Maximilian Günther and Maserati MSG Racing are “ready for the fight” in Formula E season 10, with the grand hope being that they can continue their “great turnaround” which started mid-season nine.

Günther heads into the sport’s centurion campaign on the back of quite a remarkable season, which saw his year come to life in Berlin in some style. Günther and Maserati won’t hide the fact that season nine didn’t start as expected, to the extent that the driver admits the team were “nowhere”.

After topping almost every session in testing ahead of the first Gen3 season, Günther and the Monte-Carlo-based squad endured about 10 years’ worth of bad luck in the space of a few races. Maserati massively struggled for pace in Mexico City, before Günther was unable to start the opening race in Diriyah following a heavy crash in qualifying.

He started to show strong pace in Hyderabad, before he was robbed of a potential podium after being caught up in Sam Bird taking out Mitch Evans. Günther was fighting for a podium again in Cape Town, where he unfortunately clipped a wall which led to an unfortunate retirement. São Paulo was then another event not to write home about.

After São Paulo, it almost seemed like the sooner the season finished the better for Günther and Maserati, as they just couldn’t escape what was becoming an endless rut of bad luck. However, as mentioned, this all changed in Berlin.

Berlin saw Günther not only score his first points of the season but also marked his first podium of 2023, thanks to a last corner overtake on Sébastian Buemi. It also represented Maserati’s first top-three in Formula E. With the exception of Monaco, everything Günther touched just seemed to turn to gold from his home race onwards, most notably, in Jakarta.

Günther topped every single session in the Jakarta double-header bar one, the opening race. Two pole positions, a third-place finish and a race win saw him crowned the ‘King of Jakarta’, and rightly so. In a hugely symbolic moment, his Jakarta win marked Maserati’s first in single-seater racing since 1952.

Things only got better for the Italian manufacturer in Rome, where Günther secured his fourth rostrum of the year at Maserati’s home event. He ended the season seventh in the Drivers’ Championship, an unbelievable achievement given that he failed to score a point in the opening six rounds.

Maserati’s big hope was to continue their upward trajectory in Valencia three weeks ago in testing, something which they certainly did. Günther set the fifth-quickest lap during the week of testing and completed a healthy 245 laps, gathering the team substantial data.

Reflecting on the test, Günther is “really pleased” with how it went and, most importantly, how the team’s package “feels better compared to last season”.

“Yeah, I think really pleased, actually,” Günther told Motorsport Week.

“I think our approach to Valencia has been really good because in the end, we went there with our programme. We wanted to learn as much as we can for the race season. And I really feel our package feels better compared to last year.

“We made good steps. We will see if it was enough. We will see this in Mexico and in the first races. But I really feel we addressed the good things after season nine to step up our level. And, yeah, as I said, I felt good in the car.

“In Valencia, the focus was clearly not on lap times and still we were quite decent over the whole week. So that’s still a good sign, even though you focus on other things. So, yeah, I think me, the whole team, everybody was happy with how the week went.”

As Maserati discovered last season, being quick in testing doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be at the top when racing gets underway. In fact, the Italians arguably know this better than anyone else in the paddock, because of how season nine started for them.

In many ways, this could work hugely in their favour, as they’ve learnt to take things one step at a time. There is a real buzz amongst the team and a genuine sense of belief that season 10 could be “even stronger” than how they ended season nine, with Günther having stressed that himself and the entire team “trust each other blindly”.

The 26-year-old even admitted that the recent test ahead of season 10 was more productive than the test ahead of season nine where, as mentioned, Günther was fastest in almost every session.

“I definitely think, yes, because obviously you mentioned season nine. The test was very good and we felt it was a good test, but then we went to the first few races and we were absolutely nowhere,” admitted Günther.

“So, it was a big struggle to start the season with, but then, obviously, we made this great turnaround of our season and we learned a lot. And, yeah, I think with our package, it already came together very nicely in season nine.

“As I mentioned to you, the goal is to make it even stronger in season 10. So that’s why yes, definitely, I think the test was better in season 10. As I said, the goal was not to be necessarily the fastest, but to learn as much as we can.

“And the feeling in the car was really good. It’s now one year that I’m working with the team, with my engineers, with everybody, and it’s just a nice group and we trust each other blindly. The communication is spot on.

“There are so many details that, obviously, in an operation they need to fit perfectly if you want to fight at the very top, and I really feel where we want to be.”

Even during the difficult opening rounds of season nine, Günther possessed excellent pace at times. Despite having not scored points last year until almost the halfway point, he still ended the 2023 campaign on the same number of podiums as Pascal Wehrlein, who led the Drivers’ Championship for three months.

