Getting to grips with the new layout at the iconic Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit, the Season 6 champion was joined in the top three by ERT’s Sergio Sette Camara and the DS PENSKE of Stoffel Vandoorne.
There was early drama as championship leader Pascal Wehrlein (TAG Heuer Porsche) came to a dramatic halt just minutes into the session. The German driver was forced to jump out the car before even setting a time, not a very ideal start to his and the team’s home race weekend.
Both Maserati MSG Racing drivers, Maximilian Guenther and Jehan Daruvala, finished in fourth and fifth. Jaguar TCS Racing’s Nick Cassidy crossed the chequered flag in sixth, with Jean-Eric Vergne (DS PENSKE) in seventh. Cassidy’s Jaguar teammate Mitch Evans ended the session in eighth with Dan Ticktum (ERT in ninth), with super substitute Joel Eriksson rounding out the top 10.
As it happened…
The first Free Practice for this new Berlin layout got underway at 17:00 local time. However, it was quickly brought under red flag conditions as the TAG Heuer Porsche of Pascal Wehrlein came to a halt at turns 6 and 7. The current championship leader reported that his car displayed a red light and stopped out on track, which ultimately needed to be removed by a recovery vehicle. He was also placed under investigation for not following the drivers’ briefing notes.
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As a result of the stop in running, the FIA added an additional ten minutes to the practice session. With limited practice on this all-new layout, every second counts during both FP1 and FP2 which will run tomorrow morning.
Both Jaguar TCS Racing drivers looked quick, with both Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy winning both the Berlin E-Prix here last season. Cassidy went top of the timesheets, but his time was ultimately beaten by reigning World Champion Jake Dennis by 0.086s with just under half the time left on the clock.
Maserati MSG Racing’s Maximilian Guenther is looking to replicate a home podium here at the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit, with the German sitting comfortably in third for most of first practice. His teammate Jehan Daruvala also managed to go second quickest with seven minutes left on the clock, and would finish the session in fifth.
The super substitutes made the most of the running, with Joel Eriksson being the fastest of the bunch. Eriksson, who has experience in Formula E with eight race starts to his name, was looking right at home in his Envision, with his new teammate Paul Aron still getting to grips with the GEN3 machinery. Aron was able to take part in the Misano Rookie Test and shakedown earlier today, but has very limited experience behind the wheel of the special Formula E cars.
SUPER SUBS: Meet the drivers set for Berlin call ups
With just ten minutes left, all of the grid was separated by a second from Dennis to NEOM McLaren’s Taylor Barnard.
In the final few minutes, Antonio Felix da Costa managed to go top of the times with a time of 1m02.28s.
SCHEDULE: Where, when and how to watch or stream the 2024 SUN MINIMEAL Berlin E-Prix
Next up is Free Practice 2, which is on Saturday 11 May at 08:00 local. Qualifying follows at 10:40 local time with lights out for Round 9 scheduled at 15:00 local/13:00 UTC.
Following this, Sunday’s action starts with Free Practice 3 at 08:00, followed by Round 10 qualifying and race at 10:20 and 15:00 local time respectively.