2022 Valencia Test | ||
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![]() The Circuit Ricardo Tormo E-Prix Circuit returned for the 2022 test. | ||
Test Information | ||
Date | 13 - 16 December 2022[1] | |
Location | ![]() | |
Lap length | 3.376 km (2.098 mi) | |
Fastest Lap | ||
Driver | ![]() | |
Time | Day | Laps |
1:26:096 | 1 | 118 |
Testing Guide | ||
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The 2022 Valencia Test was the first and only collective pre-season test staged ahead of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, held across three days between 13 and 16 December 2022 at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Cheste, Valencia, Spain.[1] The test would be the first public test for the new-for-2022/23 Generation 3 ruleset, with freedom for teams to complete race and qualifying runs, as well as an expected race simulation, as per previous pre-season tests.[1]
Background[]
As had been the tradition since the start of the Generation 2 era of the FIA Formula E Championship, it was the versatile Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Cheste, Valencia, Spain, that would host the pre-season test for the 2022/23 season, which would be a significant three days of running for the series.[1] The circuit layout chosen for the test would be the exact same that had been used by FE during the 2020/21 season, when two E-Prix were staged in Valencia, allowing a direct comparison in times between the retired Gen 2 specification, and the new-for-2022/23 Generation 3 cars.[1] The test would also serve as the public debut for all eleven teams' Season 9 challengers, the debut for McLaren and Maserati as fully fledged FE teams, as well as a myriad of drivers driving publicly for their new employers after a busy winter had seen numerous seat changes.[1]
Entry List[]
Below is a complete entry list for the full 2022 Valencia Test across each day:
Day One[]
It was cool and overcast in Valencia as the class of 2022/23 gathered in the pitlane for the first public, combined, test of the Generation 3 era, with many teams expecting to encounter at least one issue during the first day.[3] Six hours of running, split across two sessions, was scheduled for the opening day with rain a threat throughout, although predicted to affect the afternoon session if it materialised at all.[3]
Report[]
There would be a quick jump onto the track for the entire field as soon as the circuit went green at the start of the session, with everyone in the field completing a full lap within the first ten minute of the session.[3] However, there was no great showing of pace, with times steadily dropping from an early 1:33.727 set by René Rast at the end of the first runs, to a 1:27.700 from Pascal Wehrlein just after the ten minute mark.[3] The benchmark was further lowered by Jake Hughes and Wehrlein, before Oliver Rowland concluded the first half hour of running by recording a 1:26.351 in the #8 Mahindra, a time that would remain unchallenged until the final ten minutes of the session.[3]
Indeed, after the opening barrage alot of drivers would spend the session diving in and out of the pits, the majority completing ten or fifteen lap runs before stopping for a short while for car inspections and to report back to their teams.[3] In the midst of that spell Nick Cassidy would suffer the morning's only significant on-track issue, flying off the track and into the gravel with a brake issue on the #36 Envision Racing entered Jaguar I-Type 6.[3] His teammate Sébastien Buemi would also suffer a failure late in the session and was forced into the pits too, as the rest of the field swept back onto the circuit to complete some late quick runs.[3]
It was Hughes who finally got around to besting Rowland's early effort, the Brit recording a 1:26.178 in the #5 McLaren run Nissan e-4ORCE 04 with just under nine minutes to go, an effort that looked to be enough.[3] However, his time would be beaten at the death by Maximilian Günther, with the German pilot managing to dance the #7 Maserati around to claim a 1:26.096 and top spot in the first public session of the Gen 3 era.[3]
Rain arrived in time for the second session, although it would not prevent some drivers such as Pascal Wehrlein managing to improve, with the first hour seeing the circuit remain dry enough for drivers to complete some meaningful running.[4] However, after a brief interruption to allow a stranded Hughes to be plucked from the circuit, the #5 McLaren having stopped at turn five/six, the rain would ruin any potential improvement in times, although several drivers continued to lap the circuit.[4] Regardless, Günther's late pre-lunch effort would remain the benchmark time at the end of the day, as elsewhere Sérgio Sette Câmara came to a stop late on with a fault on his car, Norman Nato had to undergo a full powertrain replacement after a complete failure on his Nissan, while Buemi failed to leave the pits at all as Envision and Jaguar looked at an issue on the #16 Envision-Jaguar.[4]
