Formula E Pre-Season Test 2025 Valencia: Mortara Leads the Pack as Nissan and Jaguar Close In

Valencia told the truth early. Everyone’s fast. No one’s safe.
Over four days and six sessions, 5,474 laps blurred by at Circuit Ricardo Tormo. Edoardo Mortara ended it on top for Mahindra with a 1:21.493. Only five thousandths back sat World Champion Oliver Rowland. Taylor Barnard, Norman Nato and Nyck De Vries wrapped up a top five split by less than a tenth.

Key Points

• 5,474 laps completed across six sessions
• Mortara fastest overall with 1:21.493
• Nissan’s Rowland and Nato topped both Thursday runs
• Jaguar’s new pairing clicked fast under Ian James
• CUPRA’s Ticktum and Martí both inside the top ten
• Formula E marked one year since the Valencia floods with a €25,000 donation to Solidaridad Sobre Ruedas

How the Week Unfolded

Six sessions, five names at the top.
Pascal Wehrlein opened Monday for Porsche on 1:21.640.
Then came Edoardo Mortara, topping both Tuesday sessions for Mahindra with a lap that never got beaten.
Dan Ticktum delivered for CUPRA KIRO on Wednesday as the track dried, while Norman Nato and Oliver Rowland swept Thursday for Nissan.

By the end of the week, every driver was within a second.

Mahindra Back in the Frame

For the first time in a long while, Mahindra looked confident.
Mortara’s lap wasn’t a trick. The car looked planted through Turns 8 and 9, and De Vries backed him up with matching pace through the long runs.

The garage felt different. Quiet. Focused. No headlines needed.
It’s early, but this was Mahindra looking like a proper factory team again.

Nissan’s Quiet Authority

Nissan used the week to polish, not prove.
Rowland and Nato completed over 540 laps between them, topping both Thursday sessions and finishing a breath away from Mortara’s best time.

Reigning champions don’t need statements. They need clean data, and Nissan left with plenty.

Jaguar’s New Chapter

New faces, same purpose.
António Félix Da Costa joined Mitch Evans for their first public laps together under Ian James, and the partnership clicked instantly. The car looked balanced, feedback was sharp, and the atmosphere calm.

Evans added that the car “felt solid” and the week “showed how quickly we’re gelling as a team.” Jaguar’s tone was quiet confidence.

On Friday, they’ll hand the car to Jamie Chadwick and Juju Noda for the All-Women’s Test.

CUPRA, DS and the Midfield That Isn’t

Dan Ticktum’s mid-week headline for CUPRA KIRO wasn’t a flash in the pan. The car looked quick and stable all week, and rookie Josep María Martí finished within two tenths of Mortara’s best.

DS PENSKE had a strong run with Taylor Barnard posting a 1:21.500, third overall, while Jean-Éric Vergne focused on long-run consistency. Porsche’s Wehrlein stayed near the front after his opening-day benchmark, while Andretti’s Jake Dennis and rookie Felipe Drugovich focused on data collection.

Envision’s Sébastien Buemi and Robin Frijns logged over 500 laps apiece, while Citroën Racing’s Nick Cassidy and Maximilian Günther ran faultlessly as the team’s new structure bedded in.

There isn’t a real midfield anymore. Just a grid where everyone’s close enough to matter.

Formula E Stands With Valencia

The paddock took a moment to pause.
One year after the devastating 2024 floods that hit the region, Formula E donated €25,000 to Solidaridad Sobre Ruedas through its Better Futures Fund. The funds will supply 30 refurbished vehicles to families who lost theirs.

It follows a previous €53,000 donation from the paddock that helped provide e-bikes and scooters for local residents.

SSR managing director Laura Jiménez said:

“Without donations like this, it wouldn’t be possible to keep restoring mobility for the people who still need it most.”

Co-founder Alberto Longo called the gesture “deeply personal” and reaffirmed Formula E’s commitment to the community it now calls home.

Looking Ahead

Friday brings the All-Women’s Test, running 14 drivers across two three-hour sessions, double the track time of last year’s edition. It’s a clear sign that Formula E’s commitment to developing female talent now runs on equal footing with the championship grid.

Entry List
Andretti Formula E Team: Nerea Martí
DS PENSKE: Lindsay Brewer, Jessica Edgar
Envision Racing: Alice Powell, Ella Lloyd
Jaguar TCS Racing: Jamie Chadwick, Juju Noda
CUPRA KIRO: Bianca Bustamante
Lola Yamaha ABT: Marta García
Mahindra Racing: Chloe Chambers
Citroën Racing: Tatiana Calderón
Nissan Formula E: Abbi Pulling
Porsche Formula E Team: Gabriela Jílková, Janina Schall

The two sessions will run from 09:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 17:00 local time, giving each driver a full day to show what they can do.

Next stop: São Paulo, 6 December. Season 12 begins.

Coffee Corner Take – Formula E Pre-Season Test 2025 Valencia

No fireworks. No hype. Just raw pace.
Mahindra’s back with purpose. Mortara calm. De Vries consistent.
Nissan looked like a title-winning operation, calm and precise.
Jaguar’s new direction already feels right. Da Costa’s energy lifts the place, Evans looks ready to fight.

Behind them, the rest aren’t far off. CUPRA’s home surge. DS PENSKE’s rookie speed. Porsche and Andretti still methodical.

There’s no cushion anymore. No safe gap. Formula E’s become a knife fight on timing screens.

Valencia didn’t hand out answers. It handed out warnings.
When São Paulo lights up in December, expect elbows, contact and no mercy.