Renault e.Dams have bookended testing in terms of lap times, thanks to Nico Prost’s 1:30.513 in the dry morning session. Prost’s time isn’t the quickest that we’ve seen over the last 3 weeks here at Donington, but a typically British downpour mid-afternoon prevented any improvements. Venturi put in the most number of laps as a team, but the most notable performances were by Amlin Andretti – who in switching to last year’s power unit recorded 68 laps, four times as many as the team had completed previously – and Trulli who took to the track to complete their only 7 laps of testing.
The day started with the fantastic realisation that for the first time since Day 1 of testing there was a real possibility of having all 10 teams running in one session. Vitantonio Liuzzi took to the track in the Trulli machine, and between him and new addition Salvador Duran the team recorded 7 laps – some of them only installation laps – in the team’s sole outing before the first race in Beijing.
Further positive news was to be found in the form of Amlin Andretti. The American squad spent yesterday switching the power units in their cars back to that of last year, which meant that Simona De Silvestro and Robin Frijns were able to do some worthwhile and consistent running. Both drivers were in the top 5 times of afternoon running (Frijns P2 and De Silvestro P5), and put in 37 and 31 laps respectively. The power unit Andretti had previously been using was one they’d developed themselves, however issues with getting the whole package hooked up hindered the team’s running.
The morning session stayed dry, though cool, allowing for plenty of running. Nathanaël Berthon stepped into the Aguri for the majority of the morning, a late night flight from the States leaving debutant Coletti running slightly late. The Monegasque did manage to put in a few laps in the morning before taking over for the afternoon.
The rain began towards the end of lunch, remaining relatively light for an hour or so. During this time, Simona De Silvestro was on a storming qualifying lap when she came to a halt at Coppice, bringing out a red flag. When the session got running again the rain was getting heavier. While this meant that running became more difficult and teams couldn’t gain any valuable data regarding the usual setup of the car, it presented the rare opportunity for drivers to gain experience in the wet. In the first season rain was all but a myth to the Formula E crowds, therefore many drivers did choose to head out in today’s downpour.
Preseason collective testing at Donington has now come to an end. The second Formula E season kicks off properly in Beijing on 17th October.
