The second double-header weekend of the season for the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship got underway in Rome on Saturday, with an eventful first practice session on the new Rome ePrix 2021 track.
Lucas Di Grassi (Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler) finished on top at the end of the session, with Stoffel Vandoorne (Mercedes-EQ Formule E Team) just behind him and Robin Frijns (Envision Virgin Racing) down in third.
The drivers and teams learned their new track and ran through their practice programs with a few bumps and curveballs thrown at them.
The NIO 333 FE team had the most damage to their cars at the end of Free Practice 1: Tom Blomqvist hit the wall at Turn fourteen with ten minutes to go at the end of the session, and his team-mate Oliver Turvey was involved in a heavy crash towards the start line after the chequered flag was out, where drivers were lining up to do practice starts. This crash also involved Jean-Eric Vergne (DS Techeetah) and Jake Dennis (BMW i Andretti Motorsport), with all three drivers heading to the medical car for examinations.
A bump on the track between turns 6 and 7 led to a few close call for Nico Müller (Dragon/Penske Autosport) this morning who just managed to keep it out of the wall. This bump on track could cause some damage during the race if drivers drive next to one another.
It remains to be seen if all cars can be repaired in time for the first qualifying and race later today, as the damage is substantial.
| POS. | NO. | DRIVER | NAT | TEAM | TIME/GAP |
| 1 | 11 | Lucas di Grassi | BRZ | Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler | 1:38.785 |
| 2 | 5 | Stoffel Vandoorne | BEL | Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team | +0.062 |
| 3 | 4 | Robin Frijns | NED | Envision Virgin Racing | +0.246 |
| 4 | 7 | Sergio Sette Camara | BRZ | Dragon/Penske Autosport | +0.259 |
| 5 | 71 | Norman Nato | FRA | ROKIT Venturi Racing | +0.354 |
| 6 | 37 | Nick Cassidy | NZL | Envision Virgin Racing | +0.355 |
| 7 | 10 | Sam Bird | GBR | Jaguar Racing | +0.485 |
| 8 | 22 | Oliver Rowland | GBR | Nissan e.DAMS | +0.773 |
| 9 | 27 | Jake Dennis | GBR | BMW i Andretti Motorsport | +0.802 |
| 10 | 20 | Mitch Evans | NZL | Jaguar Racing | +0.822 |
| 11 | 25 | Jean-Eric Vergne | FRA | DS Techeetah | +0.831 |
| 12 | 6 | Nico Muller | CHE | Dragon/Penske Autosport | +1.068 |
| 13 | 94 | Alex Lynn | GBR | Mahindra Racing | +1.120 |
| 14 | 28 | Maximilian Gunther | GER | BMW i Andretti Motorsport | +1.155 |
| 15 | 13 | Antonio Felix da Costa | POR | DS Techeetah | +1.254 |
| 16 | 17 | Nyck de Vries | NED | Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team | +1.354 |
| 17 | 8 | Oliver Turvey | GBR | NIO 333 FE Team | +1.492 |
| 18 | 36 | Andre Lotterer | GER | TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team | +1.631 |
| 19 | 33 | Rene Rast | GER | Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler | +1.705 |
| 20 | 29 | Alexander Sims | GBR | Mahindra Racing | +1.914 |
| 21 | 48 | Edoardo Mortara | CHE | ROKIT Venturi Racing | +1.956 |
| 22 | 99 | Pascal Wehrlein | GER | TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team | +2.923 |
| 23 | 88 | Tom Blomqvist | GBR | NIO 333 FE Team | +3.846 |
| 24 | 23 | Sebastien Buemi | CHE | Nissan e.DAMS | +4.147 |
