Formula E Preview: Madrid E-Prix
- Vyas Ponnuri
- 4 minutes ago
- 9 min read
Formula E returns to Spain for a race weekend after a five-year hiatus. An intense rollercoaster is expected as the all-electric racing series visits the famous Circuito del Jarama. With a near-sellout crowd for the weekend and a Rookie Test in tow, the coming days are expected to weigh massively on the future of the series.
Despite not hosting a race weekend for several seasons, Spain has always served as an integral part of Formula E’s history. The Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia has been a largely permanent home to pre-season testing, giving teams and drivers an adequate baseline to test their cars to the limit and prime themselves for the season.
Jarama received its opportunity when massive floods struck the Valencia region in 2024, necessitating a quick shift towards the circuit on the outskirts of Madrid. Four successful days of pre-season testing and the swift action led to Formula E believing they should reward the circuit with a round of the championship.
With Pepe Martí joining Cupra Kiro to partner Dan Ticktum for Season 12, it became all the more logical to have a race weekend in a land that has always loved and passionately rooted for their national heroes.
It’s no surprise Formula E had to eventually find space on the calendar for a weekend in Spain. Every motorsport series holds a Hispanic connection today, be it through a race weekend or a driver from the country. While IndyCar and MotoGP’s reigning champions hail from this historic land, the likes of Formula One, Formula 2 and Formula 3 either race here or have a team hailing from this land.
While Martí’s Formula E career may not match up to some of his Spanish counterparts, there’s no doubt he would go on to have a lengthy stint in the series, with a run of stunning drives to kick off Season 12 in style.
Then there’s the historic Circuito del Jarama, a venue that has hosted Formula 1 in the past, and currently hosts race weekends in Spanish F4 and Eurocup-3 today. The last F1 event at this venue saw Ferrari’s Gilles Villeneuve fend off four cars running nose to tail at this venue, in a supreme display of driving skill. If anything is to go by this season, we could expect to see plenty more cars running closely and overtakes galore.
While Jarama stands poised to answer the Spanish question and put away reminders of Formula E’s controversial Valencia E-Prix five years ago, there are several reasons for this weekend being a major point in the series.
Sunday’s Rookie Test (more on this below) is expected to provide opportunities to several young faces who have never tested a Formula E car before, and potentially provide a look-in at several young talents considering the electric racing championship as a future career opportunity.
With DS Automobiles set to depart Formula E at the end of Season 12, and Formula E hinting at a big announcement in the coming days, it would prove to be pivotal in setting the grid for the maiden season of the Gen4 era in 2027.
While these would be considered massive news bites on a regular day, they have all taken a step back to the biggest bombshell dropped recently - one that saw all 20 of Formula E’s drivers shoot off a letter to FIA President Mohammed Bin Sulayem carrying criticisms of stewarding decisions, race direction in Formula E, and even questioning race director Marec Hanaczewski.
In what appears to be a developing saga, it is certainly important to keep an eye on how this could affect not just the weekend at Jarama, but the wider implications on the championship.
Drivers’ standings heading into the Madrid E-Prix
Pascal Wehrlein (Porsche) - 68 points
Edoardo Mortara (Mahindra Racing) - 62 points
Oliver Rowland (Nissan) - 49 points
Nick Cassidy (Citroën Racing) - 48 points
Mitch Evans (Jaguar) - 47 points
Teams’ standings heading into the Madrid E-Prix
Porsche - 113 points
Jaguar - 86 points
Mahindra Racing - 74 points
Citroën Racing - 58 points
Envision Racing - 55 points
The track layout for the Madrid E-Prix
“Hey, I’ve seen this one, it’s a classic”.
The Jarama circuit is indeed a classic. A haven for motorsport enthusiasts. Fast, flowing corners, high speeds, winding corners and elevation changes all encompass the 3.934 km (2.44 mi) of this layout.
The start/finish straight features a long run down to the winding Turn 1, a prime overtaking spot come race day. Drivers will then take the right-hander of Turn 2 flat out, before another slower, winding left-hander of Turn 3, in a sequence mirroring the banked left-hander at Zandvoort.
Drivers will then tackle the tricky hairpin of Turn 4, before a lengthy speed section makes up Turn 5 onto one of the longest straights on the circuit. Drivers will climb up the hill, taking the blind uphill run of Turn 6 through the Dunlop bridge as they reach Turn 7, the highest point on the circuit.
A long downhill run then greets the drivers, with the flowing left-hander of Turn 8 bringing the drivers to the narrow, tricky braking zone of Turn 9. Drivers then feed back onto the throttle for the double-apex right of Turn 10, with the downhill run to Turn 11 bringing them back onto the main straight.
But, the Formula E layout has a catch. The makeshift chicane from pre-season testing in 2024 is now replaced by a full-fledged chicane consisting of Turns 12, 13 and 14 that go through a section of the parking lot beside the circuit. Drivers then get back on the throttle, and across the line for a lap of the Jarama circuit.
Expect plenty of racing action during Saturday’s race, and drivers going for overtakes into several winding corners and making for a spectacle.
Timings for the Madrid E-Prix
Free Practice 1: Friday 20 March, 16:30 local (15:30 UTC)
Free Practice 2: Saturday 21 March, 08:30 local (07:30 UTC)
Qualifying: Saturday 21 March, 10:40 local (09:40 UTC)
Race (23 laps): Saturday 21 March, 15:05 local (14:05 UTC)
Pit Boost for the Madrid E-Prix?
In what is a remarked change, the Madrid E-Prix features Pit Boost, despite being a standalone race weekend.
This was revealed more than a week before the race weekend, with the race distance stretched from 21 laps to 23 laps to accommodate the Pit Boost stop.
It’ll be a regular feature as we witnessed in Jeddah, with drivers expected to make their pit stops when the State of Charge (SoC) falls between 40% and 60% in their battery during the race.
Rookies galore! Who is it this time?
For the second straight race weekend, racing action continues into Sunday, after the race is held on Saturday. That’s because the Madrid Rookie Test is set to take place, with two three-hour sessions in the morning and the afternoon for the field of 20 rookies to test out a Formula E car around the Jarama circuit.
For the first time, each team has fielded two rookies, providing chances to several first-timers in the championship, and even some names we could be seeing in the series in the future.
Among the high-profile names here is Audi F1 junior Freddie Slater, who dominated the Italian F4 season in 2024 and the Formula Regional European Championship (FRECA) last year on his way to a Formula 3 seat. Other first-time runners include Cian Shields at Cupra Kiro, Indy NXT racer Bryce Aron at Jaguar, and F2 race-winner Joshua Dürksen at Citroën
F2’s third-place finisher in 2025, Richard Verschoor, will turn up for Lola for his first Formula E drive, while Campos F3 racer Théophile Naël will also take part in the test for Mahindra Racing.
A total of four women will also form a part of the field, including familiar faces such as Abbi Pulling, Bianca Bustamante and Ella Lloyd, while Juju Noda returns for her second appearance at Jaguar in Season 12, after the All-Female Formula E Test in October 2025.
Madrid Rookie Test - Driver Line-ups
Porsche - Elia Weiss, Ayhancan Güven
Cupra Kiro - Bianca Bustamante, Cian Shields
Envision Racing - Zak O'Sullivan, Ella Lloyd
Lola Yamaha ABT - Hugh Barter, Richard Verschoor
Jaguar - Juju Noda, Bryce Aron
DS Penske - Daniil Kvyat, Nikita Bedrin
Mahindra Racing - Kush Maini, Théophile Naël
Citroën Racing - Joshua Dürksen, Théo Pourchaire
Nissan - Victor Martins, Abbi Pulling
Andretti- Callum Voisin, Freddie Slater
Storylines ahead of the Madrid E-Prix
The next step in Formula E’s off-track debacle - With Formula E’s stewarding under increased scrutiny, and the FIA President himself set to make an appearance in Madrid during the weekend, expect plenty of eyes to be on the stewards' office this weekend, with every decision expected to be reviewed with greater depth.
A new, rip-roaring circuit: Elevation changes, flowing corners, winding overtake spots, and blind crests aren’t a regular feature on Formula E circuits. But that’s exactly what is on display at the Circuito del Jarama this weekend. Expect drivers to relish driving laps around this track layout all weekend.
The home support: A large section of the crowd will be rooting passionately for home hero Pepe Martí to come good and deliver a strong showing once again. The youngest in terms of Formula E starts, Martí has already delivered some signature comeback drives for Cupra Kiro, outscoring more experienced teammate Dan Ticktum along the way. A similar drive in front of his home fans would go a long way towards a memorable debut weekend.
Nyck and Nick on the march: Two drivers with similar first names will be looking for a strong comeback weekend in Madrid after a break. While Nyck de Vries endured a forgettable double-header in Jeddah, he will be looking to replicate teammate Mortara’s showings from the same weekend and prop up Mahindra’s fight in the constructors’ championship. On the other hand, Nick Cassidy has slipped to fourth in the drivers’ standings, despite scoring a fifth-place finish in Jeddah. It’s been all downhill for the New Zealander after victory in Mexico, and he will be looking to bounce back after a long break.
Will it be six winners in six races? - Formula E has a knack for being one of the most unpredictable championships, and this year has kicked off with five different drivers taking to the top step of the podium. Will this trend continue in Madrid? Or will we get a first repeat winner in 2026? It remains to be seen.
Drivers to watch out for in the Madrid E-Prix
Edoardo Mortara: 62 points from the opening five races marks Mortara’s best start to a Formula E campaign. The Swissman looked on form in Jeddah, accumulating 36 points from the two races, more than any other driver on the field. It’s this run of form that could give Mortara all the impetus in Madrid, as he looks to solidify Mahindra’s position at the front.
Oliver Rowland: It’s been a mixed bag for the reigning champion in Season 12, with two non-scores and three podiums in the five races. While he sits third, Rowland knows he has replicate his 2025 mid-season form if he is to stay in the hunt for a second championship in a row.
Norman Nato: For the second year in a row, Nato’s form has been a shadow of teammate Rowland. While Nissan repaid faith in the Frenchman’s services for a second season, his tally of one point so far wouldn’t be sitting strongly with Nissan’s expectations. With the team at a critical juncture in deciding their driver line-up for Season 13 and rookies knocking on the door, Nato will know he has to find points if he is to keep his seat at the team.
Taylor Barnard, Max Günther: DS Penske’s dynamic duo have been touted as one of the strongest on the grid in Season 12. However, their season has gone in the opposite direction ever since, as they are sitting a lowly ninth in the constructors’ standings. While unsuccessful gambles in Miami and Jeddah have cost the German driver, the team have seemingly been outgunned despite being at the front of the field, even in attack mode. Madrid provides a strong opportunity to turn over a new leaf and kick-start a new season.
How to watch the Madrid E-Prix
You can watch the Madrid E-Prix live this weekend, find out here:
Predictions
A new track can shake things up, with drivers on an even keel as they learn the track layout and get up to speed. As such, the pecking order can be skewed on race day.
Let’s add to that. I predict a Mortara win, the sixth winner in six, with Cassidy coming home in second after a remarkable comeback drive. Home hero Martí thrills the crowd with a stellar third-place finish, with a remarkable debut at the venue.
