Andretti Formula E Wraps Productive Pre-Season Test in Valencia
The Andretti Formula E team capped off a successful week of pre-season testing at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, running October 27–31, as preparations ramp up for the Season 12 campaign. Over eight sessions and a dedicated Women’s Test Day, teams logged up to 24 hours of track time in mostly dry conditions, with only Wednesday’s run affected by overnight rain. The FIA also staged a full race simulation, complete with Safety Car and Red Flag procedures.
Andretti ran a split program across its lineup. Season 9 World Champion Jake Dennis consistently set front-running times in both 300kW and 350kW modes, while new teammate Felipe Drugovich, the reigning Formula 2 Champion, focused on adapting to the Porsche powertrain and systems. The duo completed a combined 586 laps, the most of any team through the first six sessions. Including Women’s Test Day driver Nerea Martí, Andretti totaled 646 laps and 2,212km across the week, an encouraging sign ahead of Season 12.
Making the Most of Every Lap
Andretti’s test program maximized every minute on track, covering off-season software updates, energy management runs, tire evaluations and simulations of practice, qualifying and race conditions. Dennis was consistently among the quickest, delivering multiple top-three finishes in 300kW runs and setting the second-fastest overall 300kW lap of the week at 1 minute, 23.281 seconds in Session 6.
“Overall, it’s been a very positive four days of development,” Dennis said. “We’ve progressed in the areas we wanted and learned a lot we can carry into the season. Between now and December, we’ll dig into the data to focus on what worked and how to maximize performance moving forward.”
Drugovich’s approach was more process driven as he built comfort with the Porsche powertrain and software. The Brazilian completed 293 laps, just one shy of the week’s highest total, and improved steadily with each session. “Our Valencia test was very productive,” he said. “The first two days were about acclimating and understanding the systems, but everything started to click as I got more time in the car. I’m feeling ready for São Paulo and can’t wait to get there.”
Team principal Roger Griffiths praised the effort across the board. “It’s been a super solid week for the whole team, possibly one of our smoothest pre-season tests,” he said. “The Porsche powertrain ran flawlessly and we leave Valencia with strong performance and valuable learnings. Jake’s pace has been consistently impressive and Felipe’s progress has been exactly what we hoped for heading into São Paulo.”
Nerea Martí Takes to Her Home Track
Doubling track time compared to last season’s Women’s Test, Friday was a successful and another historic day for the all-electric series and Andretti, who dedicated its full resources to local Valencian Nerea Martí. The extended track time gave 14 talented women the opportunity to showcase their skills, with Martí completing the maximum number of laps permitted across Sessions 7 and 8. Logging 60 laps on her local racetrack, the 23-year old was able to deliver consistent and constructive technical feedback to the engineering team. “I’m very pleased with the work we were able to do and to deepen my understanding of how the software in the car works,” Martí said. “The team were very passionate about helping me improve and extract as much out of the testing day as possible. The more time I spent in the car, the more confident I felt.”
The Final Year of the GEN3 Era
Valencia served as a reminder of the GEN3 Evo’s capabilities in its final season before GEN4 arrives. Formula E’s last outing in Valencia was back in Season 10 with the previous-spec GEN3 machinery. Lap times tumbled with the GEN3 Evo package, improving on Season 10’s benchmark of 1:24.474 with a best of 1:21.493, nearly three seconds faster. The Evo package, introduced at the start of Season 11, remains the quickest accelerating FIA single-seater, capable of 0-60mph in 1.82 seconds. Key attributes include an aggressive body kit for closer wheel-to-wheel racing, temporary four-wheel-drive availability for race starts, Qualifying Duels and Attack Mode and improved grip thanks to optimized Hankook iON compounds made with sustainable materials. As the GEN3 era draws to a close over the course of the global Season 12 calendar, anticipation and excitement grows for the new GEN4 package after its unveiling this week, with expected specifications including permanent four-wheel-drive, low and high downforce aero configurations, 600kW power output and 700kW regen capabilities.
Looking Ahead to Formula E’s Biggest Ever Calendar of Racing
With a successful, data-rich week behind them, the Andretti Formula E team now turns its focus to the season opener in São Paulo on December 6, 2025. The team leaves pre-season testing encouraged by strong reliability, valuable software and tire data, with clear, actionable learnings for the start of the season. Dennis aims to arrive in Brazil ready to push for immediate pace with teammate Drugovich having banked important early steps toward focusing on full-season performance. “We still have a lot of work to do between now and the first race,” Griffiths added, “but overall, it’s been a positive test, and everybody’s come away with insightful learnings. We can’t wait for São Paulo.”
See below for Andretti Formula E’s full pre-season testing times:
