Edoardo Mortara set pace on Day 2 of Formula E test in Valencia, as Jak Crawford and Rafael Camara finalise 2026 move.
Tuesday was all about Edoardo Mortara and Mahindra, as the Swiss-Italian topped the timesheets with teammate Nyck de Vries sitting right behind him. There were two blocks of three-hour sessions on Tuesday, and the benchmark was pushed even further as Edoardo Mortara took the fastest time of the day in the morning’s running, the Mahindra driver clocking a best of 1:21.493.
The Indian manufacturer didn’t have to look too far for their second driver on the timing board, as Nyck de Vries was just 0.093 seconds behind his Mahindra teammate. In third was Jake Dennis, the Andretti driver ended up this morning behind the Mahindra pair. Behind him was another Formula E champion, as Pascal Wehrlein – who was quickest yesterday for Porsche – ended up fourth with new teammate Nico Müller right behind him in fifth.
The big news, apart from Mahindra being quick, was the red flag brought out by Oliver Rowland at the end of the session. An issue with the reigning champion’s Nissan saw him come to an impromptu stop at the chicane that closes out the lap. The afternoon gave way to a race simulation, allowing the FIA to run checks on the safety systems ahead of the season. It’s a test of the processes, so no scores were kept, but for those interested, Mortara was “victorious”.
Following the practice race, the field returned to testing, and this afternoon saw some improvements for CUPRA KIRO. The session was topped by Dan Ticktum, his time was a couple of tenths off the best time from the morning, a marked jump up the order following yesterday, as the race-winner languished down in the timesheets. There was also a strong showing on the other side of the CUPRA KIRO garage, Pepe Martí makes his debut in Formula E, and ended the afternoon session in 10th.
Porsche’s new signing, Nico Müller, ended the afternoon in second and just under two-tenths behind Ticktum, and after struggling yesterday, Taylor Barnard put the DS PENSKE in third place with Mitch Evans in fourth for Jaguar TCS Racing and Season 10 champion Pascal Wehrlein rounding out the top five.
Jak Crawford –
The Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team has announced that Young Driver Jak Crawford will become the team’s Third Driver for the 2026 Formula One season. The role sees Jak act as the team’s reserve driver at all races next season. The 20-year-old, who joined the team’s Young Driver Development Programme in 2024, has accumulated over 2,000km in Formula One machinery. Most recently, he made his Grand Prix weekend debut at the Mexico City Grand Prix, driving Lance Stroll’s AMR25 during FP1.
Throughout 2025, Jak has been a constant presence in the simulator at the AMR Technology Campus in Silverstone, providing valuable technical feedback that has supported both race operations with the AMR25 and development work on the 2026 challenger, the AMR26. Jak is currently competing in his third Formula 2 season, where he sits second in the Drivers’ Championship. The series heads to Qatar next month for the first of the final two rounds.
Jak Crawford, Young Driver, Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team: “I’m incredibly proud to be confirmed as the Third Driver for 2026. It’s a huge moment in my journey with Aston Martin Aramco and a big motivation to keep learning and contributing. Over the past two seasons, I’ve learned so much from being in the Formula 1 environment, both at the factory and trackside. I’ll be doing everything I can to support the team and continue developing as a driver.”
Andy Cowell, CEO and Team Principal, Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team: “It is great to see Jak progress to become our Third Driver for 2026. Over the past two years, he has shown his value as a key member of our driver squad and built up a valuable bank of experience and test mileage. Jak has impressed in the simulator, having completed regular sessions at the AMR Technology Campus to support our race operations and car development. Jak’s performances in Formula 2 have also been outstanding, and we are excited to continue supporting his growth as he takes on a bigger role.”
Rafael Camara –
Invicta Racing is delighted to announce the signing of 2025 FIA Formula 3 champion, Rafael Câmara, for the 2026 FIA Formula 2 season. Rafael, a member of the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy, will become the third consecutive Formula 3 champion to graduate to Formula 2 with Invicta Racing, following in the footsteps of Gabriel Bortoleto (2024) and Leonardo Fornaroli (2025).
Since stepping up to single-seater competition in 2022, the Brazilian has enjoyed a stellar junior career, winning the Formula Regional European Championship title two years later in 2024. In 2025, Rafael dominated the Formula 3 championship with four victories, five podiums, and five pole positions sealing the title at the Hungaroring with a full round of the season to spare.
With a total of 24 wins, 57 podiums, 26 pole positions, and 104 top 10 finishes from 137 single-seater career starts to date, Rafael is one of the most sought-after young talents in motorsport. Rafael will represent Invicta Racing during Formula 2’s post-season test in Abu Dhabi as part of his preparation for the 2026 season.
RAFAEL CÂMARA: “I’m very proud to be joining Invicta Racing for my first season in Formula 2. Over the past few years, this team has become the top target for any driver who wants to race in F2 and has shown time and again that it knows how to develop young drivers. To follow Gabriel [Bortoleto] and Leonardo [Fornaroli] in making this step as Formula 3 Champion is a huge honour. After an incredible season in F3 this year, I feel ready for the next challenge, and I can’t wait to get started with the team.”
James Robinson, CEO AND TEAM PRINCIPAL, INVICTA RACING: “We’re thrilled to welcome Rafael to Invicta Racing for 2026. At every stage of his career to date, he’s shown pace, consistency, and maturity, delivering outstanding results that really speak for themselves. To have the reigning Formula 3 champion join the team for a third consecutive season underlines our commitment to providing the very best young talent with a platform to perform at the highest level, and we’re very excited to see what Rafael can achieve next season.”
Here’s Kalle Rovanpera testing F2 car with Hitech GP: https://x.com/KalleRovanpera/status/1983180866819072222
Here’s how Day 1 in Formula E test panned out
Here’s Aston Martin in Cost Cap breach
[The story is as per press release]