Formula E starts its European stint in Madrid this weekend, with a brand new track, rookies ready to test and a single-header pit boost for the first time. Parc Femme joined Nyck de Vries, Edoardo Mortara, Antonio Felix da Costa and Zane Maloney in the media pen to find out how testing at the circuit in 2024 has prepared them for the race and how they’re feeling about the track so far.

Formula E’s pre-season testing in 2024 was set to take place at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia from the 4th to the 7th November but, due to flooding in the area, the championship was forced to move to the Circuito del Jarama in Madrid. Almost 18 months later, Formula E found themselves back at Madrid for round 6 of the championship this weekend.

Is there anything the drivers can take from that testing into this weekend?

“Yeah, I think so,” Nyck de Vries answered in the Friday media pen. “It was a very good test and I think all drivers very much enjoy the track. It’s very old school, quick, old tarmac so quite high tyre degradation. So we had a good time out here and I’m enjoying it. Yeah looking forward to the driving we get on track and the racing ahead.”

The positivity continued within Mahindra as we spoke with de Vries’ teammate, Mortara, who currently sits at second in the championship following an impressive final four races which included two podiums following his original retirement in the opening round of the season.

“Definitely yeah, last time that we came here, it was for official testing at the beginning of the Gen 3.5.” Edoardo Mortara explained to us. “We already experienced a little bit of issues that we could have, with regarding set up, with regarding software settings last time. Hopefully we have some fixes now after one and a half year, running these kinds of like, cars. So hopefully we can be a bit better.”

How is Formula E in Madrid fairing the other teams?

The Mahindra pair have already found some pace this time around at the circuit, following a P2 for de Vries during today’s FP1 session and 7th for Mortara. Lola Yamaha’s Zane Maloney also seemed quick in the only session of today, taking 11th and finding himself 0.879s off of Ticktum in first. 

Ahead of FP1, Maloney agreed with testing at Madrid helping, adding “For us of course it was our, I think, second test ever as a team back then so, the cars in a very different place now which is, I mean, a positive of course. 

“We’re more looking at the simulator days that we did rather than the testing last year so, cause you might as well flip the car upside down. But yeah, generally I mean, it’s a physical track, it’s a nice track, it’s quite sketchy. You need to really put everything on the line to be fast here which I like as a driver, so looking forward to it.”

Maloney wasn’t our only driver who looked at the 2024 pre-season testing alongside the simulator for knowledge on the newest circuit to join the calendar officially:

“Absolutely.” Antonio Felix da Costa told Parc Femme regarding taking knowledge from testing. “There’s a lot actually. From the simple things, with just getting to know where the track goes.”

He also added, “And obviously now, we were able to correlate the track well to the simulator and put the simulator in a much better place to actually test a lot of things there before coming here but, that test was for sure very, very useful. It’s not really a new track for us, you know? So, yeah that’s good.”

Alongside the queries regarding testing comparisons to race day preparations, Parc Femme also continued with Felix da Costa and Mortara about the track itself. Circuito del Jarama is known for its elevation changes and quick corners, so how excited are these drivers to race here?

“Usually with faster corners, usually drivers tend to be happy, or happier lets say so, and here you have definitely quite a lot of that.” Edoardo Mortara said in today’s media pen. “It’s definitely a racing track that is quite different to what we are used to in Formula E. From there, it’s difficult to know what to predict but, on paper it’s pretty cool.”

These characteristics are incredibly common in street tracks, Formula E’s usual choice for circuits. So, how is the permanent track of Jamara different from the usual street circuits we commonly see on the calendar?

“Very, very different. I mean, the challenge in a street track is always that the walls get super close to you but here, it’s a complete.. it’s just- it’s fast, it’s blind, it’s a real commitment track, high commitment track for the drivers.” Felix da Costa told Parc Femme, regarding the differences.

The Portuguese driver added, “I mean, personally? I love it. It’s as high as a commitment of a street track but obviously it’s done in a different way.”