Vandoorne tops opening session ahead of Berlin double-header

DS PENSKE’s Stoffel Vandoorne set the early pace in Free Practice 1 at the SABIC Berlin E-Prix. The reigning Drivers’ World Champion popped in a 1m05.803s at the Tempelhof Airport circuit which has held the most races in Formula E history. 

This third generation of Formula E is set to bring plenty of entertainment to Germany’s capital, with the GEN3 car already setting quicker lap times around this 2.4km street circuit than experienced in qualifying last season. A second split the top 20 drivers, with the top nine being separated by just three tenths. 

Behind Vandoorne, Avalanche Andretti’s Jake Dennis slotted in behind him in second place, with Maserati MSG Racing’s Maximilian Guenther in third. Vandoorne’s teammate, double Formula E champ Jean-Eric Vergne, found himself in fourth and Maserati’s Edoardo Mortara recovered from damage to his front wing to end the session in fifth. A promising start to the weekend to DS PENSKE and Maserati, who are both using DS powertrains. 

The 22 drivers wasted no time heading out onto the circuit, which is housed around the iconic Tempelhof Airport. The dusty track has an unusual track surface, with concrete slabs covering the former airfield and providing drivers with very little grip. 

The Maserati MSG Racing of Edoardo Mortara brought out a brief yellow flag around ten minutes into the session as his GEN3 machine took a trip into the barriers. The Maserati driver and race winner here in Season 8, locked up going into Turns 3 and 4 and made contact with the wall, damaging his front wing in the incident. He limped back to the team’s garage, but was able to get going again and finished FP1 fifth fastest. His teammate Maximilian Guenther also made it two Maseratis in the top five, as he ended the session in third. Guenther will be hoping for a great result in front of his home crowd this weekend. 

Later on in the 30 minute session, Robin Frijns went for a little spin in his ABT CUPRA. The two-time race winner, is in his second race back after breaking his wrist and being forced to sit out the first five races of the new GEN3 era. Both he and the ABT CUPRA team will be hoping to get their first championship points this year, here at their home race in Berlin. 

Both Jaguar TCS Racing drivers were inside the top ten, with the team keen to continue their successes after a win for Mitch Evans in São Paulo. Two of the German drivers on the grid also joined the ten fastest of the session, with Andretti’s Andre Lotterer and NEOM McLaren’s Rene Rast finishing ninth and tenth respectively.