| 2023 Rookie Test | ||
|---|---|---|
 The Rookie Test returned in 2023 with the Tempelhofring in Berlin its host. | ||
| Test Information | ||
| Date | 24 April 2023 | |
| Location |  TempelhofringBerlin, Berlin, Brandenburg, Germany | |
| Lap length | 2.355 km (1.476 mi) | |
| Fastest Lap | ||
| Driver |  Felipe Drugovich
| |
| Time | Day | Laps |
| 1:05.509 | 1 | 99 |
| Testing Guide | ||
Previous 2022 Valencia Test
|
Next TBA | |
The 2023 Rookie Test, also known as the 2023 Berlin Test, was one-day test staged as the only in-season test during the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship at the Tempelhofring in Berlin, Berlin, Brandenburg, Germany on 24 April 2023.[1] The first "Rookie Test" to be held since 2020, the test was intended to allow drivers yet to compete in the FE World Championship a chance to sample the new-for-2023 Generation 3 ruleset, with each team required to field two drivers for the full day.[1]
Felipe Drugovich would set the ultimate pace during the test, a 1:05.509 in the #7 Maserati Tipo Folgore that was just two tenths slower than the best lap of the race weekend, set by Maximilian Günther in the exact same car.[2] That effort came late in the day at the Tempelhofring, after Sheldon van der Linde had topped the morning session with a 1:05.814, an effort made all the more impressive by the fact that the South African pilot had not used the full 350 kW qualifying mode in the #31 Jaguar.[3]
Distance-wise it was Jehan Daruvala who topped the charts, the Indian pilot having recorded 112 tours of the Tempelhofring at the wheel of the #11 Mahindra.[2] The Indian pilot also set the joint-most laps in the second session, shared with Robert Shwartzman, while van der Linde set the benchmark in the first session, recording 67 laps of the Tempelhofring in the morning.[3]
Background[]
The idea to reinstate the in-season test for "Rookie" drivers was revived midway through the 2022/23 season, after teams rebelled against a rule change for the ninth FE season, which would have seen all teams forced to give over two Free Practice sessions to run rookies during race weekends.[4][5] Due to the combination of the Generation 3 ruleset being brand new and rookie drivers being a significant risk due to their lack of experience in the Gen 3 car, teams were reluctant to accept the ruling, as a heavy accident from a rookie could potentially end any hopes of competing in a race meeting.[1] The FIA and Formula E were still keen to keep the rookie rule alive, however, and hence the compromise of the return of the Rookie Test was struck.
Rookie Revival[]
The last time FE had staged a test day entirely for "Rookie" drivers, ie those that had not competed in an E-Prix, had been in Marrakesh, Morocco, in 2020, which had seen current FE drivers Nick Cassidy, Sérgio Sette Câmara, Jake Hughes, Norman Nato, Sacha Fenestraz and Kelvin van der Linde all complete significant running which ultimately led them to FE seats.[6] With the Circuit Moulay El Hassan not on the calendar, the previous host of all other Rookie Tests, for 2022/23 FE chose the Tempelhofring in Berlin, Germany, as the host of the test, due to the fact that the Series was already going to stage the double headed 2023 Berlin E-Prix there in late-April, and the venue was effectively a semi-permanent circuit for the series in any event.[1] The Rookie Test was hence scheduled for 24 April after the race weekend, with all teams required to attend and field two rookies during the one day test.[7]
Young Learners[]
The first official announcements of drivers for the test were made in the first week of April, with Porsche confirming that Ye Yifei and test/reserve driver David Beckmann would take over their two cars for the test, ahead of the latter's planned debut at the Jakarta E-Prix with Porsche's customers Avalanche Andretti.[8] Another driver to receive an early call-up would be Jack Aitken, who was offered one of the Envision Racing entered Jaguar I-Type 6s for the day, although his partner for the session was not initially revealed.[9] Other drivers also received rumoured call-ups early on, with Zane Maloney, Linus Lundqvist, Louis Delétraz, Adrien Tambay and 2019/20 Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy Champion Simon Evans all having spoken to unspecified teams, while Mahindra's reserve Jehan Daruvala was also a likely contender for a seat.[10]