Results[]
Below is the full result from the first day of the 2022 Valencia Test:
2022 Valencia Test Day One Times | |||||||
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Pos. | No. | Name | Team | Laps | Time | Gap | |
S1 | S2 | ||||||
1st | 7 | ![]() |
![]() |
77 | 1:26.096 | 1:26.221 | — |
2nd | 5 | ![]() |
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75 | 1:26.178 | 1:27.798 | +0.082s |
3rd | 94 | ![]() |
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87 | 1:26.862 | 1:26.262 | +0.166s |
4th | 8 | ![]() |
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63 | 1:26.351 | 1:27.007 | +0.255s |
5th | 48 | ![]() |
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87 | 1:26.505 | 1:26.781 | +0.409s |
6th | 1 | ![]() |
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84 | 1:26.531 | 1:26.836 | +0.435s |
7th | 13 | ![]() |
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79 | 1:26.625 | 1:26.683 | +0.529s |
8th | 11 | ![]() |
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78 | 1:26.755 | 1:27.631 | +0.659s |
9th | 25 | ![]() |
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83 | 1:27.207 | 1:26.851 | +0.755s |
10th | 4 | ![]() |
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29 | 1:26.925 | 1:29.660 | +0.829s |
11th | 36 | ![]() |
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79 | 1:27.810 | 1:26.949 | +0.853s |
12th | 33 | ![]() |
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61 | 1:27.356 | 1:27.055 | +0.959s |
13th | 27 | ![]() |
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67 | 1:27.613 | 1:27.084 | +0.988s |
14th | 9 | ![]() |
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71 | 1:27.373 | 1:27.135 | +1.039s |
15th | 37 | ![]() |
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76 | 1:27.146 | 1:27.143 | +1.047s |
16th | 3 | ![]() |
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73 | 1:27.228 | 1:27.584 | +1.132s |
17th | 51 | ![]() |
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60 | 1:28.184 | 1:27.336 | +1.240s |
18th | 10 | ![]() |
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72 | 1:27.355 | 1:27.377 | +1.259s |
19th | 16 | ![]() |
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40 | 1:27.471 | — | +1.375s |
20th | 23 | ![]() |
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77 | 1:28.031 | 1:27.725 | +1.629s |
21st | 17 | ![]() |
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55 | 1:27.801 | 1:42.186 | +1.705s |
22nd | 58 | ![]() |
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72 | 1:28.009 | 1:28.215 | +1.913s |
Source:[5] |
- Bold indicates a driver's fastest lap from the entire test day.
- Purple indicates the fastest driver in each session.
Day Two[]
The second day of running at Valencia would be held in warmer conditions than the opening day, but with a much more compact schedule as the Series intended to stage a race-simulation including free practice, a mock-qualifying session and then a full race.[6] The official results of the race were not to be published, although it would be followed by a two-hour test session in the afternoon to allow teams to continue getting their cars up to speed.[6]
Report[]
The first session of the day was used as a "Free Practice" session for the field, and would see Maximilian Günther top yet another session as the German racer recorded a 1:26.178 in the #7 Maserati, beating Stoffel Vandoorne in the factory DS Penske by three and a half tenths.[6] Mitch Evans would grab third for Jaguar Racing in their best showing of the test to that point, with Edoardo Mortara in the #48 Maserati rounding out the top five behind Jake Hughes in the #5 McLaren run Nissan.[6] The session would see the majority of drivers complete their fastest laps during qualifying sims, using the full 350kW of power, although Norman Nato, twelfth fastest in the #17 Nissan, would be the quickest of those not to use the full power option, ahead of Sérgio Sette Câmara.[6]
The afternoon session would be a more traditional test session for FE, with the field released to run as they pleased across the two hours.[7] Once again it was Günther who hit the headlines, setting a new testing benchmark of 1:25.449, leaving him a quarter of a second clear of the sister car of Vandoorne, which could muster a 1:25.712 in response to the Maserati.[7] Jean-Éric Vergne and Mortara in the sister DS Penske and Maserati's respectively would also get into the top five, highlighting just how competitive the DS based equipment used by DS Penske and Maserati looked halfway through testing, although they were denied a top-four lock-out by Nato, the Frenchman claiming third fastest for Nissan with a 1:25.895.[7]
There were no major issues during the session to halt the running, although it was notable that both Sébastien Buemi and Dan Ticktum failed to record any full laps in the afternoon, only limiting themselves to reconnaissance laps.[7]
Attrition Abound[]
