DS Penske’s Maximilian Guenther finished the second day of Formula E pre-season testing in Jarama fastest, just 0.031s clear of Kiro’s Dan Ticktum.
The German posted a 1m28.408s in the final hour of the afternoon session at the Jarama Circuit just outside Madrid, which is hosting Formula E testing this week after the flooding in Valencia.
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DS Penske team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne finished the day third fastest, just 0.152s behind his new stablemate as teams get to grips with the new Gen3 Evo machines, which include all-wheel-drive this season.
Splitting the pair was Ticktum, who in the morning session had become the first driver to go below the 1m29s barrier driving for the newly rebranded Kiro team, which was formally ERT.
The second Kiro machine of Formula E rookie David Beckmann finished the second day of running fourth with a late effort that put the German less than two tenths behind Guenther’s time.
Like Ticktum, Beckmann has yet to be confirmed with Kiro for the upcoming season which gets underway in Sao Paulo on 7 December.
Dan Ticktum, Kiro Race Co
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
The Mahindra’s of Nyck de Vries and Edoardo Mortara finished fifth and sixth after moving up the leaderboard in the final 15 minutes on Wednesday, the former also completing the joint most laps on 46.
Nick Cassidy finished seventh, the Kiwi having come to a stop out on track in the morning session along the start/finish straight after his Jaguar lost drive, which brought out a second red flag inside the final 25 minutes.
The first stoppage occurred just as the opening hour of running was completed, Sam Bird having gone off at Turn 1 and beaching his McLaren.
The Briton was left down in 20th and behind team-mate Taylor Barnard during the afternoon session and some four seconds adrift, but both completed impressive mileage on 46 and 45 laps respectively.
Maserati MSG’s Jake Hughes had set the fastest time in the morning session with a 1m28.604s, which was some eight tenths quicker than the fastest lap managed by Antonio Felix da Costa on the first day of running.
Hughes and team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne finished the afternoon session 21st and 22nd in the standings and seven seconds off the pace but had been circulating together for large portions to practice race simulations.
Sam Bird, NEOM McLaren Formula E Team
Photo by: Alastair Staley / Motorsport Images
Two further days of action are set to take place on Thursday and Friday, with a simulation race due to be held on Thursday afternoon where the pit boost technology will be trialled ahead of being possibly implemented this season.
An all-female test is also due to still go ahead on Friday afternoon, with Indy NXT driver Jamie Chadwick and F1 Academy championship leader Abbi Pulling set to drive.
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