On 6 April confirmation that Maloney and Lundqvist would appear at the test was made, as both were signed by Avalanche Andretti to sample their pair of customer Porsche 99Xs for the test day.[11] On 13 April Nissan Formula E Team revealed their selection for the test, signing FIA Formula 3 Championship Champion Victor Martins and ex-F2 pilot Luca Ghiotto for the day.[12] The same day would see Envision complete their lineup by offering a seat to Jonny Edgar for the day, while McLaren gave their seats to factory McLaren GT driver Charlie Eastwood and Luke Browning, the 2022 GB3 Championship Champion.[13][14]
DS Penske were the next team to have their testing line-up revealed, as they partnered Ferrari F1 reserve Robert Shwartzman with ex-F1 pilot Will Stevens in their pair of E-Tense FE23s for the session.[15][16] Their customers/sister team Maserati, meanwhile, would sign reigning FIA Formula 2 Championship Champion Felipe Drugovich, and later revealed that they would also run Australian F3 pilot Hugh Barter.[15][17] NIO 333 Racing were another late revealer, with the Anglo-Chinese squad hiring former F1 racer Daniil Kvyat and former ETCR runner Mikel Azcona for the day in the lone pair of NIO 333 ER9s.[18]
Mahindra and their customers ABT Cupra were hence left as the last teams to reveal their line-ups, with the former confirming that their reserve Daruvala would be joined by Roberto Merhi and Jordan King for the day (those two sharing the #8 car).[19] ABT, meanwhile, would sign one of their former DTM pilots in the form of Adrien Tambay, with the Frenchman joined on the day by F3 rookie Tim Tramnitz.[20]
Entry List[]
Below is a complete entry list for the full 2023 Rookie Test across each day:
Day One[]
Report[]
Results[]
Below is the full result from the first day of the 2023 Rookie Test:
| 2023 Rookie Test Times | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos. | No. | Name | Team | Laps | Time | Gap | |
| S1 | S2 | ||||||
| 1st | 7 | Felipe Drugovich
|
 Maserati
|
99 | 1:06.579 | 1:05.509 | — |
| 2nd | 23 |  Victor Martins
|
 Nissan
|
101 | 1:06.280 | 1:05.610 | +0.101s |
| 3rd | 27 |  Zane Maloney
|
 Avalanche Andretti
|
96 | 1:06.207 | 1:05.619 | +0.110s |
| 4th | 17 |  Luca Ghiotto
|
Nissan
|
97 | 1:05.887 | 1:05.780 | +0.271s |
| 5th | 31 |  Sheldon van der Linde
|
 Jaguar Racing
|
90 | 1:05.814 | 1:06.332 | +0.305s |
| 6th | 11 |  Jehan Daruvala
|
Mahindra Racing
|
112 | 1:05.922 | 1:05.931 | +0.413s |
| 7th | 25 |  Robert Shwartzman
|
DS Penske
|
112 | 1:06.121 | 1:05.923 | +0.414s |
| 8th | 5 | Luke Browning
|
McLaren
|
98 | 1:06.187 | 1:05.944 | +0.435s |
| 9th | 94 | David Beckmann
|
Porsche
|
56 | 1:06.683 | 1:05.996 | +0.487s |
| 10th | 3 | Daniil Kvyat
|
 NIO 333 Racing
|
95 | 1:06.082 | 1:06.012 | +0.503s |
| 11th | 13 | Ye Yifei
|
Porsche
|
58 | 1:06.791 | 1:06.053 | +0.544s |
| 12th | 4 | Tim Tramnitz
|
ABT Cupra
|
93 | 1:07.006 | 1:06.090 | +0.581s |
| 13th | 33 | Mikel Azcona
|
NIO 333 Racing
|
98 | 1:06.694 | 1:06.155 | +0.646s |
| 14th | 1 | Will Stevens
|
DS Penske
|
105 | 1:06.906 | 1:06.175 | +0.666s |
| 15th | 36 |  Linus Lundqvist
|
Avalanche Andretti
|
98 | 1:06.624 | 1:06.245 | +0.736s |
| 16th | 48 |  Hugh Barter
|
Maserati
|
98 | 1:07.301 | 1:06.310 | +0.801s |
| 17th | 51 | Adrien Tambay
|
ABT Cupra
|
98 | 1:06.493 | 1:06.352 | +0.843s |
| 18th | 8 | Roberto Merhi
|
Mahindra Racing
|
55 | — | 1:06.386 | +0.877s |
| 19th | 58 |  Charlie Eastwood
|
McLaren
|
98 | 1:06.454 | 1:06.463 | +0.945s |
| 20th | 8A | Jordan King
|
Mahindra Racing
|
61 | 1:06.525 | — | +1.016s |
| 21st | 37A | Jack Aitken
|
Envision Racing
|
51 | 1:06.878 | — | +1.369s |
| 22nd | 99 |  Simon Evans
|
Jaguar Racing
|
103 | 1:07.147 | 1:07.312 | +1.638s |
| 23rd | 37 | Jonny Edgar
|
Envision Racing
|
11 | — | 1:07.172 | +1.663s |
| Source:[22] | |||||||
- 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 Sam Smith, 'Formula E finds solution for controversial new 2023 rule', the-race.com, (The Race, 16/02/2023), https://the-race.com/formula-e/formula-e-finds-solution-for-controversial-new-2023-rule/, (Accessed 11/03/2023)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 'Drugovich fastest at Berlin Rookie Test', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 24/04/2023), https://fiaformulae.com/en/news/419335/drugovic-fastest-at-berlin-rookie-test, (Accessed 19/06/2023)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 'Van der Linde tops morning session of Rookie Test in Berlin', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 24/04/2023), https://fiaformulae.com/en/news/419312/van-der-linde-tops-morning-session-of-rookie-test-in-berlin, (Accessed 19/06/2023)
- ↑ 'Sporting regulations announced for Season 9', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 22/11/2022), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/11100/sporting-regulations-announced-for-season-9, (Accessed 11/12/2022)
- ↑ 'SEASON 9 CALENDAR: Global stage set for Formula E's new Gen3 era', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 29/06/2022), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2022/june/season-9-calendar-announced, (Accessed 29/06/2022)
- ↑ '2020 Marrakesh Rookie Test: All you need to know', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 19/02/2020), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2020/feb/marrakesh-rookie-test-2020, (Accessed 20/02/2020)
- ↑ '2022-2023 Sporting Regulations – FIA Formula E World Championship', fia.com, (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, 03/03/2023), https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/2022-2023_fia_fe_sporting_regulations_s9_marked_up_03032023_v2.pdf, (Accessed 14/03/2023)
- ↑ 'David Beckmann and Yifei Ye tackle rookie test with the Porsche 99X Electric', porschesport.com, (Porsche Sport, 04/04/2023), https://www.porschesport.com/news/david-beckmann-and-yifei-ye-tackle-rookie-test-with-the-porsche-99x-electric, (Accessed 05/04/2023)
- ↑ Nick Golding, 'Envision Racing Announce Ex-F1 Driver Jack Aitken for Formula E Rookie Test', thecheckeredflag.co.uk, (The Checkered Flag, 05/04/2023), https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2023/04/envision-racing-announce-ex-f1-driver-jack-aitken-for-formula-e-rookie-test/, (Accessed 05/04/2023)
- ↑ Sam Smith, 'Red Bull F1 junior among early Formula E rookie test call-ups', the-race.com, (The Race, 29/03/2023), https://the-race.com/formula-e/red-bull-f1-junior-among-early-formula-e-rookie-test-call-ups/, (Accessed 05/04/2023)
- ↑ Alejandro Alonso Lopez, 'Andretti to run Lundqvist and Maloney in Formula E test', formulascout.com, (Formula Scout, 06/04/2023), https://formulascout.com/andretti-to-run-maloney-and-lunqvist-in-fe-test/105368, (Accessed 08/04/2023)
- ↑ Sam Smith, 'Alpine F1 junior gets Formula E test debut with Nissan', the-race.com, (The Race, 13/04/2023), https://the-race.com/formula-e/alpine-f1-junior-gets-formula-e-test-debut-with-nissan/, (Accessed 13/04/2023)
- ↑ Ida Wood, 'Martins leads next group of junior racers joining Formula E rookie test', formulascout.com, (Formula Scout, 13/04/2023), https://formulascout.com/martins-leads-next-group-of-junior-racers-joining-formula-e-rookie-test/105750, (Accessed 13/04/2023)
- ↑ 'NEOM McLAREN Formula E Team Announces Driver Line-Up for Berlin Rookie Test', mclaren.com, (McLaren Racing, 13/04/2023), https://www.mclaren.com/racing/formula-e/neom-mclaren-formula-e-team-announces-driver-line-up-for-berlin-rookie-test/, (Accessed 13/04/2023)
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Josh Suttill, 'F1 reserves Drugovich and Shwartzman to join FE rookie test', the-race.com, (The Race, 14/04/2023), https://the-race.com/formula-e/f1-reserves-drugovich-and-shwartzman-to-join-fe-rookie-test/, (Accessed 14/04/2023)
- ↑ Sam Smith, 'A misunderstood ex-F1 driver is getting a long overdue FE chance', the-race.com, (The Race, 14/04/2023), https://the-race.com/formula-e/a-misunderstood-ex-f1-driver-is-getting-a-long-overdue-formula-e-chance/, (Accessed 14/04/2023)
- ↑ 'Maserati MSG Racing seals Drugovich and Barter for Berlin Rookie Test', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 17/04/2023), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/414394/maserati-msg-racing-seals-drugovich-and-barter-for-berlin-rookie-test, (Accessed 17/04/2023)
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedKvyAzc - ↑ 'Mehri, King and Daruvala to jump into the cockpit at Mahindra', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 17/04/2023), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/414401/mehri-king-and-daruvala-to-jump-into-the-cockpit-at-mahindra, (Accessed 17/04/2023)
- ↑ 'ABT CUPRA picks Tramnitz and Tambay ahead of Berlin Rookie Test', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 17/04/2023), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/414385/abt-cupra-picks-tramnitz-and-tambay-ahead-of-berlin-rookie-test, (Accessed 17/04/2023)
- ↑ '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)
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedResults