Sebastien Buemi lapped England's Donington Park circuit with a 1:35.475s in dry conditions to top the first ever official day of testing for the new FIA Formula E series.
The e.dams-Renault driver was over half a second clear of any of his other competitors, yet there is still a lot to learn before the series begins on September 13.
"I'm more than happy to be honest," the Swiss told FIAFormulaE.com. "I didn't have any problems with the car at all and that meant we were able to learn quite a lot about it. It's always nice to be P1 so let's hope it continues tomorrow."
Thursday marked the first of five days of public testing for all 20 Formula E cars, with 19 of them turning laps today. Michela Cerruti was unable to turn a lap due to technical issues.
Lucas di Grassi, Sam Bird, Bruno Senna and Stephane Sarrazin rounded out the top five, all competing for different teams.
"I've had experience of driving electric-powered cars in the past with hybrid technology," said Sarrazin, "but this is complete new. The feeling in the car is great and it's certainly fun to drive."
Day 1 combined times:
