From installation laps to endurance runners: this is how the Formula E manufacturers' first Gen4 test went

Last week, Formula E organised the first test with the new Gen4 cars at Circuito Monteblanco in Spain, with all five registered manufacturers taking part. According to a media report, there were quite a few surprises: Both in terms of the choice of drivers and the mileage of the different manufacturers - the test could hardly have been more different.

Official information about the first Gen4 manufacturer is not available - the event took place behind closed doors. Nevertheless, the well-connected colleagues of The Race managed to obtain detailed information about the first two days of testing. Lap times were not officially measured.

Lotterer & Treluyer with impressive lap times

There was one big surprise at Stellantis: Andre Lotterer drove the test car for the first two days before Citroen newcomer and Formula E runner-up Nick Cassidy took the wheel for the rest of the week. The 44-year-old, who joined the team this week, already drove a Stellantis powertrain in season 5, back then for the DS Techeetah team. The German completed a total of 179 laps in the first four sessions - the sole record of all manufacturers.

An extremely experienced driver also took over the Nissan test programme in Monteblanco: Benoit Treluyer was at the wheel for the Japanese manufacturer. With 108 laps completed in the first four sessions, Nissan was also able to cover quite a few kilometres.</p

Jaguar finished third in the kilometre rankings with 84 laps, which was partly due to a technical problem on Wednesday morning. Newcomer Antonio Felix da Costa was able to gain his first Gen4 experience behind the wheel of the British big cat, while recently signed replacement driver Stoffel Vandoorne also drove the test car. Regular driver Mitch Evans, on the other hand, missed the test in Monteblanco as his contract expires at the end of the season.

All three manufacturers had in common that they were out on track in both the morning and afternoon on the first two days of testing. This was different for Porsche and Lola.

Barely any mileage for Porsche, Lola just doing installation laps

Porsche didn't drive on Wednesday morning and therefore only managed three sessions. Behind the wheel: newcomer Nico Müller, who completed a total of 32 laps of the circuit. Lola was seen even less on the track: Although both regular drivers and the team's simulator driver - Hugh Barter, Lucas di Grassi and Zane Maloney - were on site, the car only completed seven laps. These are said to have been exclusively installation laps - out of the pits, one lap around the circuit and back into the pits.

Although this doesn't mean anything at this point - more than a year before the first race - it seems clear that Stellantis, Nissan and Jaguar in particular have already gained a lot of valuable knowledge about the Gen4 car and the completely new Bridgestone tyres. For Lola and Porsche, on the other hand, it was first of all about getting the technology up and running in the first place.

What is unclear, however, is how much of the manufacturer's technology was actually on board. According to reports, some manufacturers did not even use their complete powertrain for season 13, but used hybrid solutions that also utilised standard parts from the Gen4 car. However, we do not expect any information on the performance of the individual vehicles at this time. We will probably have to be patient until next summer.