What is testing, and why is it so important to teams and drivers?

The pre-season test is an important moment across the season, as it’s a chance for drivers and teams to get familiar with their new machinery as well as checking the cars for safety, and establishing that we can effectively deploy new technologies.

It will be the first time we'll see all the teams on track together with their new GEN3 Evo cars too, putting that rapid race car - capable of 0-60mph in just 1.82 seconds - through its paces over four days.

This year’s test will be taking place at the Circuit del Jarama in Madrid, following the devastating floods experienced by the Valencia region in Spain last week. Both the official test and the Women’s Test are now scheduled from Tuesday 5 to Friday 8 November 2024, with the provisional schedule in place as follows:

Tuesday 5 November: 

• Official Test Session 1 - 14:00 local (13:00 UTC)

Wednesday 6 November:

• Official Test Session 2 - 9:00 local (8:00 UTC)
• Official Test Session 3 - 14:00 local (13:00 UTC)

Thursday 7 November:

• Official Test Session 4 - 9:00 local (8:00 UTC)
• Official Test Session 5 - 14:00 local (13:00 UTC)  

Friday 8 November: 

• Official Test Session 6 - 9:00 local (8:00 UTC)
• Women’s Test Session - 14:00 local (13:00 UTC) 

Whilst it may have been possible to go ahead logistically in Valencia, it is important not to create any distraction or use valuable resources that are much better served supporting the local community. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by these terrible events and we at Formula E are looking at how we can practically support the region during this awful time.

Why is testing so important?

Formula E's official pre-season test in Madrid offers up the opportunity for teams to run their cars over the six sessions - with thousands of laps likely to be racked up between them over their time in Spain. They’ll be collecting relevant data, testing simulations and for the drivers it’s a chance to reacquaint themselves with these new cars. 

Most of the grid, made up of 11 teams and 22 drivers, will have found themselves behind the wheel of the GEN3 Evos in private testing but this will be the first opportunity for them to compare themselves to their competition. Teams have been working away on development since the final chequered flag fell on Season 10 back in July, with several major changes happening as the championship welcomes the GEN3 Evo cars. 

These electric machines are now capable of accelerating 0-60mph 30% faster than a current F1 car, and have been designed to generate faster and closer racing between the grid to make for even more unmissable action. They come with a new aggressive body kit, the introduction of all-wheel drive during qualifying duels, race starts, and ATTACK MODE plus optimised all-weather Hankook iON tyres providing more grip. 

With so many changes made to everything from software to setup, and countless hours spent on dynos, rigs and test benches and in pounding the virtual miles on simulators, it's vital that teams have a real-world benchmark. Getting on-track enables engineers to tally whether what they've seen in theory transpires in practice at a race circuit.

What will teams be testing?

Up and down the grid, teams will have been devising intricate testing programmes in a bid to prove their thinking and direction in this new generation of Formula E. Raw pace and lap times are rarely the priority, with build, pure parts proving, teamwork and learning being key. 

It’s always an action-packed week and will be the first time each team has their two respective cars on the track. Each team’s engineering group has to cover both cars, which can sometimes be a little tricky having run a single car in the off-season. 

“You’ve got to remember how to communicate across the garage and share information,” DS PENSKE’s Deputy Team Principal Phil Charles said, back when he was Jaguar TCS Racing's Technical Manager. 

“All teams will go through a bit of a process,” he continues. “You’ll do a little bit of setup work, a little bit of tuning to suit [the circuit] – like you would at any race track. Then, you might go through a load of processes that you will do at a race. This could be rehearsing how you get up to the grid for example. In the final throes of getting ready, I make sure I put time aside to tick things off. Everything we need to do ahead of the first race launch we’ll start to rehearse.

"It's a really interesting week bringing everything together between finding yourself some more performance and trying to see where you might be compared to everybody else – see if their car goes around the corner the same way as yours.

As expected, drivers will also have plenty of feedback on their cars and suggestions for ways they can tweak and improve the car to make it handle better. 

Who will be testing the GEN3 Evo cars?

Our Season 11 grid is almost complete, with just Kiro Race Co – newly rebranded from ERT – left to confirm their pairing for the upcoming campaign. 

Many teams have kept their driver duo for Season 11, with Mahindra Racing, Jaguar TCS Racing, TAG Heuer Porsche and Envision Racing all having unchanged line-ups for the season. 

There have been swaps across the grid though, with many big moves over the off-season. Nico Mueller will now partner Jake Dennis at Andretti, DS PENSKE welcomes Maximilian Guenther alongside Jean-Eric Vergne and Maserati MSG Racing has a totally new look with Stoffel Vandoorne and Jake Hughes. There’s also change at Nissan with Norman Nato returning to the Japanese manufacturer to partner Oliver Rowland. 

Formula E welcomes some new faces, with Zane Maloney joining championship veteran Lucas di Grassi at the all-new Lola Yamaha ABT squad. NEOM McLaren are also bringing back Taylor Barnard for the full season, after he did a brilliant job filling for an injured Sam Bird in Monaco and Berlin earlier this year. Barnard, our youngest driver on the grid, will now be partnered with Bird over the 16 round race calendar. 

For pre-season testing, Kiro have submitted Dan Ticktum, who raced with the team during their ERT days in Seasons 9 and 10. However, they have also opted to bring in David Beckman, Porsche’s Reserve and Development Driver, as the team will have a Porsche powertrain as part of their rebrand for the GEN3 Evo era. 

There will also be the first-ever all-women test session for an FIA Championship. Taking place on Friday 8 November at Circuit del Jarama, the test will provide elite women racing drivers the opportunity to drive the new GEN3 Evo race car. 

Each team in the championship is required to field at least one woman driver for the half-day test, but encouraged to field two, who will all drive in current-season cars. Understandably, the test has got the attention of some of the best talents motorsport has to offer and the line-up is incredibly strong. 

What do drivers try to achieve over testing?

"The goal is obviously to learn as much as possible," DS PENSKE’s Maximilian Guenther explains. "Everybody has their own programme of software and setup development that they want to try.

"It’s very structured for all teams, with run plans to follow for each of the three days. If you don’t have issues, you follow it strictly. I know what our plans are for each day before we start.

"We try things in all directions. There are smaller things to tune and optimise but there are bigger things that I would never try on a race weekend that we can try here."

Guenther feels that times are not the object of testing. His focus is on driving development forward - equipping the team with a car best placed to deliver results come lights out in São Paulo. 

"There are some people that look to the timesheets and want to be on top of the times but for us, it’s important to learn – it’s not just this weekend," continues the German. "You look at the times at the end of the day but it’s not the most important thing.”

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