The mock-qualifying session, which did not see the knockout formula used, saw Günther claim pole ahead of Vandoorne, although the grid for the mock-race was instead set via a random draw, rather than the results of that session.[6] Ahead of the race simulation Jaguar elected to start both Sam Bird and Evans from the pitlane, while Sette Câmara suffered a battery failure on the grid, leaving him stranded as the field took to the grid.[6] A standing start was then abandoned in favour of a rolling start instead, with René Rast taking an early lead from teammate Jake Hughes in the two McLaren run Nissans, while Günther and Vandoorne found themselves fighting in the top six with Pascal Wehrlein and António Félix da Costa in the two Porsches.[6]
Early issues saw Ticktum, Nick Cassidy and André Lotterer all head into the pits, the first two with unspecified issues while Andretti confirmed that Lotterer had a fault with his brake-by-wire system.[6] The latter duo would re-join and then retire from the race, with a similar fate befalling both of the factory Nissans of Nato and Sacha Fenestraz as they fought down in the lower half of the field.[6] Bird too would end his race simulation before the chequered flag fell, complaining about the brakes on his #10 Jaguar, while the two ABT Cupras were both in the pits at the end of the race sim, Robin Frijns stating that he had suffered from an overheating battery.[6]
On-track the race-sim was fairly well mannered, with Hughes ultimately claiming "victory" after pulling off a clean move on teammate Rast for the lead, before keeping him at arm's length to secure an unofficial FE triumph.[6] Wehrlein was in line to claim third before his #94 Porsche began to struggle for pace late on and left him unable to fend off Günther and Vergne, while Mortara just fell shy of taking the ailing Wehrlein and had to settle for sixth.[6] da Costa too would hit trouble late on and fell away from the lead group, and hence had a long queue of cars behind him headed by Vandoorne, Lucas di Grassi and Oliver Rowland, the latter duo having had trouble free runs in the factory Mahindras.[6]
The race would also see an artifical Full Course Yellow and Safety Car period, resulting in an additional lap being added to the 25 lap race distance, in order to test the timing equipment for the new-for-2022/23 race format.[6]
Results[]
Below is the full result from the second day of the 2022 Valencia Test:
2022 Valencia Test Day Two Times | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pos. | No. | Name | Team | Laps | Time | Gap | |
S1* | S2 | ||||||
1st | 7 | ![]() |
![]() |
41 | 1:26.178 | 1:25.449 | — |
2nd | 1 | ![]() |
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40 | 1:26.537 | 1:25.712 | +0.263s |
3rd | 17 | ![]() |
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44 | 1:27.500 | 1:25.895 | +0.446s |
4th | 25 | ![]() |
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44 | 1:27.806 | 1:26.129 | +0.680s |
5th | 48 | ![]() |
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49 | 1:26.875 | 1:26.174 | +0.725s |
6th | 4 | ![]() |
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29 | 1:27.900 | 1:26.279 | +0.830s |
7th | 5 | ![]() |
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36 | 1:26.744 | 1:26.298 | +0.849s |
8th | 94 | ![]() |
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49 | 1:26.915 | 1:26.350 | +0.901s |
9th | 13 | ![]() |
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42 | 1:28.225 | 1:26.427 | +0.978s |
10th | 23 | ![]() |
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39 | 1:27.129 | 1:26.490 | +1.041s |
11th | 58 | ![]() |
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39 | 1:27.423 | 1:26.506 | +1.057s |
12th | 27 | ![]() |
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39 | 1:28.345 | 1:26.526 | +1.077s |
13th | 3 | ![]() |
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54 | 1:27.685 | 1:26.593 | +1.144s |
14th | 9 | ![]() |
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24 | 1:26.628 | 1:26.941 | +1.179s |
15th | 10 | ![]() |
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38 | 1:27.188 | 1:26.781 | +1.332s |
16th | 11 | ![]() |
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26 | 1:27.403 | 1:26.801 | +1.352s |
17th | 36 | ![]() |
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41 | 1:27.688 | 1:27.024 | +1.575s |
18th | 33 | ![]() |
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17 | 1:27.052 | — | +1.603s |
19th | 51 | ![]() |
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34 | 1:28.516 | 1:27.554 | +2.105s |
20th | 37 | ![]() |
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50 | 1:27.807 | 1:32.664 | +2.358s |
21st | 8 | ![]() |
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16 | 1:27.954 | 1:33.402 | +2.505s |
22nd | 16 | ![]() |
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10 | 1:55.112 | — | +29.663s |
Source:[5] |
- Bold indicates a driver's fastest lap from the entire test day.
- Purple indicates the fastest driver in each session.
- * The first test session of the day was used as a "Free Practice Session" for the race simulation staged during the middle part of the second test day.[8]
Day Three[]
After multiple issues during the development stages for manufacturers when creating powertrains for the Generation 3 ruleset, and additional concerns that had arrisen during the Valencia Test itself, the FIA and Formula E opted to add an additional test session on Thursday midway through the test.[9] Thursday had initially been left clear for teams to complete media duties, but at the behest of a majority of teams and manufacturers an additional one hour session was added to the schedule, particularly after the fairly brutal race simulation that had taken place on Wednesday.[9] Some teams were concerned that the added running would hamper their planned running on Friday, however, with a shortage of parts from both the OEMs and Spark Racing Technologies well known throughout the paddock.[9]
Report[]
The session proved to be a quiet one, with no major dramas befalling any of the 21 drivers during the one hour run, as Norman Nato dipped into the 1:25.000s for the first time to set a new overall benchmark.[7] Indeed, the Frenchman's 1:25.776 set in the #17 Nissan was a tenth faster than his closest challenger, Oliver Rowland of Mahindra Racing, and was set just after the halfway point in the session.[7] Prior to that the fastest time had been held by Sébastien Buemi, who had just recorded a 1:26.066 a couple of moments earlier, although the Swiss pilot's effort would still be good enough for third overall, two tenths ahead of Edoardo Mortara and Mitch Evans in fourth and fifth.[7]
There had almost been a late upset however, for Stoffel Vandoorne set a 1:25.600 in the closing stages of the session, although the #1 DS Penske racer would see his time deleted moments later for exceeding track limits.[7] Track limits proved to be the main issue, with only Nato and Pascal Wehrlein managing to avoid having any times deleted at all during the session.[7] As a result the only main issue to affect anyone would a lack of any running for Nico Müller, after ABT Cupra wanted time to analyse an issue on the #51 ABT Cupra-Mahindra that was found during the race sim.[7]
Results[]
Below is the full result from the third day of the 2022 Valencia Test:
2022 Valencia Test Day Three Times | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pos. | No. | Name | Team | Laps | Time | Gap |
1st | 17 | ![]() |
![]() |
22 | 1:25.776 | — |
2nd | 8 | ![]() |
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14 | 1:25.883 | +0.107s |
3rd | 16 | ![]() |
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22 | 1:26.066 | +0.290s |
4th | 48 | ![]() |
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22 | 1:26.304 | +0.528s |
5th | 9 | ![]() |
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19 | 1:27.343 | +0.567s |
6th | 10 | ![]() |
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20 | 1:27.394 | +0.618s |
7th | 4 | ![]() |
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18 | 1:26.397 | +0.621s |
8th | 1 | ![]() |
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17 | 1:26.441 | +0.665s |
9th | 25 | ![]() |
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17 | 1:26.486 | +0.710s |
10th | 5 | ![]() |
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25 | 1:26.627 | +0.851s |
11th | 27 | ![]() |
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20 | 1:26.627 | +0.851s |
12th | 94 | ![]() |
![]() |
17 | 1:26.912 | +1.136s |
13th | 58 | ![]() |
![]() |
25 | 1:26.938 | +1.162s |
14th | 13 | ![]() |
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9 | 1:26.987 | +1.211s |
15th | 33 | ![]() |
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21 | 1:27.224 | +1.448s |
16th | 11 | ![]() |
![]() |
21 | 1:27.525 | +1.749s |
17th | 23 | ![]() |
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14 | 1:27.615 | +1.839s |
18th | 3 | ![]() |
![]() |
10 | 1:27.735 | +1.959s |
19th | 7 | ![]() |
![]() |
19 | 1:28.073 | +2.297s |
20th | 36 | ![]() |
![]() |
11 | 1:31.330 | +5.554s |
21st | 37 | ![]() |
![]() |
19 | 1:34.108 | +8.332s |
NC | 51 | ![]() |
![]() |
0 | — | |
Source:[5] |
- Bold indicates a driver's fastest lap from the entire test day.
- Purple indicates the fastest driver in each session.
Day Four[]
Report[]
Results[]
Below is the full result from the fourth day of the 2022 Valencia Test:
2022 Valencia Test Day Four Times | |||||||
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Pos. | No. | Name | Team | Laps | Time | Gap | |
S1 | S2 | ||||||
1st | — | ||||||
2nd | |||||||
3rd | |||||||
4th | |||||||
5th | |||||||
6th | |||||||
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20th | |||||||
21st | |||||||
22nd | |||||||
Source:[5] |
- Bold indicates a driver's fastest lap from the entire test day.
- Purple indicates the fastest driver in each session.
Combined Times[]
Outlined below is an overall view of the 2022 Valencia Test, with the order based on the fastest outright lap time set by each driver across the test:
2022 Valencia Test Combined Times | |||||||
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Pos. | No. | Name | Team | Laps | Time | Gap | |
1st | — | ||||||
2nd | |||||||
3rd | |||||||
4th | |||||||
5th | |||||||
6th | |||||||
7th | |||||||
8th | |||||||
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10th | |||||||
11th | |||||||
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13th | |||||||
14th | |||||||
15th | |||||||
16th | |||||||
17th | |||||||
18th | |||||||
19th | |||||||
20th | |||||||
21st | |||||||
22nd | |||||||
Source:[5] |
- Bold indicates a driver's fastest lap from the entire test day.
- Purple indicates the fastest driver in each session.
References[]
Images and Videos:
References:
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 'UPDATE: 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship calendar', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 19/10/2022), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2022/october/wmsc, (Accessed 19/10/2022)
- ↑ 'Valenica Official Testing 2022 - Entry List', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 05/12/2022), https://fe-results.s3.amazonaws.com/08_2022-23/00_R00%20Valencia/Event%20Information/S9_VLC_Entry%20List%20v.1.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 13/12/2022)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 'Maserati's Guenther tops first test session of Gen3 era in Valencia', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 13/12/2022), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/11819/maserati-s-guenther-tops-first-test-session-of-gen3-era-in-valencia, (Accessed 12/04/2023)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 'Guenther and Maserati end the first day on top', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 13/12/2022), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/11825/guenther-and-maserati-end-the-first-day-on-top, (Accessed 12/04/2023)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>
tag; no text was provided for refs namedResults
- ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 6.14 Sam Smith, 'What went on in an attritional first Formula E Gen3 ‘race’', the-race.com, (The Race, 14/12/2022), https://the-race.com/formula-e/what-went-on-in-an-attritional-first-formula-e-gen3-race/, (Accessed 02/01/2023)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 7.9 'Guenther posts fastest time of testing to top a third session in Valencia', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 14/12/2022), https://fiaformulae.com/en/news/11919/guenther-posts-fastest-time-of-testing-to-top-third-consecutive-test-session-in-valencia, (Accessed 02/01/2023)
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>
tag; no text was provided for refs namedRaceTest
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Sam Smith, 'Formula E adds more test running as teams battle issues', the-race.com, (The Race, 15/12/2022), https://the-race.com/formula-e/formula-e-adds-more-test-running-as-teams-battle-issues/, (Accessed 12/04/2023)