Gabriele Minì led both morning and afternoon sessions at the Berlin Rookie Test, setting competitive times faster than weekend benchmark timings at the 2025 Hankook Berlin E-Prix.
Other notable performances include Jak Crawford, Kush Maini, Théo Pourchaire, Arthur Leclerc, Ayhancan Guven and Callum Voisin who all secured top ten finishes throughout the day.
F1 Academy star Ella Lloyd joined 2024 F1 Academy Champion Abbi Pulling, alongside Bianca Bustamanta and Jamie Chadwick who were all back on track with Formula E teams after the success of last year’s Women’s Test in Madrid in November.
At the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship Berlin Rookie Test, a strong contingent of rookie drivers showcased their potential at Tempelhof, with several emerging talents setting competitive times. The session, held under dry, warm, and sunny conditions, saw the fastest lap of 57.643 seconds set by Italian Gabriele Minì, surpassing weekend performance benchmarks.
Mahindra Racing’s Kush Maini and Ayhancan Guven for TAG Heuer Porsche followed closely behind Minì in the two sessions respectively, showcasing their expertise from achievements in FIA Formula 2 and DTM. The highly competitive session saw all 22 drivers separated by a mere 1.5 seconds, as teams intensified their development programmes with their rookie talent. Collectively, over 1,000 laps were completed throughout the day’s running.
MORNING SESSION ROUND-UP
Indian driver Kush Maini, fresh off his historic win in FIA Formula 2, continued to impress in Mahindra’s GEN3 Evo machine, securing the second-fastest time of the day. Maini demonstrated a strong affinity with the team, building on his previous pace-setting performance at the Jeddah Rookie Free Practice session in February. American F2 race winner Jak Crawford (Andretti Formula E Team) also made a notable rookie return, claiming the third position with his quickest lap coming at the session’s close.
Further strong performances included 2023 F2 champion Théo Pourchaire (Maserati MSG Racing) in fourth, and Dino Beganovic (Mahindra Racing) in fifth. Arthur Leclerc made a significant return to Formula E, securing sixth in his first appearance since a 2019 test. Young German driver Elia Weiss made history as the youngest ever to participate in an official Formula E session with Porsche, at just 16 years old, completing 46 laps. The session also saw the return of Abbi Pulling, Jamie Chadwick, and Ella Lloyd, who collectively completed over 150 laps as part of their respective teams’ development programmes. The competitive field saw just over two seconds separate the fastest and slowest drivers, providing valuable data for upcoming sessions.
AFTERNOON SESSION ROUND-UP
The afternoon session of the Formula E Rookie Test in Berlin concluded with Minì setting the fastest lap of 57.428 seconds, an improvement of a couple of tenths over their morning performance.
Ayhancan Guven, a prominent DTM star, impressed on his debut with Porsche, securing the second position, just 0.226 seconds adrift of the top time. Kush Maini continued his strong showing, achieving another top-three finish, while British driver Callum Voisin (CUPRA KIRO) claimed fourth. Alex Dunne (NEOM McLaren), fresh from a Free Practice outing with the McLaren Formula 1 Team in Austria, finished fifth, with Jak Crawford (Andretti) rounding out the top six.
Abbi Pulling, Nissan Formula E Team, said:
“It was a great day, very productive and we got everything that the team needed. I’m happy to take on this new role with the Nissan Formula E Team, as it’s created a new pathway for me to experience machinery at World Championship level. The morning was lots of runs for race settings and data gathering and then this afternoon we had more push laps while having a number of important test items for the team ahead of the London final. I’m happy with the improvements made but I’m always striving for more! But with all things considered, the rookie line-up this year was very competitive so I’m happy. I look forward to my next opportunity with the team and I’ve got a great foundation to work from.”
Jak Crawford, Andretti Formula E Team, said:
“It was a great day testing in Berlin. I feel like we really got the opportunity to test a lot of setup items and gain a good understanding of everything. It felt good to be back in the car and I was able to get up to speed straight away from the beginning of the day, which really helped as we could start working on items early into the session. Hopefully the work pays off and the team can deliver a strong result in London.”
Kush Maini, Mahindra Racing, said:
“I think it was a very strong day in general. We’ve always made steps and the team got some good data for London. Obviously it’s a different track so we were testing a lot of things. In the morning we were focused on 350kW runs and in the afternoon we were focused more on race runs. Whatever the run, we were always top three and were really fast, so a good step was made and whenever I get into this car I leave with a smile on my face.”
Elia Weiss, TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, said:
“I’m overwhelmed, this has been a great opportunity so I’m really happy to have the possibility to participate in such an event. I’m just thankful to Porsche for giving me their trust. No one before driving the GEN3 Evo can imagine how fast it really is, it’s unbelievable. The acceleration is crazier than you can imagine! I’m thrilled to have had this day today.”