If Günther and Maserati hadn’t endured their disappointing start to 2023, then who knows where the German would’ve finished in the standings, given that, from Berlin onwards, he was regularly battling the Porsches and the Jaguars.

Should the Oberstdorf-born driver start season 10 how he performed in the second half of season nine, then there really is every chance that Günther could be an underdog for the title.

Fighting for the championship and battling the leading teams is “exactly” what Maserati and Günther are working towards, with his ultimate goal being to get amongst the title fight.

He’s certain that Maserati are in a “much better place” compared to 12 months ago and that, crucially, himself and the team “are ready for the fight” to perhaps shock the Formula E world.

“For sure, we are working for exactly this,” Günther agreed. “I mean, at the end, I said in the past, my goal is to fight for championships in Formula E and I feel now this year we’re in a much better place compared to one year ago.

“And I’m still young, actually, I think still one of the younger guys on the grid, but as well, I have a lot of experience in Formula E. I think it’s a good combination and yeah, we are ready for the fight for sure.”

Andretti Formula E announced on Wednesday afternoon that Formula 2 star Zane Maloney would be their reserve and development driver in season 10, continuing their new relationship together.

Maloney has been fielded by Andretti three times this year alone, with him having driven for the team in the rookie tests in Berlin and Rome. He also completed a session for the outfit recently during pre-season testing in Valencia.

His new role with the American team will see him attend various races throughout Formula E’s centurion campaign, whilst he’ll also complete significant work in the simulator. The Red Bull Junior driver is also still eligible to participate in the Berlin rookie test next year, with him being a realistic option for Andretti.

The Barbadian will work closely with reigning World Champion Jake Dennis and Andretti’s new signing, Norman Nato, to ensure that the team are exploiting the most from their package at each E-Prix, starting in Mexico City next January.

He’s thrilled to have been offered the role and is “grateful for the trust” Andretti has given him, with him now being “determined to support” both drivers.

“Joining Andretti Formula E as the official reserve and development driver is an incredible opportunity,” said Maloney.

“I’m grateful for the trust the team has placed in my abilities, and I’m determined to support Jake and Norman as best I can. The Andretti name has such a rich history in motorsport, so it’s a pretty surreal moment for me in my career. I’m looking forward to contributing to the team’s continued success in Season 10.”

Maloney is a real talent and was even linked to a full-time seat at Andretti ahead of Nato making the switch from the Nissan Formula E Team. 2023 has seen him compete in his maiden F2 season for Rodin Carlin, following on from becoming the Formula 3 Vice-Champion in 2022 for Trident.

The 20-year-old is already an F2 podium-finisher and has actually made four appearances on the rostrum this year. With two races remaining in Abu Dhabi, Maloney sits 10th in the Drivers’ Championship.

Andretti Team Principal Roger Griffiths is “delighted” to have Maloney onboard for season 10, with him admitting that the young driver’s “dedication, talent and enthusiasm” during the rookie tests in particular “really stood out to us”.

“We’ve had the pleasure of working closely with Zane, and his dedication, talent and enthusiasm really stood out to us,” said Griffiths.

“Not only has he proven himself in other racing series, but also on multiple occasions during the rookie sessions where he demonstrated an excellent understanding of our GEN3 car. We are delighted to have Zane join us as our Reserve and Development Driver and look forward to working closely with him throughout the coming season.”

Mahindra Racing have announced the signing of Formula 2 podium finisher Kush Maini, who has become the team’s new reserve driver for season 10.

The Banbury-based squad were in need of a new reserve to replace Jehan Daruvala, who has become a full-time driver for Maserati MSG Racing. Signing Maini ensures that the team still have a young and exciting Indian driver in the team, something which is clearly crucial to the Indian manufacturer.

Maini has made remarkable progress over the last seven years and has risen up the single-seater ladder. Back in 2016 and 2017, he competed in the Italian F4 Championship, before he moved onto the British F3 Championship in 2018.

In his maiden British F3 campaign, the Bangalore-born driver claimed one win and a further seven podiums, on his way to third in the Drivers’ Championship. 2019 saw him switch to Formula Renault Eurocup, although he returned to the British F3 series in 2020. He went one better in 2020 than he did in 2018, and finished second in the standings.

He competed in the 2021 Asian F3 series and made a one-off appearance for ARC Bratislava in the LMP2 class in the World Endurance Championship, before he made the big move to F3 for 2022 with MP Motorsport.

Maini secured one podium in his debut F3 season at the Hungaroring; however, he could only manage 14th in the Drivers’ Championship. Nevertheless, he still moved instantly into F2 for this year with Campos Racing. With two races remaining in Abu Dhabi, Maini sits 11th in the standings and finished on the rostrum in Melbourne.

