14 Jan 21
28 Nov 20
Rapid rookies catch the eye on Day 1 of Formula E testing at Circuit Ricardo Tormo
The new kids on the block, Nick Cassidy (Envision Virgin Racing), Norman Nato (ROKiT Venturi Racing) and Jake Dennis (BMW i Andretti Motorsport), flew through their first day on-track in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, with testing in Valencia offering them a first taste of action with their new teams. They didn't hang around, either...
Nick cassidy (envision virgin racing) 1:12.689
Cassidy flew to the early benchmark time of the afternoon as Valencia's Circuit Ricardo Tormo dried in the Spanish sun after the morning's drizzle. The Envision Virgin Racing man's time was just 0.170 seconds shy of ultimate session-topper Andre Lotterer (TAG Heuer Porsche), but the former Marrakesh Rookie Test pace-setter will be encouraged he's shown flashes of speed so early on in his full-time Formula E career.
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Norman nato (Rokit venturi racing) 1:12.777
Frenchman Nato is no stranger to Venturi, having been the team's test and reserve driver for a number of seasons now, and he looked to have settled into life in the race seat at the squad very nicely as of the end of Day 1 in Valencia. Nato followed Cassidy's lead in the afternoon to post a 1:12.777 - good enough for the first day's sixth-quickest time. Both team and driver will be pleased with that as a starting point, despite a late excursion into the gravel trap.
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Jake Dennis (BMW i andretti motorsport) 1:12.837
Dennis outmuscled strong competition for a seat alongside Max Guenther at BMW i Andretti Motorsport, and the Brit's opening day's efforts mirrored that of his fellow fresh-faced rookies' - with each beating their teammates' best time. Dennis' 1:12.837 was enough to see him home ninth at the end of the day's running. As always in testing, the caveat is that it's not all about pure pace with teams working through complex programmes and inductions but a strong time on the board surely can't hurt, can it?
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Head to the Live Hub for all of the action from Valencia as the 2020/21 Formula E campaign gets underway in earnest
