Teenager Weiss brings youth vibe to Formula E rookie test

Formula E hosts a rookie test every year as an opportunity for inexperienced drivers to get a shot behind the wheel of its unique electric race cars. For the last three seasons, it has followed the Berlin E-Prix. This year’s edition featured a smattering of drivers from the world of Formula 1 reserves, F2, F3 and sports cars, among other disciplines.

Then there was Elia Weiss. At 16 – just – he’s the youngest driver to ever get behind the wheel of a Formula E car. And he did it amid his very first campaign in car racing, having graduated to Italian Formula 4 this season after winning last year’s German karting championship.

“It's my first year, in general, in cars,” he said. “In general, if you look at the step up from last year, karting, it's even bigger than from Formula 4 to Formula E. It's quite a big step, especially when we do the launch procedure with 350 kilowatts at the start.”

The test was the highest-level activity that Weiss has done in his short career, and doing it with a factory team, there was obvious pressure – although not enough to faze him.

“It's less stressful because it's not a race,” he said. “But on the other hand, you have quite a bit of acceleration, more than in an F4 car, a bit more speed. So I think there's more things you have to focus on all of a sudden. But I wouldn't necessarily say it's more stressful, because there's no pressure, essentially.

“I was also in the sim, so I could practice. But for sure, it's not like you have a certain line where there's a lot of grip. It took some laps getting used to adjusting the settings. But I don't think they ask us to do crazy things, so I think it's quite on the simple side of what we have to do while driving.

Weiss might be young, but he comes highly regarded in Germany. His work on and off track have already endeared him to Porsche.

“I'm part of the Motorsport Team Germany, which gets help from Porsche,” he explained. “So I had the opportunity to be in the sim as well. It appears that they like the way I work with them there and the way I was in the sim, and then they asked me if I would like to do a rookie test for them. And of course, I said yes – it's a great opportunity.”

Unlike the rest of the drivers taking part, Weiss isn’t yet a professional driver, with his F4 and Motorsport Team Germany activities being intertwined with school. Thankfully though, the timing of the test in his home nation’s capital came at a fortuitous time. That allowed him to focus on the job at hand, but he couldn’t use the opportunity to show off to his friends.

“I haven't seen them, but I think for sure, they're a bit like, ‘Wow!’” he said. “I'm in school one week, the next week, I'm gone driving for the rookie test. I think they find it cool, for sure. I think everyone would find it cool.”

Weiss finished the Berlin test 20th of the 22 drivers, but it was enough to really whet his appetite for Formula E. When asked if the series was a goal for him, he immediately responded, “Yeah, I think so.

“First of all, I need to finish my first car racing, and then we can go from there. I really like the series, the strategy, the driving. It's a lot closer than other series, so I think it's definitely fun to watch and drive [in] as well.”