Jaguar Racing left Rome atop the Teams' and Drivers' tables having eclipsed its entire Season 6 points haul in only the first four rounds of the 2020/21 campaign.
Sam Bird led the charge for the British outfit as it secured a maiden double podium in Formula E in the Rome E-Prix Round 3– Bird scything his way through the field from 10th to second spot with teammate Mitch Evans following up in third.
WAYS TO WATCH: Where and how to watch every minute of Season 7
Robin Frijns (Envision Virgin Racing) sits third in the running while Mercedes-EQ’s Stoffel Vandoorne fired himself into Drivers’ Championship contention after a redemptive run to the race win in Round 4.
The Belgian strode to Julius Baer Pole Position ahead of Round 3 but was punted out of first spot on lap one, and ultimately ended up in the wall as he scrambled to avoid Lucas di Grassi’s stricken Audi – the Brazilian forced into retirement himself from the lead with his e-tron FE07 suffering technical problems.
The most hotly-contested series on the planet
Testing at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo gave us a glimpse of just how hotly-contested the forthcoming season looked like being, with the whole field separated by little more than three-quarters of a second. To put an exact figure on it, all 24 runners lapped within just 0.761 seconds of one-another.
CATCH UP: Watch the best of the action from the Rome E-Prix
After four rounds of Season 7 – Formula E’s first as an FIA World Championship – that super-high level of competition has come to pass with every team having scored a point this season, and all but two drivers tallying. Twenty-two of the 24 drivers on the grid have made Super Pole, too, so far and 10 drivers have clambered onto the podium in the opening four rounds.
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No Formula E pre-season test had seen a tighter spread of lap-times, even when the championship required all teams run standardised powertrains in the inaugural 2014/15 campaign. The top ten runners in the most competitive session back in November drove for eight different teams. On top of that, each of the five sessions saw a different driver from a different squad, representing a different manufacturer at the top of the timesheets.
READ MORE: Formula E's Season 7 line-up, team-by-team
BMW i Andretti Motorsport's Maximilian Guenther flew to a 1:11.760 to make it a hat-trick of testing benchmarks for the team in Valencia, and two on the spin for the young Bavarian. So far in Season 7, Guenther’s had an up-and-down time of it with two retirements in two in Saudi Arabia, followed by a pair of top 10 finishes in Italy - and he'll have to master an amended layout at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo if he's to replicate his testing promise this weekend.
Coverage of Round 5 of the 2021 DHL Valencia E-Prix gets underway at 14:30 CEST on Saturday April 24. Find out where to watch and sync your calendar for all the latest updates and session times.
New to the calendar
The 3.37km Circuit Ricardo Tormo is a regular haunt for Formula E as host of four of the series’ official pre-season tests – with the first taking place in Season 4.
Here's your track guide for the 2021 DHL #ValenciaEPrix ⚡️@JackNichollsF1E@CircuitValenciapic.twitter.com/W9Up993j6N
— ABB FIA Formula E World Championship (@FIAFormulaE) April 18, 2021
This weekend will, however, mark its first appearance on the calendar proper and there have been changes made to throw a spanner in the works for Formula E’s 12 teams and 24 drivers who like to have every eventuality simulated to the tee.
After the left hander and ATTACK MODE activation zone at Turn 8, the cars will dive sharp right into Turn 9 and 10, through a long, sweeping left hander at Turn 11. After the final corner, there’ll be a chicane for the field to navigate before crossing the start/finish.
DHL becomes Race Title Partner
Building on a long-running relationship between DHL and Formula E that stretches back to the series’ inaugural campaign, DHL will link up with the championship for Rounds 5 and 6 as the 2021 Valencia E-Prix Race Title Partner.
This will see DHL turn one of the circuit’s grandstands green to highlight its GoGreen worldwide environmental protection programme, an initiative that showcases DHL’s strong sense of responsibility and its commitment to helping its customers grow sustainably.
Valencia's sustainability drive
Valencia is considered a poster child for smart and sustainable cities as one of three in the world to be double certified against the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals measures. It’s also an active voice across a number of international forums that push technology as an ally for sustainable growth and as a means of improving its citizens’ quality of life.
READ MORE: Formula E's race to reduce air pollution and fight climate change
Parking and waste management schemes, free public WiFi and environmental sensors on buses to collect air quality and climate data are all examples of the city authority’s innovation. Valencia has been granted the highest level of certification for sustainable development in cities by the World Council on City Data.
The city has set a target of 10GW of renewable energy by 2030 and already in the works at the Port of Valencia are 8.5MW of solar projects, with the port authority aiming for energy self-sufficiency by 2030. The port is also set to add up to 16MW of wind power to its grid during its first phase of development and will use hydrogen power in its terminals.
Get involved
Formula E blurs the lines between the real and virtual worlds of motorsport and there are even more opportunities to engage with the championship in Season 7, even if you can’t be at an E-Prix in person.
Formula E is the only motorsport in the world that lets fans play an active role in influencing the outcome. FANBOOST for Round 5 opens on April 21 until 15 minutes into the encounter, while voting for Round 6 opens shortly after Round 5. To give your favourite driver an extra boost of power, visit FANBOOST and the Formula E app.
Can you predict the unpredictable? The Formula E Predictor puts you in the hot seat to predict each round of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
It's free to play, and points are awarded for each correct prediction. Make your picks for five race outcomes - selecting from the 24 Formula E drivers that you think will win the E-Prix, clinch Julius Baer Pole Position, set the TAG Heuer Fastest Lap, be the first to use ATTACK MODE and be the driver to make up the most places in the race.
Prizes this season include an unmissable VIP Experience for the winner to attend an E-Prix in Season 8 so don't forget to get family, friends and colleagues involved in a league.
Join the full Formula E race day experience direct from the comfort of your own home as the Allianz E-Village goes virtual. Starting from Monday of race week and until the event comes to a close, the Virtual Allianz E-Village has fans covered.
There will be exclusive content straight from the paddock, a chance to win a spot in a live Q&A with Formula E drivers, an online autograph session and much more.
Follow live
Follow every lap from Valencia as it happens in the Live Hub. A new-for-Season 7 Live Timing experience – including a real-time interactive track map and the ability to follow your favourite driver – plus detailed session reports, exclusive interviews, all the standings and results as well as reaction from the ground means fans won’t miss a moment.
The Formula E app allows fans to go behind the scenes and listen to Driver Radio for live reactions from the cockpit and the pit wall as the race plays out. To listen in, download now on iOS and Android.
There are more ways to watch Formula E this season than ever before, meaning there are no excuses for missing out on seeing the action unfold!