The 23-year-old is widely expected to complete a second season in F2 as he’s now part of the Alpine Academy, whilst he’s also being mentored by two-time F1 World Champion Mika Hakkinen.

His future certainly looks bright, with his reserve role in Formula E set to open more doors. Maini is very proud to have been signed by Mahindra, with him admitting that it feels “like coming home”.

“It’s a huge honour to be joining Mahindra Racing. Being an Indian driver, and the team being Indian, it feels in many ways like coming home,” said Maini.

“A lot of my work will be concentrated on the simulator, and hopefully getting in the car for the Rookie Test. I’m just going to try and learn as much as I can, it’s a different style of racing. I’ll be doing as much work as possible on the sim with the engineers to try and be helpful for both Edoardo and Nyck, and to try and help push the team forward on-track.

“Mahindra is a huge manufacturer, so for me, it’s a massive deal to be signing with them. Being an Indian brand, it’s the cherry on top of the cake. I’m super excited to get started.”

Maini will likely be used by Mahindra in the Berlin rookie test, although a lot of his work will be in the simulator alongside fellow reserve driver Jordan King.

Team Principal and Mahindra CEO Frederic Bertrand is “excited to welcome” Maini into the team, with him having been signed as part of the outfit’s focus on the future.

“We are excited to welcome Kush to Mahindra Racing as a Reserve Driver. He has a great record that speaks for itself in the junior formulae and is an exciting talent to add to our driver lineup,” said Bertrand.

“We are a very future-focussed team, so the opportunity to support new and emerging talent, such as Kush, is one we are naturally keen to explore. We’ve been watching him in FIA Formula 2 this season, and believe he has all the key skills and attributes to help Mahindra Racing push on for greater success in the future.

“His synergy with Edoardo, Nyck and Jordan will play an important role in the team’s continued push for better performance on-track, and off-track he is a superb ambassador for India within motorsport.”

Ahead of the inaugural Tokyo E-Prix in season 10, Formula E are already planning the Japanese city’s second race in the all-electric series, pencilled in for 17 May 2025.

Formula E is increasing its presence in Asia for its centurion campaign by heading to the Japanese capital for the first time, in what is a race all of the drivers are excited about.

The sport’s inaugural race in Japan will take place on 30 March 2024 and will host the sixth round of the 2024 Formula E World Championship. Having an event in Tokyo is clearly incredibly important to the all-electric series, as plans are already in place for the city to feature on the season 11 calendar.

As is the case for the first-ever Formula E race in Japan next March, Tokyo’s second race in 2025 will also be in cooperation with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The event is pending approval from the FIA World Motor Sport Council, who will announce the provisional season 11 calendar in June 2024. The season 11 Tokyo race is also pending approval by the host ASN, JAF.

Formula E announcing the intent of returning in 2025 comes not long after the circuit for the inaugural race was revealed, with it set to be an absolute classic. A 2.852km street track has been devised around the Tokyo International Exhibition Centre, which sits just a handful of minutes away from downtown Tokyo.

The Exhibition Centre is Japan’s largest venue and is known as ‘Tokyo Big Sight’, meaning the race will have a phenomenal backdrop. 18 corners will face the 22 drivers, varying from tight 90-degree corners to fast-flowing sections. Overtaking is expected to be more than possible, thanks to three straights.

Formula E’s paddock in Tokyo is also set to be a stunner, as it’ll be located on the Tokyo Bay waterfront. To add to the excitement, Formula E’s trip to Tokyo will mark the first time that the city will close public roads for a World Championship event.

For many, Tokyo has the potential to become Formula E’s crown jewel, with it being an event which some have wanted to see for years.

“We are excited to unveil the track for the inaugural Tokyo E-Prix and are confident it will create a unique challenge for the 22 drivers in Formula E to showcase their elite driving skills and give fans in Tokyo an experience they will never forget,” said Formula E Co-Founder and Chief Championship Officer Alberto Longo.

“We are honoured to be the first motorsport world championship to race on the streets of Tokyo.”

It’s not just the fans that are excited about Tokyo, the drivers also can’t wait to get to the Japanese city. Reigning World Champion Jake Dennis believes that Tokyo is the “standout race” on the season 10 calendar, with him expecting the event to be “very, very special”.

“I think Tokyo is definitely the standout race in the calendar,” Dennis told Formula E during testing. “I’ll probably speak on behalf of everyone there. It’s great that we get into the race in such a prestigious country. Obviously the city of Tokyo is going to be very, very special.

