The Lineup for Formula E's Rookie Test in Berlin is now complete
After last week’s article where we talked about the drivers that will take part for TAG Heuer Porsche, Envision Racing, Nissan Formula E Team, and Avalanche Andretti, it’s now time to talk about the rest of the drivers that have been announced for Formula E’s rookie test in Berlin on April 24th.
Jaguar TCS Racing
Familiar surnames are representing Jaguar TCS Racing in the rookie test as Simon Evans and Sheldon van der Linde drive Gen3 for the first time. Simon Evans is a 32-year-old New Zealand racing driver who has previously won the 2014-15 V8 SuperTourer championship, the 2015-16 and 2016-17 NZ Touring Cars Championship, and the 2019-20 Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy. Simon’s brother happens to be Mitch Evans, who drives for Jaguar TCS Racing in Formula E! As for his teammate in this test, Sheldon van der Linde is a 23-year-old South African racing driver who currently competes in a bunch of Sportscar series. Sheldon previously won the South Africa Polo Cup Championship in 2014 and he is currently the reigning Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) Champion. Sheldon’s brother happens to be Kelvin van der Linde, who drove for ABT CUPRA for a few rounds earlier in the season.
DS Penske
Two drivers who’ve driven a Formula 1 car now get their chance to drive a Formula E car. Robert Shwartzman is a 23-year-old Russo-Israeli racing driver who previously won the Toyota Racing Series in 2018 and the FIA Formula 3 Championship in 2019. Shwartzman also won six Formula 2 races (he finished runner-up in the championship in 2021) and he is currently the reserve driver for Ferrari in Formula 1. As for his teammate in this test, Will Stevens is a 31-year-old British racing driver who previously raced for Manor Marussia in Formula 1. Stevens also won the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship in the LMP2 Class and he also finished first in the LMP2 category at Le Mans last year.
NEOM McLaren
NEOM McLaren fields a talented lineup for the Rookie Test in the form of Charlie Eastwood and Luke Browning. Charlie Eastwood is a 27-year-old Northern Irish racing driver who is currently an Aston Martin Factory Driver. Eastwood previously won the Porsche Carrera Cup GB in 2017, the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup (Pro-Am) in 2019 and he currently leads the Asian Le Mans series in the LMP2 Class. As for his teammate in this test, Luke Browning is a 21-year-old British racing driver who won last year’s Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Award. Browning also won the 2020 F4 British Championship, the 2022 GB3 Championship and he’s currently 10th in this year’s FIA Formula 3 Championship.
Mahindra Racing
Mahindra Racing are unique in this test due to the fact that they have 3 rookies taking part as Jordan King, Roberto Merhi, and Jehan Daruvala all get the chance to prove why they deserve a spot on the Formula E grid in 2024. Jordan King is a 29-year-old British racing driver who previously won the MRF Formula 1600 India Championship in 2011 and he also won British Formula 3 in 2013 (ahead of Antonio Giovinazzi). King has also driven in GP2/Formula 2, IndyCar, and WEC, winning a combined total of 3 races. As for one of his teammates in this test, Roberto Merhi is a 32-year-old Spanish racing driver who previously drove in Formula 1 for Manor Marussia in 2015. Merhi also won both the Formula 3 Euro Series and the FIA Formula 3 International Trophy Championships back in 2011. As for his final teammate in this test, Jehan Daruvala is a 24-year-old Indian racing driver currently competing in his 4th season in FIA Formula 2. Jehan previously finished 2nd in the 2016 Toyota Racing Series (behind Lando Norris), 3rd in the 2019 FIA Formula 3 Championship, and 3rd in the 2021 F3 Asian Championship. Daruvala has also won 4 races in Formula 2 and he’s currently 6th in this year’s Championship.
NIO 333 Racing
NIO 333 Racing have gone with two experienced racing drivers in the form of Daniil Kvyat and Mikel Azcona. Daniil Kvyat is a 28-year-old Russian racing driver who previously won the 2012 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Championship and the 2013 GP3 Series title. Kvyat also drove in 112 Formula 1 races where he achieved 3 podiums and he’s currently second in the FIA World Endurance Championship in the LMP2 Class. As for his teammate, Mikel Azcona is a 26-year-old Spanish racing driver who is driven in all sorts of Sportscar championships. Azcona is a 2-time TCR Europe Cup Racing Series Champion (2018 and 2021), a former 24 hours of Nürburgring winner in TCR Class (2022) and he’s also the reigning World Touring Car Cup Champion.
Maserati MSG Racing
Maserati MSG is yielding a young lineup for the rookie test this year as Felipe Drugovich and Hugh Barter get their first taste of Formula E machinery. Felipe Drugovich is a 22-year-old Brazilian-Italian racing driver who is currently Aston Martin’s reserve driver in Formula 1 after winning last year's FIA Formula 2 Championship. Drugovich has also previously won the 2017-18 MRF Challenge Formula 2000 Championship as well as both the Euroformula Open and Spanish Formula 3 Championships in 2018. As for his teammate in this test, Hugh Barter is a 17-year-old Australian-Japanese racing driver who currently competes for Campos Racing in Formula 3. Barter previously finished second in French F4 in both 2021 and 2022 and he also finished in the same place in Spanish F4 (also in 2022). They’re the only single-seater seasons he’s completed so far and after 4 races in Formula 3 this season, Barter is 18th in the championship (out of 30).
ABT CUPRA
ABT CUPRA, who come into the weekend as the only team yet to score points this season, give opportunities to both Tim Tramnitz and Adrien Tambay. Tim Tramnitz is an 18-year-old German racing driver who’s racing for R-ace GP in the Formula Regional European Championship this season. Tramnitz previously finished second in both the 2021 ADAC Formula 4 and Italian F4 Championships, finishing behind Ferrari academy driver Oliver Bearman on both occasions. As for his teammate in this test, Adrien Tambay is a 32-year-old French racing driver who won the last ever FIA eTouring Car World Cup with CUPRA last year. Tambay also previously finished 3rd in Formula BMW Europe way back in 2008 and he also drove in Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) for 4 seasons (he achieved 2 podiums).
