The Formula E rookie test line-up for Berlin is now complete after all the 11 outfits revealed their drivers for the one-day test.
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. It is designed to encourage new and emerging talent into the world’s premier electric racing series, with the chance to showcase their skills in the cockpit of the GEN3.
Since the last Rookie Test in Marrakesh, 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), Jake Hughes (NEOM McLaren) and Sergio Sette Camara (NIO 333) all took part.
Formula E is increasingly seen as a proving ground for the very best motorsport talent, with Nyck De Vries, the 2020 FIA Formula E Drivers’ World Champion, since making his way into Formula 1. After sealing the 2019 FIA Formula 2 title, he joined Formula E’s ranks alongside reigning champion Stoffel Vandoorne (DS PENSKE) at Mercedes-EQ. De Vries and teammate Vandoorne were both then invited to test for Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team in Formula 1’s Young Driver Test in 2020.
The Dutchman now drives for Scuederia AlphaTauri in F1, while Vandoorne has taken up a role at Aston Martin as its reserve driver, alongside his Formula E race duties with DS PENSKE. Following the 2023 SABIC Berlin E-Prix double-header this weekend, 22 & 23 April, rookies representing all 11 teams in the championship will get the opportunity to shine in two three-hour sessions on Monday 24 April at the uniquely challenging Tempelhof Airport Circuit – as tough a location as any to first sample the GEN3 and top-tier electric motor racing.
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.”
“Nurturing the next generation and developing the stars of the future is a cornerstone of our focus in Formula E,” adds Pablo Martino, Head of Sporting Matters at the FIA. “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.”
[Note: The story is as per press release]