General
Vandoorne starts Formula E weekend in Berlin with fastest time
Stoffel Vandoorne has made an excellent start to the ePrix weekend in Berlin. The DS Penske driver was fastest during the first free practice session. However, the difference with the competition was extremely small.
The drivers undoubtedly know the circuit extremely well, as it is the track on which most ePrix' have been run. Already eight times, the electric class has been a guest at the former Tempelhof airport. This is largely due to the corona pandemic, as many as six races were completed in 2020, in order to still end the season with enough races.
Lots of complaining about the tyres
As every year, drivers complained at the start of the first free practice session about the lack of grip on the track, which is only used for Formula E. Yet it was not the tyres, but an apparent technical problem that caused Eduardo Mortara to park his Gen3 car in the tyres early in the session. Although the Swiss tried to brake and steer in for turn four, his Maserati refused. With a broken front wing, Mortara managed to reach the pits.
Robin Frijns also had his moment. At the hairpin, the Dutchman briefly lost control of his car, after which the ABT Cupra made a well-executed spin. Frijns kept his car out of the wall in the process, so he was able to continue on his way without any problems. Only his tyres will have taken a beating.
Porsche a favourite, but Stoffel number one
Looking at the first practice session, the Porsche-powered cars were again among the favourites. Jake Dennis was the fastest with his Porsche-powered Avalanche Andretti for a long time. Only after the flag had already fallen, reigning champion Stoffel Vandoorne still managed to outpace Dennis (by 0.085 seconds). The difference with number three Maximilian Günther (Maserati), driving a home race, was also very small (0.088 seconds).
If the free practice is an indicator for the entire weekend, exciting races await. The difference between number one and number 20 was under a second. Saturday and Sunday are both scheduled to have a qualifying session and a race.
