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Eye of Riyadh
Sports | Tuesday 23 February, 2021 12:36 am |
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THE 2021 DIRIYAH E-PRIX IS SET FOR ITS BIGGEST EVER LINEUP OF DRIVERS WHEN IT GOES UNDER THE LIGHTS FEBRUARY 26-27: HERE’S YOUR CHANCE TO MEET THEM ALL

The Diriyah E- Prix is set to make history once again as the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship returns to the historic surrounds of Diriyah for an electrifying double header in the dark as Saudi Arabia plays host to Formula E’s first night races. In total, 24 drivers from around the world are now focused on lights going green at the Diriyah Circuit in Saudi Arabia on February 26 and 27.  Here we meet the heroes behind the helmets who will be fighting for glory.

 

Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler – Germany

 

Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler has confirmed Lucas di Grassi and Rene as its driver line-up for Season 7.

 

The 2016/17 Formula E champion Di Grassi is heading into his seventh Formula E season with Audi, and is one of the championship's most successful drivers, having completed 69 races, bagged a record 796 points and 32 trips up the podium steps –including 10 race wins. Among those victories was the first ever in Formula E, back in Beijing in 2014, and he's among a select few drivers to have competed in every race in the electric street-racing championship's six seasons to-date.

 

Rene Rast arrived on the scene in Season 6 and immediately astonished with his debut Berlin performance, securing 29 points and a first podium in Round 10, showcasing a competitive style to make a last-lap for his first Formula E silverware. The double German touring car champion clearly left a lasting impression upon Audi's management, and Rast is eager to get his first full Formula E campaign underway.

 

BMW i Andretti Motorsport – Germany

 

BMW i Andretti Motorsport has selected rookie Jake Dennis to partner Max Guenther in the Season 7 championship, with the team citing impressive test and simulator sessions as a key factor in the decision.

 

Dennis caught the eye of the team during an intensive selection process encompassing a number of test sessions in the BMW iFE.20 and in BMW Motorsport's simulator. The 25-year-old Brit contested the DTM in 2019 and secured Aston Martin's best result of the season. In the same year, he stormed to pole position in the famed Bathurst 12 Hours endurance race and finished second.

 

Guenther sealed victory in just his third race for the team back in Santiago, becoming the youngest race winner in Formula E history in the process. He followed up with a second trip to the top step at the nine-day six-race season finale on home soil in Berlin, on the way to ninth in the Drivers' standings - though he was in the running for second spot right up until the last round of the 2019/20 Season.

 

Envision Virgin Racing – Great Britain

 

Envision Virgin Racing has announced that reigning Japanese Super Formula champion Nick Cassidy will step into the fold alongside Robin Frijns for Season 7, off the back of achieving the triple crown of Japanese motorsport, aged just 25. The Kiwi is regarded as one of the most promising talents in motorsport, with Japanese Super GT, Formula 3 and Super Formula titles already under his belt.

 

Robin Frijns is now embarking on his third season with Envision Virgin Racing, as he ended Season 6 on a high in Berlin with four Super Pole appearances and a pair of podiums on the way to 12th in the Drivers' table.

 

DTRAGON / PENSKE AUTOSPOR – USA

 

The team will run under the DRAGON / PENSKE AUTOSPORT banner in Season 7 with Sérgio Sette Camara and Nico Mueller making their return.

 

Brazilian single-seater hotshot Sérgio Sette Camara continues with the team for the 2020/21 season, stepping up for a full-time role after an impressive performance in the Marrakesh Rookie Test and following his substitute drive at the six-race finale in Berlin.

 

Nico Mueller earned a first full-time drive in the all-electric street racing series in 2019/20 and the swift Swiss continues with DRAGON / PENSKE AUTOSPORT for Formula E's first campaign as an FIA World Championship.

 

DS Techeetah - China

 

After clinching the Drivers' and Teams' titles at the end of a spectacular Season 6, DS TECHEETAH looks to assert its authority again in Formula E's first campaign as an FIA World Championship, with reigning champion Antonio Felix da Costa returning alongside double champion Jean-Eric Vergne in 2020/21 season.

 

With six seasons of all-electric single seater racing under his belt, reigning champion Antonio Felix da Costa is one of the most experienced Formula E drivers on the grid. The top step of the podium had proved elusive since his first win in Buenos Aires in 2014/15, season, until his win at the opening round of the 2018/19 season in Saudi Arabia.  

 

Jean-Eric Vergne made history after becoming the first back-to-back champion in Formula E following his title-winning campaigns in 2017/18 and 2018/19. The Frenchman aimed to make it a hat-trick in Season 6, but new teammate Antonio Felix da Costa quashed his dream to seal the title for himself.

 

Mahindra Racing – India

 

Mahindra Racing have confirmed the signing of Alexander Sims for this season, after announcing that Jerome D'Ambrosio will leave the team following the conclusion of Season 6.

 

The 32-year-old Brit has been involved with Formula E since its inception in 2014, first as a test and reserve driver before securing a race seat for season five with BMW i Andretti Motorsport. His Season Six highlight was undoubtedly the opening weekend in Diriyah, with a pole position double and a first Formula E win in Round 2 of the Saudi Arabian double-header.

 

His new teammate Alex Lynn returned to the championship for the second half of the 2019/20 season in Berlin, taking the vacant seat at Mahindra Racing. The British driver impressed with pace and points and the team didn't hesitate in giving him the reigns for a full campaign in Season 7. The 27-year-old is a proven winner, with highlights including the 2014 GP3 Series crown, and victories in prestigious events including the Macau Grand Prix, Sebring 12 Hours and Le Mans 24 Hours. He is a multiple race winner in GP2 Series and has Formula E experience, having competed in a total of 27 rounds, with his best result of fifth coming at the Tempelhof Airport Circuit earlier this year.

 

Mercedes-Benz EQ – Germany

 

Mercedes-Benz EQ heads into its second season in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship with an unchanged line-up as Stoffel Vandoorne and Nyck de Vries partner once again to pilot the Silver Arrow 02. The German team secured a pair of podiums in the season-opening Saudi Arabia double-header from Diriyah and laid down a marker for the rest with that dominant display in Round 11 as the team came home third in the Teams' table.

 

Vandoorne heads into his third season in the championship, with 24 E-Prix under his belt, a victory in the Berlin finale, two Julius Baer Pole Positions and four podiums to his name. The Belgian sealed second in the Drivers’ standings behind champion Antonio Felix da Costa, following team-mate de Vries’ late move on Sebastien Buemi with just two laps remaining in the final round of the season.

 

De Vries made his debut in Season 6, entering Formula E as the reigning Formula 2 champion, and ended the year as the best-placed rookie in 11th spot in the Drivers' Championship. His maiden podium came in Round 11, as he helped secure the team's first one-two finish in the series.

 

Nio 333 – Great Britain

 

NIO 333 has confirmed that Tom Blomqvist will join Oliver Turvey for their tilt at the 2020/21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

 

After joining the championship just in time for the 2014/15 season finale in London, Oliver Turvey has since become a long-standing member of the NIO 333 Formula E Team line-up. He returns in 2020/21 looking to drive NIO on with an all-new powertrain beneath him.

 

Tom Blomqvist jumped in at Jaguar Racing for Rounds 10 and 11 in Season 6 and caught the eye of the NIO 333 Formula E Team's after his impressive performance.

 

Nissan e.dams – Japan

 

Nissan e.dams has confirmed the retention of its driver line-up for the third consecutive season, with Sebastien Buemi and Oliver Rowland lining up once again for the Japanese marque.

 

Buemi racked up six consecutive Super Pole qualifying appearances in Season 6, with a best result of second in Berlin, as he eventually wound up just three points shy of second-placed Stoffel Vandoorne (Mercedes-Benz EQ) in fourth in the Drivers' standings.

 

Rowland, meanwhile, took a breakthrough first victory at the penultimate race of the season to come home fifth, just a point behind his team-mate - one of the most experienced, and successful drivers in Formula E history, with the Swiss counting more wins, poles, fastest laps and points to his name than any other driver.

 

Panasonic Jaguar Racing – Great Britain

 

A race winner in every season of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, Sam Bird will join Panasonic Jaguar Racing for Season 7 after leaving Envision Virgin Racing at the end of the season.

 

The 33-year-old is one of a select group of drivers to have competed in every Formula E race since the series' inception in 2014, tallying nine wins including the first round of Diriyah E-Prix in 2018/2019 season, 18 podiums, five pole positions and five fastest laps to-date.

 

Having joined Jaguar Racing ahead of their debut season, Kiwi racer Mitch Evans remains with the legendary British motorsport outfit for his fifth campaign in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. He showed plenty of pace and promise in Season 6 and will be aiming to push on a step further, bringing together two successful Formula E stars in one of the strongest line-ups on the grid.

 

Tag Heuer Porsche – Germany

 

Pascal Wehrlein will contest the 2020/2021 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship for TAG Heuer Porsche, with the 25-year-old joining Andre Lotterer in for season seven, replacing Neel Jani.

 

2020/21 will see Lotterer build on the experience gained in the Porsche 99X Electric as he is joined by new recruit Pascal Wehrlein as they challenge for the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship title.

 

Wehrlein has competed in 17 races in Formula E to-date, entering in the 2018/19 season with Mahindra Racing. He has so far picked up 72 points, a pole position and clinched a spot on the podium in his first season, when he finished second at the Santiago E-Prix.

 

Venturi Racing – Monaco

 

Norman Nato joins Edoardo Mortara at ROKiT Venturi Racing for the 2020/21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, with the Monegasque team promoting its long-time test and simulator driver to a full race seat for Season 7, replacing Brazilian motorsport legend Felipe Massa.

 

Most recently, Nato came third in both the 2018 European Le Mans Series and the 2019/20 FIA World Endurance Championship, including a second-placed finish in the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans.

 

Season 7 marks Edo Mortara's fourth year with the team. A maiden win came back in Hong Kong, 2019 for the Swiss-Italian in what was Formula E's 50th race. He has made the podium on a further three occasions and is the marque's most experienced and successful driver to-date.

 

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