Although David Beckmann and Yifei Ye conducted their first tests together for Porsche in Berlin, the pair have already contested races together – with great success: At the 1,000 Miles of Sebring in Florida, the opening round of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) season, they won the LMP2 class in an ORECA 07.
For Yifei, the test in Berlin was his first taste of a Formula E car. This season, the 22-year-old from China contests this year’s World Endurance Championship (WEC) with a customer team’s Porsche 963 hybrid prototype as the Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific selected driver. David Beckmann gained his first track experience with the new Porsche 99X Electric as the official test and reserve driver for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team during pre-season tests on the Circuit de Calafat. Their reunion with the innovative Weissach-developed electric racing car was an early birthday present: he turns 23 on Thursday.
Comments on the rookie test
Florian Modlinger, Director Factory Motorsport Formula E: “A rookie test is always good for the team. We can check out the drivers and see how quickly they adapt to the demands and challenges of a Formula E car. Plus, we can get their feedback and see how well they work with the engineering team on aspects like setup changes. For the drivers, such a test is a great chance to collect valuable experience and at the same time raise their profile. David and Yifei made a very good impression. After the briefing this morning, they demonstrated that they can quickly achieve decent speed. We put them through identical programmes. Both made excellent use of the opportunities that the test offered them. They worked with focus and dedication. As a team, we’re very happy with them.”
David Beckmann, test and reserve driver TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team: “I’ve known this team for a while now and I really enjoy working with them all. For me, this rookie test is a great opportunity to get to know the Porsche 99X Electric better and also get vital experience for my career beyond Formula E. We completed the test programme as planned and I felt very comfortable in the car. I found it interesting to see how the engineers responded to my feedback on changes to the car setup.”
Yifei Ye, Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific selected driver: “Such a Formula E car is very different from the cars I’ve raced previously. I found the test challenging but also a great experience. Formula E usually races on narrow street circuits with walls to the left and right and no run-off areas. This took some getting used to but after a few laps, I found a good rhythm and picked up my pace. I think I managed to give the engineers good feedback on the setup of the Porsche 99X Electric. In my opinion, it was a very productive day.”
Info
The next race for the TAG Heuer Formula E Team is the Monaco E-Prix on 6 May.