You sit low in the car so you feel connected and with a typically agile Porsche chassis, the balance and braking ability gave me the confidence to push, knowing it would deliver. In many ways it reminded me of the 911 GT3 I’ve raced around here.

On track, you can tell the Taycan Turbo GT capitalises on the strong points of electric vehicles such as their low centre of gravity compared to ICE-powered cars, the instant throttle response with zero lag and endless torque which, when all were combined made it one of the fastest cars especially in terms of exiting corners, that I’ve ever driven around here. It was massively impressive – and it’s a production car.

The new official lap record format dictates that cars receive scrutineering prior to track activity to ensure they are in production specification. On track activity is then limited to a 60-minute practice session, followed by a 45-minute qualifying session in which the lap record time must be set.

The entire process was overseen by EMSO, led by experienced senior FIA official Fergus Lavers, with the full facilities of race control in operation. Track limits are also enforced, to ensure lap times are within regulations.

The Yas Marina Circuit hosts the Formula 1 season finale each year and is a hub for motorsport activity in the Middle East. The venue is now able to officially sanction production car lap records for the first time.

Using the expertise Porsche has developed from its championship-winning 99X Electric race car competing in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, the Taycan Turbo GT brings that technology to the street as the most powerful production Porsche ever.

The Taycan Turbo GT and Taycan Turbo GT with the Weissach package feature a more powerful pulse inverter delivering 580 kW (789 PS) of power which jumps to 760 kW (1033 PS) with Launch Control and up to 815 kW (1108 PS) for two seconds according to the peak power measurement method.

Fitted with the optional Weissach package that deletes the rear seats for a better power-to-weight ratio and combined with more use of carbon fibre, the Weissach package saves 75kg while a fixed rear wing provides up to 220kg of downforce over the Taycan Turbo S.

The Turbo GT can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.2 seconds and reach a top speed of 305 km/h and borrowing technology from Formula E, it features Attack Mode to give it a 10-second boost of up to 120 kW (163 PS) of extra power.

The Taycan Turbo GT comes standard with lightweight ceramic brakes based on the Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake (PCCB), but optimised with design changes to the brake disc chamber and the brake calliper housing that saves more than two kilograms and reduces unsprung weight and rotating mass.

The Taycan Turbo GT is equipped as standard with the dynamics package that includes the Porsche Active Ride suspension with GT-specific tuning. In dynamic driving situations, this ensures an almost perfect connection to the road thanks to a balanced distribution of wheel loads.