DTM driver Ayhancan Güven and youngster Elia Weiss to compete in Rookie Test for Porsche

Ayhancan Güven and Elia Weiss are the Porsche duo for the Formula E Rookie Test in Berlin (14 July). On the Monday after the German E-Prix, a total of 22 rookie drivers will have the opportunity to test Formula E cars and in doing so prove themselves in these cars – none of them have competed in a Formula E race yet.

It will be Turkish former Porsche Junior Güven’s (27) first outing in a Porsche factory car. The second Porsche 99X Electric in Berlin will be driven by 16-year-old Munich-born Elia Weiss from the Motorsport Team Germany of the ADAC’s sports foundation (ADAC Stiftung Sport) and the German motorsport federation DMSB – a junior programme for talented young racers, which Porsche also supports.

Güven made it into the Porsche squad in 2020, when he was selected for the factory junior team. He currently races for Manthey EMA in the DTM. At the end of April in Oschersleben and the start of June in Zandvoort, he secured his first two DTM victories in the Porsche 911 GT3 R. The man from Istanbul started his career the traditional way – in karting – and went on to prove himself in sim racing, the digital motorsport – including in a team with Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen. Güven is now a sporting great in his home country, where he inspires a whole host of new motorsport fans. The Turkish Ministry of Sport even congratulated him on his first DTM win in Oschersleben.

Elia Luis Weiss came into the world on 22 June 2009 – meaning that the teenager celebrated his 16=10.8333pxth birthday just three weeks before this year’s Rookie Test. One of his gifts was the licence required to drive the highly efficient 99X Electric in Berlin. The international B licence is issued by the DMSB. The minimum age is 16, and a minimum level of experience in international motorsport must also be proven.

Elia, who lives with his parents in Munich, is one of Germany’s promising young racing drivers. Following in World Champion Pascal Wehrlein’s footsteps, he is part of Motorsport Team Germany. The initiative supports talented youngsters from up to ten disciplines in car and motorcycle racing. The programme includes simulator tests in the motorsport departments of Audi, BMW, Mercedes-AMG, and Porsche. Weiss won the title in the 2024 German karting championship DKM and is racing in a Formula 4 car for the first time this year with Cram Motorsport in Italy. At the Rookie Test, he will be getting behind the wheel of the FIA single-seater with the fastest acceleration (0 to 100 km/h in under 2 seconds), making him the youngest ever Formula E rookie.

The Formula E Rookie Test on 14 July will be held on the same track as the Berlin E-Prix (12 and 13 July). This means that the Porsche factory team and its two customer teams Andretti Formula E and Cupra Kiro will be extending their stay in the capital by one day. The track at Tempelhofer Feld airfield will be dismantled after the test.

Florian Modlinger, Director Factory Motorsport Formula E: “There are strict limits on budgets and test days in Formula E, which is why the teams are somewhat reluctant to invest resources in drivers that they find it difficult to assess because they have never driven this kind of vehicle before. However, we do need to see external drivers in our cars: The energy management is complex, which means that the mental challenges in particular are incredibly tough in Formula E. This reduces the pool of potential drivers. So, it makes sense for the Rookie Test to be mandatory for all teams. Ayhancan was part of our own junior squad, is known to us, and is currently performing well in the DTM. Elia comes from the Motorsport Team Germany, which is supported by Porsche Motorsport. While he was a guest in our simulator, we were particularly impressed by how he interacted with the engineers. Elia turned 16 just a few days ago, but he comes across as a much more mature racing driver.”

Ayhancan Güven: “This is a pretty unique opportunity for me. As a driver with a GT racing background, driving a single-seater without a roof over my head is an experience I’m really looking forward to. I was at the track in Berlin four years ago – as a spectator. To be able to drive there now is, of course, fantastic. The Porsche 99X Electric has a lot of systems I’m not familiar with, which will probably be the biggest challenge. The preparation takes place in the simulator in Weissach. As a sim racer, however, it’s easy for me to transfer my impressions of the virtual track to the real thing as quickly as possible. These are going to be exhausting weeks: before Berlin, I’ll be competing in the 24-hour races at the Nürburgring and in Spa, as well as in the DTM at the Norisring. It’s all happening in quick succession, and I’m giving it my all.”

Elia Weiss: “I’m incredibly proud – no doubt everyone dreams of being able to drive for Porsche! The fact that I get to do this is insane. It’s a huge step for me, which is why I have a lot of respect for it. But I’ve already practiced in the simulator in Weissach. It was all really positive: I was able to get to know the systems, felt right at home there, and got on really well with the engineers. Other than that, I’m preparing myself as best I can. In a Formula E car, you need a lot of strength and fitness, so I’m training particularly hard in those areas at the moment.”

2024/2025 sees Porsche contest its sixth Formula E season. In addition to the factory TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, American customer team Andretti Formula E is entering the Porsche 99X Electric of the latest GEN3 Evo generation. With the addition of Cupra Kiro, this season will be the first time that a second Porsche customer team has entered the series; they will be using 99X technology of the previous GEN3 generation. Formula E gives the brand valuable insights for its production sports cars.