Former Red Bull man, ace female racer headline latest Berlin rookie test signings
- Vyas Ponnuri
- Jul 1
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 7
Written by Vyas Ponnuri
Formula E is all set to conduct its second in-season rookie test in Berlin, taking place on Monday, July 14th, a day after the penultimate weekend of Season 11, the Berlin E-Prix double header comes to a close.
With as many as four drivers announced on Tuesday, the rookie test roster takes giant strides towards completion, with only two weeks left until the test gets underway.
DIVEBOMB takes a look at the signings and their respective teams so far, before delivering an outlook of how the Formula E rookie test contingent is shaping up.
Kush Maini joins Mahindra Racing for the Berlin rookie test
Mahindra announced their first driver for the Berlin rookie test on Tuesday, signing DAMS Formula 2 racer Kush Maini onto their roster. The Indian, currently partnering Andretti rookie test driver Jak Crawford, is currently racing in his third Formula 2 season in 2025.
The Indian has already tasted victory in Monaco earlier this year, winning the sprint ahead of fellow Alpine junior Gabriele Minì, sparking off celebrations in his camp, as well as back home in India.
Maini also qualified third in Spain, scoring points in the feature race to boost his position in the standings. He currently sits 12th in the F2 standings, with 21 points to his name.
The Indian racer has also participated in Formula E rookie sessions in Berlin in 2024, while he went quickest in the rookie test session held on the Jeddah E-Prix session held earlier this year. Maini has strong affiliations within the Mahindra camp, with uncle Chetan Maini pioneering the Maini Reva (known as the G-Wiz in the UK) which soon became the Mahindra Reva in India.
“I was really impressed with the Mahindra M11Electro in Jeddah, it’s a great car to drive and I can’t wait to experience it again in Berlin," said Maini, on the eve of the announcement.
“Mahindra is a manufacturer I’ve worked with first-hand a lot over the last 18 months, and I’ve seen the hard work and development that has gone into improving the team’s results on- track.
“It’s a great source of pride for me to represent them, and to help them push on and keep that rate of development going.”
Mahindra team principal Fred Bertrand too spoke praises of Maini's talent. “The whole point of the Berlin Rookie Test is to encourage and nurture the next generation of potential Formula E stars, and Kush is definitely a talent to watch in that regard," he mentioned.
“We’ve been very impressed with his performance and attitude on every occasion he’s stepped into a Mahindra Racing car so far and look forward to working with him again in Berlin.”
Maini will conduct a full day's running in the Mahindra M11 Electro, a car that has been to a Formula E podium twice in 2025, and sits fifth in the constructors' standings.
Nissan announce Abbi Pulling and Gabriele Minì for the Berlin rookie test
In a massive announcement, Nissan announced their decision to field Alpine rookie Gabriele Minì alongside rookie and simulator driver Abbi Pulling for the upcoming rookie test in Berlin. Pulling tested for the team as part of the all-women Formula E test in Jarama in November's pre-season test, while Minì already tested for the team back in Jeddah this year.
Pulling, who has already garnered praises from several corners of Formula E, is the reigning F1 Academy champion. The Briton currently races for Rodin Motorsport in the GB3 Championship, having won a fully-funded seat as a reward for her F1 Academy title win.
She made headlines by going quickest in the all-female pre-season test in Jarama, setting the top spot by a margin of 0.320 seconds to second-placed Jamie Chadwick, who is set to take part in the rookie test for Jaguar.
“I’m really excited to get out on track and to work with the team again," Pulling mentioned, on her newest signing. "I’ve driven street circuits before but never in such a high-powered car, so it will be an amazing opportunity.
"Berlin looks like a fun track - Gabriele has been there with the team before, so it will be interesting to work with him and get up to speed from his previous experience.
"I’ll be there for the race weekend prior to the test as well, so my goal is mainly to pick up as much information as possible, improve my understanding of the car, and make the most of the experience for both the team and myself.”
As for Minì, he currently races for PREMA Racing in F2, currently sitting 13th in the standings, with his only rostrum appearance being alongside Maini in Monaco.
“It’s great to be back, I’ve enjoyed my two previous outings with the team, so I’m delighted to work with them again," Minì mentioned.
"It’s a track I know well, having driven there in the Rookie Test last year. I also had the chance to drive the GEN3 Evo in the FP0 session in Jeddah, with the 350kW power mode, new tires, and all-wheel drive, so I will be aiming to put these two experiences together.
"My main goal is to keep learning and to help the team complete its program for the day, like we did in Jeddah, while also showing my pace.”
Nissan became the sixth team to round out their rookie test line-ups, with this announcement, joining the likes of Porsche, Envision Racing, DS Penske, Andretti and McLaren.
Daniil Kvyat joins DS Penske for the Berlin rookie test
A driver who's been rumoured to join Formula E for long, Daniil Kvyat will take part in his third Formula E test outing, and second in the Gen3 Evo car in 2025 for DS Penske.
The Russian-born driver has already tested in Formula E, having driven the NIO Formula E car in Rome back in 2023 for the rookie test. He also tested for DS Penske in Jeddah earlier in 2025.
Kvyat is a driver with plenty of motorsport experience. The 2013 GP3 champion, he made his way up the Formula One ladder to the Toro Rosso outfit in 2014, before being elevated to the senior Red Bull team in 2015.
An incident-riddled start to 2016 saw him demoted back to Toro Rosso, with two further stints coming in 2017 and 2019 for the team.
Kvyat also took part in the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans for the Lamborghini Iron Lynx team, piloting their No. 63 hypercar. He currently pilots the Lamborghini GTP in the IMSA championship, racing stateside.
Kvyat joins former AIX Racing Formula 3 racer Nikita Bedrin, completing DS Penske's line-up for the Berlin rookie test.
"With podium finishes and years of experience in high-pressure race environments, he brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the DS PENSKE squad," the team mentioned, on Kvyat's signing.
Roster: 2025 Berlin rookie test
Porsche: Ayhancan Güven, Elia Weiss
Nissan: Gabriele Minì, Abbi Pulling
DS Penske: Daniil Kvyat, Nikita Bedrin
McLaren: Alex Dunne, Ella Lloyd
Mahindra Racing: Kush Maini, TBC
Andretti: Jak Crawford, Frederik Vesti
Jaguar: Jamie Chadwick, TBC
Maserati: TBC, TBC
Cupra Kiro: Bianca Bustamante, TBC
Envision Racing: Zak O'Sullivan, Jonathan Hoggard
Lola ABT Yamaha: TBC, TBC
Comments