Formula E: Günther and Maserati top first day of testing
Maximilian Günther and Maserati MSG Racing topped both sessions on the first day of Gen3 testing in Valencia.
Having moved across to Maserati from Nissan, Günther impressed his new team with a best time of 1:26.221 around the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, before heavy rain then soaking the Spanish track.
The conditions didn’t impact Günther, however, as the German picked up the fastest time in the final two sectors to establish himself as the front runner in pre-season testing.
Edoardo Mortara, Günther’s teammate for the upcoming season, also had a positive start to life at Maserati, coming in fourth overall behind the two Porsche drivers’ Pascal Werhlein and Antonio Felix da Costa.
Reigning World Champion Stoffel Vandoorne, racing for DS Penske this season, led teammate Jean-Éric Vergne, with the top six all finishing within a second of each other.
The session wasn’t completely smooth with a batch of red flags. First was to remove Jake Hughes’ stricken NEOM McLaren from between Turns 5 and 6 and then later on NIO 333’s Sergio Sette Camara needed a tow from the very same place.
It was a tough three hours for Norman Nato at Nissan, with the Frenchman experiencing some issues with his Nissan. Former champion and Envision Racing’s new signing Sebastien Buemi also ended up the session at the bottom of the order after being unable to set a time during the session.
Wednesday (14th December) is dedicated to a full day of a race simulation to sample the new format for Season 9. Opening with a mock practice leading into qualifying to sample the updated format before a full race in the afternoon. The day starts in the morning at 08:30 CET and then in the afternoon from 14:00 CET.
