Ahead of Formula E season 10, the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team have announced that André Lotterer will be returning as one of their test and reserve drivers, alongside David Beckmann.
Lotterer brought his competitive single-seater career to a close at the conclusion of what was a disappointing season nine for him with Andretti Formula E, as he languished down in P18 in the Drivers’ Championship.
The German ultimately called it a day on his single-seater career to fully focus on his World Endurance Championship programme with the Porsche Penske Motorsport Team; however, he will still be on hand to support Pascal Wehrlein and António Félix da Costa.
Da Costa has actually been told by the German manufacturer to drop his WEC programme to prioritise Formula E.
Whilst Lotterer has recognised once again that his time racing in single-seaters is over, he’s “excited” to still be working with Porsche to support their quest for Formula E glory.
“After 26 years in single-seater racing, I have decided to close this chapter of my career and concentrate on the challenge of winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the FIA World Endurance Championship with the Porsche 963,” said Lotterer. “At the same time, I’m excited to continue supporting Porsche with my Formula E experience.”
As mentioned, the three-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner will occupy the test and reserve driver role alongside Beckmann, in what’ll be his second campaign in both positions.
Beckmann first tested Porsche’s Gen3 car in Autumn 2022, before he went onto participate in April’s Berlin Rookie test. Most recently, Beckmann actually made his competitive Formula E debut in the Jakarta double-header after filling in for Lotterer at Andretti, as the 42-year-old was busy taking part in the Le Mans test.
On that weekend in Indonesia, Beckmann finished 16th in the opening race but failed to finish the second.
Nevertheless, he’s pleased to continue in his behind-the-scenes role with the Stuttgart-based outfit and gain further “crucial experience” ahead of potential Formula E career of his own.
“I’m looking forward to continuing my work with Porsche and supporting the team in this challenging and diverse racing series,” Beckmann said. “It’s a great job. I can better familiarise myself with the Porsche 99X Electric and gain crucial experience for further career steps in Formula E.”
As well as announcing their test and reserve drivers for 2024, Porsche have also confirmed that Gabriela Jílková will continue as their simulator and development driver. The 28-year-old recently became the first female to drive the Gen3 machinery, as she was fielded by Porsche for part of the pre-season test in Valencia.
