Madrid Rookie Test toppers Theophile Nael and Nikita Bedrin reflect on the test: “It’s not an easy track to drive”

It was a remarkable day for Theophile Nael at the Madrid Rookie Test on Sunday, as the 18-year-old French driver topped the timesheets on his Formula E debut with Mahindra Racing. The rookie test was held at the historic Circuito del Jarama for the first time, just a day after the maiden Madrid E-Prix, which saw Antonio Felix da Costa take victory. Here is what the top performers said after the test, which saw 20 elite rookie drivers get behind the wheel of the GEN3 Evo Formula E car.Theophile Nael drove the No. 48 Mahindra Racing car and recorded the fastest time in the morning session. Nikita Bedrin, who topped the afternoon session for DS Penske, was unable to beat Nael’s benchmark of 1:29.216. Both drivers finished third in the alternate session, with Mahindra Racing’s official reserve driver Kush Maini securing second place in both sessions.Speaking after the test, Nael said, “It was a great day. We completed all of our run plans and found some intriguing things for the race team. I’m happy with the way we evolved throughout the day, and the things we discovered will really help the team going forward. That’s the main job for us, and we did that. I’m happy with that and I really enjoyed the day.”Nikita Bedrin finished third in the morning before topping the afternoon session with a fastest time of 1:29.250. Sharing his experience, the 20-year-old Russian driver said, “It was a really positive day here in Madrid. I ended the second session in P1 and P2 overall. We also completed a lot of test items for the team, and we’re really happy with what we achieved. I had strong lap times in both energy-saving and push laps. It’s not an easy track to drive, so I think we adapted well.”Bedrin also shared several pictures from the track on Instagram, writing, “Ending the day as the fastest here in Madrid at the @fiaformulae rookie test! Positive development work completed today. The track is really challenging and bumpy, but it made for a highly productive and genuinely fun session. Enjoyed every second of it – thanks to @ds_penske_fe for the opportunity.”The rookies were given six hours of track time in the GEN3 Evo Formula E car. Four drivers who had previously taken part in Formula E’s Women’s Test also participated in the race. They included Nissan’s Abbi Pulling, Envision Racing’s Ella Lloyd, Jaguar’s Juju Noda, and Cupra Kiro’s Bianca Bustamante.The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will return with Rounds 7 and 8 in Berlin, in a double-header from 1–3 May at the Tempelhof Airport circuit.Also read: Madrid Rookie Test: Mahindra Racing’s Theophile Nael and Kush Maini, DS Penske’s Nikita Bedrin sweep top three in both sessions