Photo: Formula Motorsport & Nissan
Three more junior single-seater racers have been called up to drive in Formula E’s rookie test in Berlin on April 24.
Following Andretti Autosport’s announcement that it will run reigning Indy Nxt champion Linus Lundqvist and Formula 2 racer Zane Maloney, and the decisions by Envision Racing and Porsche to call upon 2022 F2 racers Jack Aitken and David Beckmann respectively, there have been three more drivers who have been handed the chance to drive a FE car for the first time.
Envision completes its test line-up with former Red Bull junior Jonny Edgar, who races in the FIA Formula 3 championship.
“We are very pleased to be welcoming Jonny to Envision Racing for the upcoming rookie test in Berlin,” said Envision’s managing director Sylvain Filippi.
“Jonny has a very impressive motorsport CV at such a young age, and we are very excited to see him step into our Gen3 car. The test will give him his first taste of FE, whilst also providing our team with valuable data for the remaining races.”
Edgar is in his third FIA F3 season, and still pursuing his first series podium. The 19-year-old missed two rounds last year due to Chrohn’s disease.
At Nissan, a team previously run by F2 squad DAMS, Alpine junior Victor Martins has been called up for the rookie test. The F2 rookie is the reigning FIA F3 champion, and will test alongside F2 graduate Luca Ghiotto who is Nissan’s simulator driver.
“We’re really pleased to have Luca on board. He’s been working in the simulator since the beginning of the season so it made sense to give him an opportunity in the car,” said team principal Tommaso Volope.
“This will be valuable for the team as the test will benefit Luca in the simulator and give him plenty of experience to help us develop our performance.
“Victor is a young and promising driver, and we’re pleased to be using our connections with the Alpine Academy and the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance. It’s great for the championship to be attracting rising stars like him.”
Martins added: “It’s a huge honor to be selected for the rookie test with Nissan. The team has a close relationship with the Alpine Academy, which I’m a part of, and it’s a great chance for me to experience a FE car for the first time. I’ve already been in the simulator and found it really interesting.”
Fellow F1 team-backed racer Luke Browning, who races in F3, will make his FE test debut with McLaren.
“I’m really looking forward to be jumping into the McLaren FE car,” he said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to gain some experience in very different machinery than usual.
“I’ll be looking to pick up as much as I can from the successful and experienced team I will be surrounded by. It will be a different style of driving compared to what I’m used to – I don’t doubt I have a lot to learn, but I’m eager to pick it up as quickly as possible.”