Formula E

Chadwick & Pourchaire also confirmed - Overview of all Formula E drivers for the rookie session in Jeddah

Tobias Wirtz

Tobias Wirtz

Jaguar TCS Racing

Formula E will once again be organising a test session just for Formula E newcomers this year as part of the Jeddah E-Prix. That was officially confirmed on Monday morning. A 40-minute "Free Practice 0" session will take place on Thursday 13 February. We will update this news ticker regularly and add the drivers as soon as they are confirmed.

>>> Jamie Chadwick tests for Jaguar

[05.02. | 11:00] It's all happening in quick succession: Jamie Chadwick is the first female driver to be confirmed for the “FP0” session in Jeddah. The Briton will drive the works Jaguar, as she did in the women's test at the pre-season tests in Madrid.

>>> Maserati MSG Racing confirms Theo Pouchaire

[05.02. | 11:00] The next announcement: Theo Pourchaire, Formula 2 champion for the 2023 season, will contest the “free practice zero” in Jeddah for Maserati MSG Racing. This was announced by Formula E on its website.

>>> Gabriele Mini drives for Nissan

[05.02. | 08:00] A familiar face will be behind the wheel at Nissan's “0th Free Practice” in Jeddah: Italian Gabriele Mini will drive the works Nissan, as he did at the rookie test in Berlin 2024. Last year, Mini finished runner-up in Formula 3, and he also competed in Formula 2 in Baku, where he achieved a podium finish in the sprint race at his first Formula 2 race weekend.

>>> McLaren confirms Alex Dunne

[04.02. | 15:00] An eventful Tuesday for Formula E: McLaren is the next team to announce its rookie for FP0 in Jeddah. Irishman Alex Dunne will drive the customer Nissan in papaya colors. The Irishman, who won British Formula 4 in 2022, was confirmed as the team's new reserve and development driver back in January and was also on site in Mexico City.

>>> Mikkel Jensen tests for Cupra Kiro

[04.02. | 12:00] Cupra Kiro has announced its driver for the “0th Free Practice” in Jeddah: Dane Mikkel Jensen will drive the Porsche 99X Electric WCG3 in Saudi Arabia. In recent years, the 30-year-old last drove a single seater racing car in 2016, when he was racing in the European Formula 3. His team-mate back then at Mücke Motorsport was David Beckmann, who is now a regular driver at Cupra Kiro.

Since then, Jensen has mainly raced in the sports car sector, where he became champion in the LMP2 category of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2021 and has been competing in the Hypercar class of the World Endurance Championship with Peugeot since 2022. Last year, he shared a car with Formula E drivers Nico Müller and Jean-Eric Vergne.

>>> Former F1 driver Daniil Kvyat drives for DS Penske

[31.01. | 16:11] The next driver for the "FP0" in Jeddah seems to have been found. According to information from The Race, former F1 driver Daniil Kvyat is to drive the rookie training for DS Penske. From 2014 to 2020, Kvyat competed in Formula 1 for Toro Rosso and Red Bull Racing, with a break in between. Last year, he signed a contract as a works driver with Lamborghini and competed for the team in the Hypercar class of WEC, alongside Formula E driver Edoardo Mortara, among others. Kvyat is also familiar to Formula E fans: he took part in the rookie test in Berlin in April 2023 for Nio 333, and later that year he also took part in the rookie training in Rome. Official confirmation is still pending.

[UPDATE 04.02. | 18:00] Kvyat has now officially been confirmed by DS Penske.

>>> Zak O'Sullivan tests for Envision

[29.01. | 17:00] And the second confirmation on Wednesday: Envision Racing will contest the “0th free practice” in Jeddah with Zak O'Sullivan. The Briton, who will celebrate his 20th birthday exactly one week before the practice session, finished last season in Formula 2, which he had to retire from three race weekends before the end due to financial reasons, in 16th place overall with two victories. In 2023, he was runner-up in Formula 3. The driver from the Williams junior academy will compete in Super Formula in Japan this year. It will be O'Sullivan's first session in a Formula E car.

>>> Mahindra confirms Kush Maini

[29.01. | 10:33] Indian racing driver Kush Maini will take part with Mahindra in Jeddah's rookie training. In addition to his Formula 2 program, he has also been a test and reserve driver for the team since 2024. Most recently, he sat in Mahindra's Formula E car in Berlin during an official session, the 2024 Rookie Test. Since then, he has finished the Formula 2 championship in 13th place and has been confirmed for a third year in Formula 2.

>>> Formula E confirms rookie training in Jeddah

[27.01. | 11:00] Formula E has confirmed that the additional rookie training session will be held in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) in the 2024/25 season (we reported in advance). Each team must provide one of its two cars for a driver who has not yet competed in a Formula E race. In the past two years, this has taken place in Italy: in Rome in 2023 and in Misano Adriatico last year. In addition, Formula E has had organised a rookie test day on the Monday after the Berlin E-Prix in both years, which is scheduled to take place again in 2025.

"Following on from the success of our official women's test in November, we're thrilled to introduce this dedicated rookie free practice session at the Jeddah E-Prix," explains Alberto Longo, Chief Championship Officer of Formula E. "It's a crucial next-step in fulfilling our commitment to nurturing the next generation of racing talent, including young women. This opportunity to drive the cutting-edge Gen3 Evo car will provide invaluable experience for these young drivers, and we believe it will significantly contribute to developing the future stars of Formula E and motorsport as a whole."

Overview: The entry list for the Formula E rookie training session in Jeddah 2025

Team Driver
Andretti TBA
Cupra Kiro Mikkel Jensen
DS Penske Daniil Kvyat
Envision Racing Zak O'Sullivan
Jaguar TCS Racing Jamie Chadwick
Lola Yamaha ABT TBA
Mahindra Racing Kush Maini
Maserati MSG Racing Theo Pourchaire
Nissan Gabriele Mini
Neom McLaren Alex Dunne
TAG Heuer Porsche TBA

 

 

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