The Rome E-Prix, scheduled for this weekend, will be the platform for Formula E rookies to take to the track once again to showcase their skills and earn a place among the elite.
The teams that make up the electrified series revealed the full lineup for the free practice session ahead of the Hankook Rome E-Prix double-header on July 15-16.
The official rookie test of season 9 took place on Monday, April 24 after the race weekend of Rounds 7 and 8 in Berlin, where a large number of rookie drivers tested Formula E and GEN3 for the first time.
Who is Eligible to Participate?
Teams can enter someone who has tested Formula E machinery before, but they must not be drivers included in the list of participants for Season 9 and must not have competed in a Formula E race before.
The idea is to give the best young talent a pathway to compete at the top of the motorsport ladder with a taste of Formula E and the opportunity to impress payrolls and fans.
Felipe Drugovich was confirmed at Maserati MSG Racing. The young Brazilian, who topped the timesheets during the Berlin rookie test earlier this year, will get a second chance to impress during the session in Rome.
Avalanche Andretti, meanwhile, reported that Zane Maloney will once again get behind the wheel of its GEN3 car. NEOM McLaren, meanwhile, selected Charlie Eastwood for its Rome seat, while Mahindra Racing chose Jehan Daruvala to return in its car, once again complementing his reserve driver role with the team.
South African Sheldon van der Linde, reigning DTM champion and brother of Kelvin who raced for ABT CUPRA in Diriyah and Hyderabad, stepping in after Robin Frijns‘ injury, will join Jaguar TCS Racing. He topped the morning race at the Berlin rookie test earlier this year.
Read also: Felipe Drugovich to Get a New Opportunity in Rome with Maserati
Experience in Other Categories
Multiple Formula 2 race winner Luca Ghiotto returns to Nissan after his participation in Berlin. The Italian will travel to Rome, with the former GP3 Series runner-up also confirmed as the team’s simulator driver.
Yann Ehrlacher will make his Formula E debut with DS PENSKE in Rome. The 27-year-old Frenchman was the 2020 FIA World Touring Car Champion and followed up with a second title a year later, successfully defending his crown.
Envision Racing is set to give Jack Aitken a seat again after his effort in Berlin. Aitken, 27, completed 19 laps during his first race in Berlin, helping the team as they continued to gather data and information on the new GEN3 car.
NIO 333 once again selected former Formula 1 driver Danil Kvyat. Kvyat raced in F1 as part of the Red Bull stable for six years between 2014 and 2020 at Scuderia Toro Rosso/Alpha Tauri and Red Bull Racing, securing three podium finishes.
Frenchman and reigning ETCR champion Adrien Tambay completes the ABT CUPRA lineup.