Reigning Formula E World Champion Jake Dennis is expecting it to be “extremely difficult” to match his season nine accomplishments in season 10, due to him believing that the grid will be closer.

Dennis heads into the sport’s centurion campaign with the No.1 plate on the front of his Andretti Formula E car, which also has a new white, red and blue livery following the team’s rebrand into Andretti Global.

The British driver was remarkable in the opening year of the Gen3 machinery and demonstrated immense consistency, to the extent that he broke the record for the most podiums in a single season. Dennis featured on the rostrum 11 times in 2023, meaning he only missed out on the top-three on five occasions.

It ultimately didn’t matter that the likes of Nick Cassidy, Mitch Evans and Pascal Wehrlein claimed more wins, as Dennis often capitalised on their errors. He clinched the title in an epic season finale double-header in London, where a third-place finish in the opening race was enough to seal the crown.

With the Formula E season ending in the summer, Dennis was able to celebrate his first World Championship with his family and friends in glorious weather. The 28-year-old also made sure to make time for himself to embrace everything he’d achieved in season nine.

His title celebrations are certainly now over though, as he’s stressed how “eager” he is to finally get going once again.

“I definitely celebrated with all my friends and family,” Dennis told Formula E on the first day of testing.

”One of the best things about Formula E is that you finish in the summer, so you can still get away to some nice countries and travel to the other side of the world for the good weather.

“I’ve had some time to myself as well. Moved out of London, so just been keeping myself busy, but definitely quite eager to get back going now. It does feel like a long time since London. I haven’t really driven since then. Seeing the guys out there on track this morning looked fun.”

Dennis had the opportunity to get back into his car a couple of weeks ago in pre-season testing, where he set the 12th quickest time. The Andretti driver’s best lap at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia was a 1m 24.848s, almost four-tenths down on the leading pace.

He also only completed 182 laps during the interrupted test, which was less than the majority of the grid; however, this is because rookie Zane Maloney took his seat for the opening session of the test.

This arguably doesn’t matter given that Dennis will almost certainly be at the sharp-end of the grid come Mexico City in January, where he was victorious by eight seconds almost 12 months ago.

Andretti will still have a competitive package at their disposal for season 10 given that only the software can be altered, meaning that they’ll presumably be battling with the Jaguars and their powertrain supplier, the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, once again.

Dennis is also expecting DS Penske to “close the gap” to the front when action gets underway, whilst Maserati MSG Racing also can’t be forgotten about.

Season 10 is looking set to be breathtakingly close, meaning the World Champion will need to be on his A-game to become just the second Formula E driver in history to successfully defend their title. Only Jean-Éric Vergne has managed this, after the Frenchman claimed the season four and season five titles.

“We’ve still got an incredibly strong powertrain,” Dennis noted. “I don’t think there’s too much development that can happen coming into this season. There’s always tweaks here and there, but it’s more probably fine tuning.

“I would expect the likes of DS will definitely close the gap to us. It’s also still going to be difficult to beat Jaguar TCS Racing and the other Porsche team. Just trying to do what we did last year is going to be extremely difficult with that many podiums and wins. It’s never easy when the competition closes up.

“We just need to focus on this three day test and then analyse over the next couple of months, because it’s very different this year. Last year we did Valencia and then went straight into Mexico. You couldn’t really do all that much. Whereas now, we have quite a bit of time after this test to reanalyse and continue to improve the systems before Mexico.”

Pascal Wehrlein has urged the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team to “cancel” their poor qualifying performances in season 10, with him recognising that he needs to be starting in the “top six or top seven” to fight for victories and the title.

Season nine was by far Wehrlein’s and Porsche’s best campaign in Formula E to-date, to the extent that the German driver led the Drivers’ Championship for the majority of the season. After he finished second in Mexico City and then won both races in Diriyah, some wondered if he’d win the crown comfortably.

Wehrlein ended up finishing in fourth despite claiming three wins and a further rostrum, with his title pursuit having collapsed in the second half of the year due to the Stuttgart-based team’s one-lap pace woes. It wasn’t just Wehrlein’s title challenge which suffered as a result of their qualifying struggles, with the team having slipped to fourth in the Teams’ Championship.

The ex-F1 driver admits that himself and the team “expected more than fourth” in both standings, considering how well they started the Gen3 era. He recognises that there are a “couple of things” which need to be worked on ahead of the sport’s centurion campaign, in order to be victorious come the end of 2024.

“I think it was a positive season,” Wehrlein told Formula E when reflecting on season nine.

