A calendar clash with the World Endurance Championship has forced three driver changes for next month’s Berlin E-Prix doubleheader.
The WEC’s 6 Hours of Spa will take place on Saturday, May 11, and while that will leave Sunday May 12 free for those Formula E drivers with clashes, FIA regulations consider the Berlin doubleheader a single event — despite it comprising two full championship rounds — meaning the drivers missing Saturday will have to miss Sunday as well. As a result, Mahindra Racing’s Nyck de Vries and both Envision Racing drivers, Robin Frijns and Sebastien Buemi, will have to sit out both races in the German capital.
De Vries’ seat will be taken by Jordan King. The former IndyCar driver has long been a part of Mahindra, having first tested with the Indian team during the 2016-17 season before assuming a simulator and development driver role in 2021 – a role he also has at the Alpine F1 team. He also drove for Mahindra in Berlin last season as part of the official rookie test, although Berlin will mark his debut as a Formula E racer.
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“Mahindra is a team that I know inside and out after four years of working together, and a car that I’m already incredibly familiar with and helped to develop,” said King. “My focus is on keeping the team’s momentum going on the development front, and of course to enjoy the opportunity to be out there racing again.”
Mahindra will also run Kush Maini in the Rookie Test which will follow the Berlin race weekend. Ahead of that outing, the Indian — who has two podium finishes and a pole position in Formula 2 this year –will serve as the team’s reserve driver at this weekend’s Misano E-Prix.
“There’s a really good synergy at the moment between the work Nyck, Edo, Jordan and I are doing, but to a large degree it has been in isolation as we all have different schedules and commitments,” said Maini. “So, it’s going to be really beneficial, not just for the team but also me as a driver, for all four of us to be in that race weekend environment and contributing towards the team’s continued progression in the same room.”
Envision, meanwhile, will hand Formula E debuts to Joel Eriksson and Paul Aron in the Berlin races.
“This is a very unusual situation for us as a team, and we are obviously frustrated that the calendar clash could not be resolved by the FIA and FEO,” said Envision managing director and CTO Sylvain Filippi. “However, we have to make the best of the situation, and I believe with both Joel and Paul we have two very exciting and competitive drivers.”
Eriksson is the current test, simulator, and reserve driver for Jaguar TCS Racing which has released him to the customer outfit for the Berlin weekend. He tested with Envision in 2018, and ran eight races for Dragon Penske Autosport in the 2020-21 season, replacing Nico Mueller for the doubleheader events in Puebla, New York, London and Berlin.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity for me to be racing in Formula E again, this time with Envision Racing,” said Eriksson. “After taking part in my first ever Formula E test with Envision, it’s great to be racing for them in Berlin, and we’ll be working hard together to have a successful weekend.”
Aron joins the team amid a strong Formula 2 campaign where he sits second in the points after six races with three podium finishes. He finished third in last year’s Formula 3 championship with four podium finishes, including a win in the sprint race at the Red Bull Ring.
The Estonian will take part in an extensive simulator program before racing in Berlin, and will also take part in the rookie sessions at Misano this weekend — as will King.
“It’s a great opportunity to race for Envision Racing in Berlin. I’m very much looking forward to experiencing Formula E for the first time and working with the team,” said Aron. “We’ll be working hard up until the race to prepare for the event, starting with the rookie session this week in Misano.”