11/07/2025 19:30
Felipe Drugovich will serve a 20-place grid penalty in the opening
race of Formula E's Berlin E-Prix, his first world championship
single-seater race. The Aston Martin F1 reserve and 2022 Formula 2
champion has been signed by Mahindra to replace WEC-tied Nyck de
Vries for the two races in the German capital, due to the Dutchman
racing in São Paulo for Toyota. An FE debut is a notoriously
difficult task, even more so for Drugovich after receiving a huge
grid penalty from the stewards. Drugovich has been handed the
punishment due to Mahindra fitting a new gearbox outside the legal
pool to his car. Should Drugovich be unable to serve the entirety
of his penalty, he will be forced to serve a drive-through at the
start of the opening race at the Tempelhof Airport. He is not
alone in having a 20-place grid penalty, as Jaguar's Nick Cassidy
will also serve a considerable grid drop and potential
drive-through. Substantial rain looks set to cause havoc in Berlin
for FE, with first practice on Friday evening likely set to be the
only dry session of the entire event. With the exception of
impeding McLaren's Sam Bird in the final sector, it was a smooth
session for Drugovich, who ended it 16th on the timesheets –
team-mate Edoardo Mortara was second.