“It was our best season so far in Formula E. I think after the good start we expected more than fourth in the Drivers’ and Teams’ championship. But nevertheless, it was a strong season. We have to improve a couple of things, and then we should be able to fight for the championship.”

Race pace wasn’t an issue for Porsche last season, it was just their one-lap pace. This weakness was amplified by the fact that the Jaguars were so good when it came to qualifying, as proven by the fact that a Jaguar-powered car started on pole six times in season nine.

On the flip side, a Porsche-powered car only featured on pole twice, both courtesy of the German manufacturer’s customer side Andretti Formula E.

Too often last season, Wehrlein and António Félix da Costa qualified so far down the grid that it was impossible to recover and score big points, which ultimately hurt their title chances. Wehrlein himself recognises that the team’s performance in qualifying last season wasn’t good enough and simply can’t be repeated in season 10.

The big positive for Wehrlein is that it does appear that Porsche have worked on their one-lap pace and have possibly discovered an improvement in the software. The team’s one-lap pace in pre-season testing was very strong, to the point that Da Costa was the second-quickest driver.

If Porsche’s one-lap pace has improved, then this will be a massive boost to the team’s and Wehrlein’s title hopes. All will be discovered in Mexico City in January, where Wehrlein wants to instantly start the new season with a strong qualifying performance and hopefully make a duel appearance.

“I think Mexico will be a good track for us generally, and has always been a good track. It’s clear that we are quite strong in the races, we just need to fix qualifying,” Wehrlein admitted.

“I think our average starting position last season was nine-point-something, whereas the top guys were six-point-something. Already those positions will make your life and your races a lot easier.

“We had some races where we struggled, especially in qualifying and only started from 15th and 17th. Those qualifyings we need to cancel. So somewhere around the top six or top seven, that should be our target. We’ve been working really hard to understand what it means and what it takes to qualify well, and obviously then with our great race pace we should have a good weekend.”

Mercedes reserve driver Mick Schumacher has admitted that a switch to Formula E isn’t currently of interest to him but it’s not something he’d completely rule out in the future.

Schumacher has spent 2023 on the bench at the Silver Arrows following his departure from Haas after the 2022 season when his contract wasn’t extended.

With a return to the grid in 2024 looking unlikely, the general expectation is that he’ll compete in Alpine’s Hypercar programme next year in the World Endurance Championship.

But would he consider a career in Formula E?

Over the years, Formula E has become a haven for ex-F1 drivers and current F1 reserve drivers. The all-electric series is also becoming an increasingly attractive option for Formula 2 and Formula 3 stars.

The season 10 Formula E grid consists of six former F1 drivers, in the form of Stoffel Vandoorne, Jean-Éric Vergne, Sébastian Buemi, Pascal Wehrlein, Lucas di Grassi and Nyck de Vries. De Vries left Formula E at the end of season eight to complete his move to AlphaTauri, a relationship which ended after just 10 races.

The season seven World Champion has opted to make his Formula E comeback following his short-lived F1 career with the Mahindra Racing squad.

Former F2 stars are also starting to have an increasing presence in the paddock, as Jake Hughes, Dan Ticktum, Sérgio Sette Câmara and Maximilian Günther all entered Formula E directly from the feeder series. Jehan Daruvala is the latest driver to have made this move, with him being the only rookie on the grid for the sport’s centurion campaign.

If this isn’t proof enough that Formula E is becoming a more attractive option for drivers to exit their junior career, you only need to look at the range of F2 and F3 youngsters who have recently participated in various tests in the championship.

19-year-old Taylor Barnard is the most recent F3 driver to complete a test in Formula E, something he did during the recent official pre-season test, thanks to the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team. In his debut F3 campaign, Barnard became a race winner at Spa-Francorchamps.

18-year-old F3 driver Hugh Barter is another to have taken part in a Formula E test within the past year, courtesy of Maserati MSG Racing in the Berlin rookie test.

F2’s Victor Martins and Zane Maloney are another two junior stars who are increasingly present in the paddock, as a result of their work with Nissan and Andretti respectively.

There is no hiding the fact that Formula E is attracting younger drivers who are recognising the series as an appropriate alternative to F1; however, it’s not currently where Schumacher wants to be.

The son of seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher simply likes “the smell of petrol” too much to say goodbye to “combustion engines”, with him openly admitting that “at the moment” Formula E just isn’t the right career move for him despite it being a successful route for ex-F1 drivers and future stars.

“To be completely honest: no,” Schumacher admitted to TuttoMotori, as quoted by e-formula.news.

“I like combustion engines, I like the smell of petrol. Unfortunately, Formula E is not the right thing for me at the moment.”

