P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Following a Gen3 battery igniting on Tuesday afternoon at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Formula E have confirmed that
The official pre-season test of Formula E, scheduled to begin in January, is in doubt after a fire broke out in the Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE) garage during the lunch break. WAE is responsible for the Gen3 batteries and fast-charging devices. The fire was apparently caused by a Gen3 battery from a DS Penske car that ignited and created plumes of black smoke. The incident occurred during a drivers’ press conference, which was abruptly halted. The pit-lane was evacuated, and the fire was extinguished. Only one person required minimal hospitalization and was quickly discharged. The afternoon session was canceled, and the Wednesday schedule has been canceled as well. A possible rescheduling for Thursday will be confirmed later. The hope is that on-track activities can resume on Thursday, but an investigation into the incident is ongoing. Despite the setback, the first testing session was successful, with Mitch Evans setting the fastest time. However, five drivers did not complete any running due to rookies taking their place.
Source: Motorsport Week
