Many changes to be expected on the FE grid for the Berlin ePrix
Due to a scheduling conflict between Formula E and the World Endurance Championship, several teams will field new pairs of drivers for the two races scheduled in Germany.
They are eight. Eight who accumulate Formula E World Championship and Endurance World Championship this season. So when races from these two championships take place on the same weekend, choices must be made within the teams to determine in which category each driver will compete.
The ninth and tenth races of the Formula E season as well as the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps will take place on the weekend of May 11-12. Although less than 700 kilometers separate Berlin-Tempelhof airport, where the Berlin ePrix is taking place, from the Ardennes rollercoaster, drivers participating in the endurance race on Saturday were not allowed to travel to the German capital on Sunday to compete in the second FE race of the weekend.
Therefore, three Formula E teams are affected by this calendar conflict and will see their driver line-up changed.
Envision Racing is without a doubt the team most impacted by this situation. Requisitioned by Toyota in WEC, Sébastien Buemi will not be present in Berlin, as well as his teammate Robin Frijns, who is a regular driver at BMW and will take part in the return of the German manufacturer to the 24 Hours of Le Mans next June.
To replace the Swiss and the Dutch drivers, the Anglo-Chinese team will call upon Joel Eriksson and Paul Aron. The first has already competed in eight Formula E races during season 7 and is currently a test and development driver for Jaguar, which powers Envision. The latter is currently racing this season in Formula 2 where he holds second place in the championship after six races. This will be his first experience in Formula E.
At Mahindra, if both regular drivers Nyck de Vries and Edoardo Mortara are also committed to the WEC, only the former will be absent in Berlin. Like Buemi, he will compete in the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps with Toyota. Mortara, who also drives for Lamborghini in the WEC, will team up with Jordan King, a reserve driver for the Indian team for several seasons.
The driver duo will also be half changed at ABT Cupra as Nico Müller will drive the Peugeot 9X8 in Belgium. He will be replaced by Kelvin van der Linde who will return to the Formula E wheel after replacing the injured Robin Frinjs for a few races last season, already with the German team.
The three other drivers with commitments in Formula E and WEC are Jean-Eric Vergne (DS Penske / Peugeot), Stoffel Vandoorne (DS Penske / Peugeot), and Norman Nato (Andretti / Hertz Jota Team Porsche). Like Edoardo Mortara, they will prioritize electric single-seaters over Hypercars on the weekend of May 11-12.
Finally, it should be noted that a fifth driver change will take place for the Berlin ePrix as a result of his accident in free practice in Monaco, Sam Bird will once again have to give up his seat to Taylor Barnard at McLaren.