Whilst a seat on the season 11 grid isn’t on Schumacher’s radar, he isn’t prepared to completely rule out ever making a Formula E appearance in the future, especially as motorsport in general continues to work towards moving away from combustion engines.

For the time being, he’s still just “really interested” in competing in championships where the engine “smells and bangs and fires”, something which is becoming increasingly difficult to find.

“But who knows what the future will bring,” added the German.

“If that’s what we can still drive then, I’ll obviously have to set my expectations a little differently. But I love the old-school cars: V10, V8, when it smells and bangs and fires, and so on. That’s what I’m really interested in.”

This week’s edition begins in Bahrain, with the curtain coming down on the FIA World Endurance Championship with both Hypercar and LMP2 titles still up for grabs. The 8 Hours of Bahrain also set the stage for GTE Am’s closing act. Sportscar Editor Phil Oakley and Reporters Mo Rehman and Dan Lawrence brings your report…

From the Middle East to South America, Formula 1’s latest triple header concluded in Sao Paulo, Brazil. While Max Verstappen reigned supreme, the Mercedes team endured a torrid showing. Taylor Powling, Graham Harris and Phillip Horton report while James Moy snapped the images.

This week’s Start Your Engines column sees Dan Lawrence showing that the Golden Age of Sportscar racing ushered in during the 2023 season is just the start of something that will see the FIA’s WEC go from strength to strength. Meanwhile, George Dagless looks at the possibility of Mick Schumacher venturing into WEC after testing with Alpine recently.

Elsewhere, Taylor Powling discusses how Sergio Perez’s race-ending Mexico City GP clash demonstrated a disregard for his precarious F1 situation with Red Bull and finally, Nick Golding reviews Formula E’s recent pre-season Valencia test by ranking the teams based on their performance.

You can read our magazine below, or for a better reading experience, click here for a full screen version.

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Formula E pre-season testing came and went in typically eventful fashion just over a week ago, with it having been a miracle that almost a full schedule was completed.

A sudden battery fire on the opening day saw the pit-lane at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia evacuated and an immediate investigation required, throwing the entire test into doubt.

Thanks to the tremendous work done by the FIA, Formula E and the sport’s technical suppliers, 17.5 of the scheduled 18 hours were miraculously completed, following a revised timetable.

It means a picture has somewhat been painted of what to expect potentially come the season-opener in Mexico City, with some teams looking considerably better than others.

Here’s a Motorsport Week ranking of how the pecking order looks after a test which’ll never be forgotten (All data is based on the full-time drivers and not the rookies, with the exception of Jehan Daruvala):

11 – ERT Formula E Team

The ERT Formula E Team (formerly NIO 333 Racing) have plenty of work to do ahead of the season-opener, after enduring a pretty disappointing test.

ERT completing their rebrand just days before the test perhaps increased the pressure somewhat, given the staggering progress that was made last season. Unfortunately, it looks like the Silverstone-based squad are set for a challenging start to season 10 after being slowest during the test.

Sérgio Sette Câmara was the 21st quickest in the test, whilst Dan Ticktum was right at the bottom in 22nd, with both drivers being over eight-tenths off the leading pace. Testing, of course, isn’t just about setting the fastest lap, it’s also about gathering as much data as possible.

This was also a bit of a struggle for ERT, who completed 374 laps with their 2024 pairing. Even in the total laps completed order, the Chinese team were only ninth.

10 – ABT CUPRA Formula E Team

Just off the bottom of the pecking order appears to be the ABT CUPRA Formula E Team, who scored the majority of their points in the latter stages of last season. It was an odd week for the Mahindra customer team, as they actually topped the list for most laps completed.

Nico Müller and the returning Lucas di Grassi collected a staggering 493 laps worth of data for the Kempten-based team to go over, suggesting that reliability is not a concern in the slightest.

One-lap pace is, though, as the German side were 10th on the timesheets, in terms of each team’s quickest time. Di Grassi’s best time of the week was enough for P17, two places ahead of Müller. On a positive note, Di Grassi’s 1m 25.083s was two-tenths quicker than ERT’s best lap.

It suggests that one-lap pace remains an issue for ABT CUPRA but that efficiency and reliability are perhaps their strengths, as they look to avoid the bottom of the 2024 standings.

9 – Mahindra Racing

Ninth spot doesn’t really do Mahindra Racing justice for their heroic efforts in testing, as they would’ve certainly been right in the midfield had they not been so devastatingly impacted by the battery fire.

Mahindra sustained “extensive damage” to their race operations and both cars, to the point that Nyck de Vries’ was ruled out of the final two days of testing. The Banbury-based team moved garages due to the fire damage and got to work on Edoardo Mortara’s car.

