The Czech and the Spaniard took the wheel of World Champion Pascal Wehrlein and fellow works driver António Félix da Costa’s cars. The two regular drivers were in action between Tuesday and Friday lunchtime. The test drives in central Spain marked the new Porsche 99X Electric’s first public appearance.
This was Jílková’s (29) second outing in the electric Porsche open-wheel car: As a simulator and development driver, she had already tested for the works team in Valencia last year. García (24) encountered the 99X Electric for the first time but was able to make use of her Formula E experience in Berlin: She took the wheel for a different team during the series’ official Rookie Test there in May. The appearance in Jarama was part of a dedicated session for female drivers as part of an initiative with which Formula E wants to remove barriers for women in motorsport. García was also representing the well-known pink Iron Dames project, which is equally committed to empowering women in motorsport.
A total of 18 female drivers from 11 teams showed off their skills in Jarama. In addition to Jílková and García, Simona de Silvestro was also involved in testing on Friday. The Swiss national was the first female Porsche works driver and still represents Porsche Motorsport. She took part on the initiative for the Kiro Race Co team.
Aside from that the Porsche works team shone with a new look: The Purple Sky and Shade Green colours from series production form a link to the spearhead of Porsche’s electric sports cars for the road, the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT. It is the most powerful production car the brand has ever built and is the Formula E safety car. By choosing the purple and green colours Porsche is symbolising the technology transfer from motorsport to production.
The TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team ended the test programme with the new Porsche 99X Electric on Friday. During the season break the highly efficient formula racing car received upgrades per the regulations. Porsche also improved their in-house developed components in the car, such as the e-motor and chassis components.
Up next
The first race of the new, eleventh Formula E season will be held on 7 December in São Paulo (Brazil). Between now and then the works team will continue to prepare using the simulator. The Porsche customer team Andretti Formula E with former World Champion Jake Dennis and the new Porsche works driver Nico Müller will also be competing with two new Porsche 99X Electric.
Quotes from the official test drives
Florian Modlinger, Director Factory Motorsport Formula E: "First of all, we would like to wish all those affected by the flood disaster in Spain a lot of strength. We would also like to thank Formula E for their incredible efforts in relocating the test drives at such short notice – respect! This meant that the session for the 18 female drivers could also go ahead as planned. This was important to us because we support the Formula E initiative – also because at Porsche we firmly believe that diverse teams are more successful. As expected, Gabriela and Marta did a fantastic job and played their part in pre-season preparations. But my praise goes to the entire team: taking the Andretti and Kiro cars, we as the manufacturer brought six Porsche 99X Electric cars to the test – a tremendous performance. Our reserve driver David Beckmann also proved his worth at Kiro. I am just as satisfied with his performance as with that of our two regular drivers António and Pascal. Nico Müller has also fulfilled all expectations as the newest Porsche works driver at Andretti."
Gabriela Jílková: "It was a great feeling to be behind the wheel of the Porsche 99X Electric again after taking part in the tests last season. Of course, the new GEN3 Evo version was a really new experience this time. The tyres, the all-wheel drive and the numerous other technical developments are a clear step forward. I had a lot of fun on the track and my learning curve was steep. Thanks to the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team for allowing me to drive the 99X Electric again. Hopefully it won't be the last time."
Marta García: "It was a positive test for me. I was able to familiarize myself with António's car and exchange a lot of ideas with him and the engineers. I was able to learn a lot, for which I am very grateful to the whole team. 8th place in the test session could have been a little better, but overall it was a very valuable and positive experience for me."
Pascal Wehrlein, Porsche works driver (#1): "The test went very well. We made a lot of progress, especially with regard to the new features such as the all-wheel drive and the Hankook tyres, which provide significantly more performance. In the simulated race on Thursday, we were able to test the new 'Pit Boost', which is the pit stop for a quick battery charge. That went without any problems and, above all, gave us strategic insights."
António Félix da Costa, Porsche works driver (#13): "This was the only time in pre-season that all 22 Formula E cars tested on the same track at the same time, so our findings are important. Because of the postponement from Valencia to Jarama, many things only came together at the last minute and we were unable to prepare for the track in the simulator. These were special challenges that our team mastered very well."
Porsche in Formula E
Porsche contests its sixth Formula E season in 2024/2025. In addition to the works-run TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, the American customer outfit Andretti Formula E competes with the latest Porsche 99X Electric. The concept of the innovative electric racing car was developed at the company’s Weissach facility, which operates on a net carbon-neutral basis. With its commitment to the world championship, Porsche underlines its commitment to take a leading role among traditional automobile manufacturers in the areas of electrification, sustainability and technology. In Formula E, the brand gains valuable insights for its series-production sports cars.
