recent weeks with important changes in both sections. For example, Di Grassi comes to Venturi after a lifetime with the brand with the four rings, Rowland lands in Mahindra and his seat at Nissan is inherited by Guenther. There are also new faces, the best known being that of Giovinazzi, who debuts with the Dragon before ending his F1 journey, Askew, a former McLaren in IndyCar, signs for Andretti and Ticktum for NIO.
The rest of the grill is kept with De Vries and Vandoorne together again in the last year of Mercedes, Da Costa and Vergne in DS Techeetah with the aim of regaining the crown or Lotterer and Wehrlein in Porsche as another strong couple. Everyone begins to grease their machines in Valencia, where they will race with the new power established for the race (it goes up from 200 kW to 220) and where the reformed classification system is already being tested in which they will compete first in a group and then in duels until they have to the poleman.
Frijns, first leader
There are five sessions spread over three days (Wednesday is dedicated to other commitments), the first was led by Bird’s Jaguar by just one tenth over Di Grassi, and in the second most of the time was used to start testing the new classification, but It was worth to Frijns to lower the record of the morning and finish at the front of the day with a 1: 26.9. First of all, a heartfelt minute of silence was observed in memory of Frank Williams, a transcendental figure for the entire racing world who passed away yesterday.
Formula E grid for 2022
Avalanche Andretti: Jake Dennis and Oliver Askew.
Dragon Penske: Sergio Sette Camara and Antonio Giovinazzi.
DS Techeetah: Antonio Félix Da Costa and Jean-Éric Vergne.
Envision Racing: Robin Frijns and Nick Cassidy.
Mahindra Racing: Oliver Rowland and Alexander Sims.
Mercedes EQ: Nyck De Vries and Stoffel Vandoorne.
NIO Racing: Oliver Turvey and Dan Ticktum.
Nissan e.dams: Sébastien Buemi and Maximilian Guenther.
Jaguar Racing: Sam Bird and Mitch Evans.
Rokit Venturi: Edoardo Mortara and Lucas Di Grassi.
Tag Heuer Porsche: André Lotterer and Pascal Wehrlein.
