When we said Nico Rosberg would be the first person to drive our ABB FIA Formula E Championship Gen2 car in public, we didn't think he'd end up driving it through central Berlin, all the way to the track at the city's Templehoff Airport.
But that's exactly what he did - making a return to the cockpit today for the second time since he retired as a driver in 2016. "It was a great drive through the city, I nailed a couple of those doughnuts!" said Rosberg, jumping out the car as he pulled up in front of Berlin's iconic Templehoff airport terminal. "I really felt great in the car, so I'm really excited to get out on track."
Starting out in central Berlin, in front of the Brandenburg Gate, the German driver piloted the new Gen2 car past pedestrians and commuters, on his way through Checkpoint Charlie and on to the track. "It's like seeing a spaceship go through town [for the people of Berlin]. Everyone was out of control, getting their phones out and I even did a selfie with one fan."
After the car made its public debut at the Geneva motor show in March, this is the first time our Gen2 racer has hit the streets ahead of the Season 5 opener in Ad Diriyah.
"Formula E is the future," says Rosberg, smiling. "It's sending out a very strong message to the world and it's cool. It's great because it's racing, it's a great championship, with some good battles out there - really entertaining, so it's a great package."
Since retiring from Formula One, the German motorsport champ has become an investor in the all-electric series. "I joined as an investor a while ago," he admits. "I've been following very closely and believed in Formula E for a very long time. It's been going really well and, obviously, there's progress the whole time and now, with manufacturers coming in it's going to be very interesting to follow in the next few months." Tomorrow (Saturday, May 19), ahead of the BMW i Berlin E-Prix, Rosberg will be putting the Gen2 through its paces on the race track in front of a sold-out home crowd. "Berlin is my capital city, so it's great to have Formula E in town and great to be here as well to support the race and also to launch the Generation 2 car to the public and really make a statement."
Don't miss out on the action, click here to find out how to watch where you are.