Why Pepe Martí can drive in special Formula E session

Pepe Martí is set for more driving than all of his fellow Formula E competitors at next weekend’s Miami E-Prix, due to being permitted to run in a designated rookie session.

Ahead of the official first practice at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium next Friday, a 40-minute session for rookie drivers will take place.

This has occurred once per season for much of the Gen3 era in the all-electric championship, offering drivers not competing full-time in the category a chance to drive Formula E machinery.

In addition to the annual rookie practice session, Formula E also hosts a full rookie test once a year—this year taking place in Madrid in March—as well as an all-female test.

For Miami next week, each team can run one or two drivers, with the likes of Dennis Hauger, Chloe Chambers, Ayhancan Güven, and Théo Pourchaire already announced.

Despite being a full-time driver in the championship, Martí will also feature in the rookie practice session for Cupra Kiro.

The Spaniard, who suffered a huge airborne crash in the São Paulo season opener in December, delivered a strong recovery drive from the back of the grid earlier this month in Mexico City to finish seventh and score his first Formula E points.

Unlike fellow full-time rookie drivers Felipe Drugovich and Joel Eriksson, Martí is eligible for the rookie practice session under Article 4.7 of Formula E’s sporting regulations.

Article 4.7 of Formula E's sport regulations states: "A driver who has never participated in a competition or entering a competition for the first time will be considered as a "rookie" until the end of its first participation or until the moment it participates in two competitions in different seasons."

As both Drugovich and Eriksson made competitive appearances in previous Formula E seasons, they are ineligible for the practice session, as they are no longer deemed rookies.

For Martí, it could offer a significant advantage to learn a circuit that is new to Formula E, as he will effectively have 120 minutes of practice compared to the 80 minutes available to his opponents across the two standard practice sessions.

The 20-year-old Spaniard has already missed a considerable amount of practice running during the current campaign, with the Miami rookie session offering him a chance to make crucial gains.