Buemi fastest on opening day of pre-season testing - Speedway Digest

Just six weeks after the first season of Formula E concluded with the spectacular Visa London ePrix, testing kicked off for season two at Donington Park.

Initial bragging rights went to Sebastien Buemi of Renault e.dams, who set the pace during a day that was interrupted by a brief rain shower in the mid-afternoon. The quickest time of 1:32.092s, compares to Buemi’s best time of 1:31.083s, set during the penultimate day of pre-season testing last year.

The day was the first public outing for the season two technology with a healthy crowd turning out to see the cars in action. This season eight new manufacturers have produced powertrains, however, neither Andretti – in its new Amlin livery, nor Trulli completed a lap, although both teams expect to run tomorrow.

It was also the first time new Venturi signing Jacques Villeneuve had driven a Formula E car in public. The 1997 Formula 1 world champion ended up in 14th place with a best time of 1:38.176s.

Frenchman Tom Dillmann made his Formula E test debut for Team Aguri, completing a few exploratory laps in the wet ahead of a full run tomorrow. There were familiar faces in unfamiliar colours as Jean-Eric Vergne made his public test debut for DS Virgin Racing, while Nick Heidfeld had his first outing as a Mahindra Racing driver.

Testing resumes tomorrow at 9am. For more information on Formula E visit www.fiaformulae.com

Author
Recent Posts

Adam Sinclair

NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.