2019:20 ABB FIA Formula E Championship Testing - Interview James Calado

2019-10-25 8

Max Guenther rounded off a fine week with the fastest time of ABB FIA Formula E Championship testing in Valencia in the last session of the week for BMW i Andretti Motorsport.

The young German set a new course record of 1:15.087 to beat out compatriot Pascal Wehrlein's 1:15:190 set for Mahindra Racing in the early session to repeat his performance in the very first session of the week where he was also fastest.

Robin Frijns was the star of Day 2 with the fastest times in both sessions. His 1:15.377 bettered teammate Sam Bird's 1:15.570 - the fastest lap of Day 1 - to make it a dominant two days for the Envision Virgin Racing team.

Already rich in motorsport pedigree, Mercedes-Benz EQ and TAG Heuer Porsche join the Championship this season to complete the most competitive line-up of teams in motorsport. The German big beasts join local rivals BMW and Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler to make this season the first time the foursome have ever faced off in a motorsport championship.

Other major manufacturers fighting it out for supremecy this season include reigning champions DS, Britain's heritage-brand Jaguar, the biggest seller of electric vehicles in the world Nissan and Indian powerhouses Mahindra.

But experience won out on Day 1 with Bird - who has competed in every Formula E races since inception - setting the tone and the Top 12 drivers in the final session all being men with at least one season under their belt showing the difficulty of switching to electric racing. And teammate Frijns backed this up on Day 2 to set up an intriguing side-plot on who will come out on top this season.

Rookies Nyck de Vries - the reiging Formula 2 champion - for Mercedes EQ and James Calado for Panasonic Jaguar Racing had particularly given harsh welcomes to Formula E after both slid off the track in the first session. de Vries also failed to set a time on Day 2 after suffering further mechanical failures.

Testing takes place from October 15-18 and is the first chance for teams to take a look at where they sit after an off-season of development.