Motorsport Week takes a look at the drivers who have committed to FIA Formula E’s Berlin double-header in May over the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Six Hours of Spa.
The drivers concerned were seeking to travel from Spa to Berlin in-time for the second race of the weekend, but required a unanimous decision from all the Formula E teams in an e-vote, which took place over the Sao Paulo E-Prix last weekend. Five teams voted against, forcing the drivers to make the choice as to where they will be racing between the ninth and 12th of May.
DS Penske have the longstanding confirmation from their driver pairing of Stoffel Vandoorne and Jean-Eric Vergne that they will prioritise Berlin, and Mahindra Racing’s Edoardo Mortara also believed to be taking the same stance.
Tag Heuer Porsche’s Antonio Felix da Costa went a step further and announced last year that he would quit WEC racing altogether after five seasons competing in the series in order to concentrate on Formula E.
Envision Racing are the team with the most to lose, as both Sebastien Buemi and Robin Frijns have opted to fulfil their WEC commitments. Envision Team Principal Sylvain Filippi has criticised the clash, telling Autosport: “We were led to believe that the situation would be sorted last year, it wasn’t which was disappointing.”
Mortara’s team-mate Nyck de Vries and ABT Cupra’s Nico Mueller are the remaining drivers in a quandary, and it is expected that they will travel to Spa, leaving three teams looking to reserve drivers to fill the four spaces.
