Full Driver Line-Up Revealed For First Formula E Rookie Test Of The Gen3 Era

Formula E and the FIA today revealed the full line-up of the 23 drivers confirmed to participate in the first rookie test for the GEN3 race car next Monday (24 April) following Rounds 7 and 8 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship at the Tempelhof Airport circuit in Berlin.

The test is exclusively for drivers with no previous experience driving a Formula E car on-track and who hold a minimum International Grade B license. The test day is designed to encourage new and emerging talent in the premier electric racing series with the chance to showcase their skills in the driving seat of the GEN3 race car – the fastest, lightest, most powerful and efficient electric race car ever built.

Since the last rookie test in 2020, several drivers have made the step up to a full- time race seat. Nick Cassidy (Envision Racing), teammates Sacha Fenestraz and Norman Nato (Nissan Formula E Team), Jake Hughes (NEOM McLaren Formula E Team) and Sérgio Sette Câmara (NIO 333 Racing) all participated in the last rookie test held in Marrakesh.

Following the 2023 SABIC Berlin E-Prix double-header of races on Saturday 22 April and Sunday 23 April, rookie drivers representing all 11 teams in the championship will get the opportunity to shine in two three-hour sessions on Monday 24 April. Tackling the high-grip and energy sapping concrete slabs initially designed for aircraft – not cutting-edge electric race cars – means the Hankook tyres will be pushed to their limits on the abrasive surface.

Alberto Longo, Co-Founder & Chief Championship Officer, Formula E, said:

“Formula E is leading the way in motorsport for technological progress and innovation, so we are excited to capture that same dynamic spirit and give the next generation of racing talent the chance to show what they can do in the GEN3 race car.”

“The roster of drivers set to take part is a ‘who’s who’ list of the most exciting and ambitious talent in all of motorsport with some huge accomplishments among them. We cannot wait to see what they will do behind the wheel of the GEN3, a race car at the leading edge of performance and innovation.”

Pablo Martino, Head of Sporting Matters, FIA, said:

“Nurturing the next generation and developing the stars of the future is a cornerstone of our focus in Formula E. We are working hand-in-hand with the championship to maximise opportunities for up-and-coming talents. A key aim of the test day in Berlin and the FP0 session in Rome is to offer promising young drivers an insight into the championship and allow them to familiarise themselves with the ground-breaking GEN3 car – another significant step towards our longer- term goal of integrating rookies even more tightly into the heart and the fabric of Formula E race weekends.”

Formula E is increasingly seen as a proving ground for the most talented drivers. After winning the 2019 FIA Formula 2 title, Nyck De Vries joined Formula E where he immediately showed his world-class racing ability to become the 2020 FIA Formula E World Champion. De Vries races for F1 team Scuderia AlphaTauri this season.

Current Formula E world champion Stoffel Vandoorne (DS PENSKE) combines his electric racing career with F1. As well as defending his Formula E title this season, Vandoorne is a reserve driver for the Aston Martin team in F1. Vandoorne moved to Formula E following success in his early career and having earned a place on the McLaren Young Driver Programme.

Building upon the Berlin test, in Rome just under three months later, a 30-minute Free Practice session will be held prior to Round 13 and 14 of the Rome Hankook E- Prix (Saturday 15 July and Sunday 16 July), for competitors aged 18 and over who have never previously raced in Formula E. All teams are obliged to run at least one driver in this session.

Drivers to watch:

Victor Martins, Nissan Formula E Team: Current reigning champion of the FIA Formula 3 Championship, Victor Martins will be testing with the Nissan Formula E Team. Martins has been a member of the Alpine F1 Academy since his 2020 Formula Renault Eurocup Championship win. Following his success to date, he has made the step up to the FIA Formula 2 Championship where he is currently competing for the 2023 season.

Felipe Drugovich, Maserati MSG Racing: 2022 Formula 2 Champion and reserve driver for Aston Martin and McLaren F1 teams will test for Maserati MSG Racing. He was the first member to be announced in the AMF1 Driver Development Programme, two days after winning the F2 Championship. He had his first go behind an F1 car in November 2022 when testing at Silverstone. This opportunity allowed him to obtain his FIA Super License and to drive in Free Practice at the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Alongside Formula E’s Stoffel Vandoorne, Drugovich was added to the list of reserve drivers for Aston Martin for the first 15 races of the 2023 season.

Sheldon van der Linde, Jaguar TCS Racing: Reigning 2022 DTM champion, Sheldon van der Linde will get his first opportunity in Formula E with Jaguar TCS Racing. He currently competes in the DTM Championship alongside Formula E’s Rene Rast. As a BMW Factory Works driver, he is also competing in the GT World Challenge Europe Championship and IMSA SportsCars Championship, where he took P2 in class in the 2023 12 Hours of Sebring. His older brother Kelvin van der Linde, two-time ADAC GT Masters champion also debuted in Formula E earlier this season as a replacement for the injured Robin Frijns in Diriyah, Hyderabad and Cape Town.

Jack Aitken, Envision Racing: Current competitor in the IMSA SportsCars and DTM Championships, Jack Aitken makes his debut in Formula E for Envision Racing. Racing in the new Cadillac V-LMDh, he won IMSA’s 2023 12 Hours of Sebring following an incident that saw the GTP cars in front of him crash into each other in the final minutes of the race. He is a former reserve driver for the F1 team Williams Racing where he raced for the team at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix, replacing George Russell. His previous experience includes ADAC GT Masters, European Le Mans as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Linus Lundqvist, Avalanche Andretti Formula E: Reigning Indy Lights champion and 2020 Formula Regional Americas Champion, Linus Lundqvist will test for Avalanche Andretti in the rookie test. No stranger to single seater racing from his F3 days where he was named the BRDC British Formula 3 Champion, he has also raced the infamous 24-Hours of Daytona in 2019 and 2022.

Daniil Kvyat, NIO 333 Racing: Former Red Bull and AlphaTauri Formula 1 driver Daniil Kvyat will make his debut in Formula E for the NIO 333 team. He currently competes in LMP2 in the FIA World Endurance Championship, and next year will race for Lamborghini Squadra Corse as a Factory Works Driver. He has also driven at the infamous brickyard in the NASCAR Cup Series at the Indianapolis Road Course race and is scheduled to make three more appearances later this year.

The post Full Driver Line-Up Revealed For First Formula E Rookie Test Of The Gen3 Era appeared first on Wheelz.me-English.