Following a remarkable effort and display of togetherness and teamwork, Mortara’s car was repaired for the final two days. The Swiss driver looked really good as well and set the sixth-fastest time in the test, putting Mahindra fifth on the timesheets overall. De Vries’ best lap, though, was only good enough for P18.

What puts them this low on the ranking is that, due to De Vries’ car having been damaged, only 285 laps were completed by the team. This was the lowest in the paddock by 62 laps; however, they have been granted additional private testing time to make up for what they lost. Overall, things are looking very positive for the Indian manufacturer.

8 – Nissan Formula E Team

The Nissan Formula E Team’s position should perhaps be taken with a pinch of salt, given just how close the midfield was during testing. It should also be noted that the Japanese manufacturer fielded two rookies during the opening session.

As a result, Sacha Fenestraz’s and Oliver Rowland’s combined number of laps only beat Mahindra. Nissan were 10th when it came to the most laps completed, but again, this was mostly due to neither of their full-time drivers having been used at the start of the test.

When it came to Nissan’s quickest lap, it put them seventh in the pecking order, courtesy of Rowland setting the 10th fastest time. Fenestraz was concerningly all the way down in 20th. Even if Nissan’s full-time pairing had completed more laps, the side are still very much a midfield outfit.

7 – DS Penske

Perhaps DS Penske being ranked in seventh is the biggest surprise, but when the statistics are taken into account, it shouldn’t come as a shock. The Versailles-based side were only the ninth fastest team, with Jean-Éric Vergne’s best lap having been enough for just 13th, whilst Stoffel Vandoorne was in 16th.

It should be taken into account that Vergne’s best lap was just four-tenths off the leading pace but nevertheless outside the top-10. One-lap pace is clearly still an area to be worked on, especially if the field is going to be tight come Mexico City.

It was an overall average test for DS Penske where they didn’t really show their cards, as only 414 laps were completed. This put them seventh amongst the other teams. However, they did field rookie Robert Shwartzman in the opening session, with it having been his battery which caught alight.

6 – NEOM McLaren Formula E Team

One team who showed some promise are the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team, who enjoyed a very productive test. Rookie Taylor Barnard was fielded in the opening session but this didn’t stop Sam Bird and Jake Hughes from completing 454 laps between them.

Only five teams completed more laps than the Woking-based team, who gathered 107 more laps worth of data than their supplier, Nissan. A spot in the midfield looks certain once again for McLaren, who faded considerably in the second half of season nine.

One-lap pace was their biggest strength in their debut season, but this wasn’t on show in Valencia. Hughes’ best lap was enough for P11, three places ahead of Bird. The Formula E sophomore’s quickest time was just under four-tenths off the leading pace.

This put McLaren eighth on the timesheets and effectively on a par with the likes of Nissan and DS Penske.

5 – Andretti Formula E

Andretti’s new signing Norman Nato narrowly had the edge over reigning World Champion Jake Dennis when it came to one-lap pace in Valencia, with the Frenchman having set the ninth-fastest time overall. Dennis’ best lap was enough for P12.

Nato’s time slotted the Porsche customer team into sixth in the pecking order over one-lap, around three-tenths of a second off the fastest pace. Andretti’s week wasn’t exhilarating by any means, but Nato seemingly settling in quickly is a real positive for the Americans.

The ex-Nissan driver also completed 44 laps more than Dennis, although the Brit was replaced by rookie Zane Maloney in the opening session. Between Nato and Dennis, Andretti completed 408 laps, putting them eighth in the paddock for most laps completed.

More performance is certainly expected from Andretti come the season-opener, given that it was Dennis who was victorious by a staggering eight seconds almost 12 months ago.

4 – Maserati MSG Racing

Despite having undergone a chaotic pre-season with the sudden departure of now ex-Team Principal James Rossiter, Maserati MSG Racing looked excellent in Valencia. Maximilian Günther – who has topped testing in three of the last five years – was strong once again in the Spanish city.

The German set the fifth-quickest time during testing, which put Maserati fourth in the one-lap pace pecking order and just under two-tenths of a second off the top spot. Rookie Jehan Daruvala was 15th but ahead of the likes of Vergne and Di Grassi.

Maserati have considerable data to delve into and analyse ahead of Mexico City, as their two drivers completed an impressive 489 laps between them. This was the second most gathered by any team, with only ABT CUPRA having circulated the Spanish circuit more.

If the Monte-Carlo-based team and Günther can enter season 10 with the performance they showed in testing, then the Italian manufacturer could be the real underdogs to take the fight to the Porsches and the Jaguars.

3 – Envision Racing

As expected from the ever-consistent reigning Teams’ Champions, Envision Racing were solid in Valencia. Robin Frijns has seemingly settled back into the outfit with absolute ease, as he ended the week seventh on the timesheets.

The Dutchman’s best lap was just under a tenth of a second slower than Sébastian Buemi’s, who set the fourth-fastest time courtesy of a 1m 24.641s. Buemi’s best time was just over a tenth of a second off the quickest lap of the test.

When it came to total laps completed, the Silverstone-based team were fourth, courtesy of 474 laps having been done between the two drivers. Interestingly, Buemi went around the circuit 78 times more than Frijns, who failed to break the 200 laps mark.

Despite this, Frijns appears to have gotten used to the Jaguar powertrain somewhat comfortably, whilst Buemi’s pace will encourage Envision. With Nick Cassidy having departed, it’s going to be crucial that both Frijns and Buemi step up to fill the Kiwi’s shoes, in order to defend the title.

2 – TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team

Missing out on the top spot in Motorsport Week’s post-testing ranking is the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, who appear to have definitely discovered some more performance over one-lap.

Porsche’s one-lap pace was ultimately what lost them the Constructors’ and the Drivers’ Championships last season, as António Félix da Costa and Pascal Wehrlein often had too much work to do in the races.

With this in mind, Da Costa ending the test second on the overall timesheets and just over a tenth off the leading pace will certainly encourage the Stuttgart-based team. Da Costa had an excellent week in Valencia, whilst Wehrlein also did well to set the eighth-fastest time.

The factory Porsche squad also gathered substantial data, after setting the third most laps on the grid. 487 laps were completed by the two drivers, with Da Costa being responsible for 256 of them.

It wasn’t just the two usual drivers that Porsche fielded during the test, as they gave simulator driver Gabriela Jílková a session. This saw her become the first female driver to test the Gen3 machinery.

1 – Jaguar TCS Racing

Despite Porsche’s improvements, Jaguar TCS Racing are very much the team to beat in season 10, after showing sensational pace in Valencia. Mitch Evans set the quickest lap of the test courtesy of a 1m 24.474s, seven-tenths quicker than Günther’s leading time from testing last year.

Evans’ new partner Cassidy was just over a tenth of a second behind in P3, although his best lap was the same as Da Costa’s. Cassidy’s lap is classed as third, though, as his was set on the final day of the test, which he topped. Jaguar were the only team with both drivers in the top-five.

On the topic of the number five, Jaguar completed the fifth-most laps, as Evans and Cassidy completed 457 laps between them. Whilst this put them in the midfield, Jaguar are already known to have exceptional efficiency, something they proved last season.

It’s the Coventry-based squad who will enter Mexico City as the favourites, making them the bar that all the other teams will be aspiring to reach.

Maximilian Günther was left delighted by Maserati MSG Racing’s performance in the official pre-season test last week, with the German believing that “our package is coming together nicely”.

Ahead of the test, Günther had topped testing in three of the four previous years. Unfortunately, he failed to continue his run ahead of season 10. It’s clear that so much has been learnt about the Gen3 machinery since it was introduced almost 12 months ago, as the majority of the drivers lapped significantly faster than Günther’s leading time from season nine testing.

Mitch Evans was the quickest driver at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, with the Kiwi’s best lap having been seven-tenths quicker than what Günther managed in the first test of the Gen3 era in 2022.

Günther himself was half a second quicker than his time from 2022, whilst he was around two-tenths down on Evans’ leading time. This slotted the Maserati driver into fifth on the overall timesheets, with him having been towards the front in every session.

He also completed a solid 245 laps, giving the Monte-Carlo-based team plenty of data to analyse ahead of the Mexico City season-opener in January.

The 26-year-old looked strong as always in Valencia, whilst Maserati as a whole looked to have made some progress since season nine. Günther explained after testing that the team had “worked really hard” ahead of the test, to get them into as good a position as possible.

He’s confident that things are “coming together nicely” for the Italian manufacturer, who are working in a “clear direction” ahead of Formula E’s centurion campaign.

“We’ve had a really good week,” Günther said after testing. “We had a great program in place, and we went through everything we wanted. We’ve learned a great deal, the whole team has worked well, and I think we’re progressing in a good direction.

“Pace is one thing, but having a good feeling in the car and having ideas around the improvements we have and can make are also important. We had a clear direction with what we wanted to achieve after Season 9, we worked really hard in the offseason, and I think our package is coming together nicely.

“We will keep working hard in the next couple of weeks to be in a great shape for Mexico, but I’m really satisfied with how the test went.”