Skip advert
Advertisement

Prost beats the rain on day six of testing at Donington - Page 2 - Days 1-5

Formula E testing is now finished at Donington Park for the 2015-2016 season. Updated with final two days

Day 1

Buemi's day one time of 1:32.092 seconds put him only a second down on his best time from pre-season testing last year, highlighting the potential of the e.dams Renault car. Another e.dams driver, Nicolas Prost, set third fastest time. Second went to the ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport car of Lucas di Grassi.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Last season, teams competed exclusively in Spark-Renault vehicles, but this season, independently-developed powertrains will add an extra dimension to the racing.

It’s part of a gradual move to teams in the series eventually using their own car designs. In the meantime, the commonality of chassis helps keep costs down and has enabled the series to start much sooner than it might have had all teams contested their own vehicles from the start.

Ten teams will compete in 2015-2016, eight of which will use their own powertrains. Of those sharing drivetrains, Dragon Racing will partner with French manufacturer Venturi, while Team Aguri will keep the SRT01-e setup from last season.

As well as new powertrains, the 2015-2016 season welcomes a new and distinctly high-profile signing – 1997 Formula 1 World Champion, Jacques Villeneuve.

The Canadian driver has signed for the Venturi team, alongside Stephane Sarrazin. Villeneuve may take some time to get used to the new car, and set a time of 1:38.176 around Donington’s twists and turns.

Day 2

Testing continues to go well for Buemi, setting a new Formula E lap record on the second day of testing: 1:31.050.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Advertisement - Article continues below

For reference, the Formula E lap record is around 0.7sec faster than that of a Formula Ford, though the electric racers still trail Formula 3 cars by around three seconds.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Buemi described the lap as a bit 'scrappy', adding 'I think we could go a second quicker, maybe even into the 1m29s'. Nevertheless, he says the car is improving over last year's model, with better brakes and better stability, and it's easier to drive too.

Sam Bird set the second fastest time, 0.419sec behind and beating Buemi's day one lap. Third on day 2 was Daniel Abt, Lucas di Grassi's teammate in the ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport squad.

Day 3

It's clear that this season will see a step-up in pace from the Formula E runners, as Daniel Abt set yet another new Formula E lap record in day three of testing.

Using full 200kW qualifying power, Abt set a lap of 1:30.250, almost a second quicker than Buemi's time from day 2 and almost two seconds quicker than the pace on the opening day of testing.

'When Buemi said that a 1:29s was possible last week that really motivated me,' explained the Abt Schaeffler driver. 'There was no stopping on track and that’s the main thing. That meant I could just drive and performance-wise we were really good.'

Skip advert
Advertisement
Advertisement - Article continues below

Prost set the second quickest time of the day, despite being unhappy with the car's balance, while Briton Sam Bird took his DS Virgin car to third place. Buemi suffered technical issues that left him back in tenth place.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Making progress was Jacques Villeneuve, whose fifth place in the Venturi was only 0.943sec shy of Abt's front-running time and nearly half a second quicker than his teammate, Stephane Sarrazin.

Day 4

With Buemi and Abt suggesting a 1:29 lap around Donington was possible, it was only a matter of time before a driver dipped into those times.

Neither was the first to do so, however - that honour fell to Abt's teammate, Lucas di Grassi, who set a 1:29.920 on the fourth day of Formula E testing - once again setting a new lap record for the series.

The time was set using the full 200kW qualifying power, but di Grassi suggests the time was less important than the car's reliability. 'Of course working on the performance is important, but we know that performance here doesn’t necessarily translate to what we will see at the other tracks,' he said after setting the time.

Buemi was next quickest, also highlighting the importance of reliability - the Swiss driver and his French team spent most of the day working on race simulations at 150kW of power. Mahindra driver Bruno Senna snuck into third place, three quarters of a second behind di Grassi.

With China fast approaching, there is still much to be done for the Trulli and Andretti teams. Neither set a time on the fourth day of testing, and neither Trulli car even made it onto the track.

The teams have just two more test days at Donington, on August 24 and 25, before heading to Beijing for October 17. From there the series heads to Malaysia, Uruguay and Argentina. Round five is yet to be confirmed, but on April 2, 2016 the series returns to Long Beach in California, before heading to Paris, Berlin, Moscow and London.

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Toyota Supra gets a V8… but only on Australian race tracks
Toyota Supra V8 supercar
News

Toyota Supra gets a V8… but only on Australian race tracks

Set to go racing in the Australian Supercars Championship, this Supra is getting a 5.2-litre version of the 2UR-GSE V8 Lexus just retired
1 Sep 2025
Why the 1980s were both motorsport's peak and its breaking point
1980s motorsport
Features

Why the 1980s were both motorsport's peak and its breaking point

If road cars were great in the ’80s, the motorsport was simply spectacular, from Group B rally monsters via Group C endurance legends to turbocharged …
4 Jul 2025
Nürburgring 24 Hours 2025 preview: 141 cars to embark on the toughest race of the calendar
Nurburgring 24 Hours 2025
News

Nürburgring 24 Hours 2025 preview: 141 cars to embark on the toughest race of the calendar

As if Le Mans wasn’t enough of a test, the most gruelling endurance race of all is up next with the 2025 Nürburgring 24 Hours
16 Jun 2025
The Genesis GMR-001 brings V8 power to tackle Ferrari at Le Mans
 Genesis GMR001
News

The Genesis GMR-001 brings V8 power to tackle Ferrari at Le Mans

The GMR-001 is set to join a packed Hypercar grid in 2026, but we've already taken a look at this year's Le Mans 24 Hours race
13 Jun 2025
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Mercedes-AMG GT 43 2025 review – £100k four-cylinder lacks Affalterbach soul
Mercedes-AMG GT 43
Reviews

Mercedes-AMG GT 43 2025 review – £100k four-cylinder lacks Affalterbach soul

Affalterbach’s flagship GT range now begins with a four-cylinder, lifted straight from the A45 hot hatch. It might have reasonable performance on tap,…
15 Sep 2025
Audi R8 V8 (2007 - 2015) review – the Porsche 911’s equal is a bargain super sports car
Audi R8 V8
Reviews

Audi R8 V8 (2007 - 2015) review – the Porsche 911’s equal is a bargain super sports car

The Audi R8’s launch was perhaps one of the biggest moments in 2000s performance motoring. It’s as sweet today as back then
9 Sep 2025
Mini Cooper and Cooper S (2001 - 2006) review – the 'new' Mini is now a classic
Mini Cooper S
Reviews

Mini Cooper and Cooper S (2001 - 2006) review – the 'new' Mini is now a classic

The ‘new’ Mini was perhaps motoring’s most anticipated sequel. BMW didn’t get it wrong – quite the opposite, as it transpired
11 Sep 2025