Words: Aisha Daulay
The Danish driver had his first taste of the GEN3 Evo car in Berlin, an experience he described as unlike any other, despite having an already impressive resume that includes 37 race wins and 81 podiums across Formula Regional, FIA Formula 3, and FIA Formula 2.
Although Vesti hasn't competed in a single-seater series since 2023, when he narrowly missed out on the FIA Formula 2 title by just 11 points to champion Theo Pourchaire, his continued role as reserve driver for the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team has kept him sharp.
"Honestly, it's cool to be back for the second year," he says. "Obviously, experience last year gives me something to work with this year, something to expect. The four-wheel drive is definitely something interesting.
"It's something I'm used to previously in my career, but when you activate it, it's a cool feeling that you get a good kick, and it's a different race car. It's like driving two different race cars in the same run."
Vesti also highlighted the technical complexity of the Formula E car compared to an F1 machine.
He continued, "The F1 car has a lot of grip and a lot of potential, but what is quite special with the Formula E car is all the systems.
"You can play around with so many things as a driver, and it feels like you need to be half a driver, half an engineer to run this car and maximising it, because you can just change the way the car feels, and that's the biggest difference."
Vesti made his return to the championship with Andretti, after having previously tested for Mahindra Racing at last year's Rookie Test. With the help of former world champion Jake Dennis, the 22-year-old felt well supported throughout the session.
"He's around," said Vesti. "He's looking at the data with me and my engineer, and obviously giving the advice that he can on lines, breaks, shapes, and all of this. It's very different from what I'm usually running.
"I was doing a test in Formula 1 just five days ago, and then jumping into this is quite significantly different. The goal is the same in both cars. You always want to maximise the car and the potential, and that's what we're doing today.
"Formula E is a World Championship. I want to be a World Champion. Also, Formula E has some of the greatest drivers, active racing drivers, and that makes it interesting."
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