Formula E revealed the full line-up for the Berlin rookie test, with some familiar faces from Formula 2 appearing. Each of the 11 teams has nominated two rookies to take part in a full day of testing following the weekend's Berlin E-Prix.
Twenty-two drivers will take part in the test session, with several current Formula 2 drivers such as Jak Crawford and Zane Maloney being joined by F2 2022 champion Felipe Drugovich. Last year’s F1 Academy champion Marta Garcia will also be one of two women taking part in the testing, joining Alice Powell who finished third in the inaugural W Series championship in 2019.
The test session is one of six happening over the year and is the second rookie test of 2024, after an initial rookie practice session took place ahead of the Misano E-Prix last month. Only 11 drivers took part in the first rookie session in April, which included Formula E driver Paul Aron.
The head of Formula E, Pablo Martino, said: “The Formula E world championship is renowned for its forward-focused approach. That applies as much to promoting new drivers as it does to developing technologies, which is one of the reasons why the rookie track time in Misano and Berlin is so important. We are firm advocates of granting drivers the opportunity to showcase their skills, and what better environment than at the very heart of a race weekend?”
When is the Formula E Berlin rookie test?
The Formula E Berlin rookie test will take place on Monday 13 May, following the Berlin E-Prix on 11-12 May.
What is a rookie test and who can take part?
The rookie practice sessions are designed for drivers who have no previous experience driving a Formula E car. They must not be included in the current season’s entry list or have previously raced in Formula E to take part in the sessions.
The rookie practices are hoped to create a pathway for young drivers to work up the motorsport ladder and potentially move into Formula E or other series. Last season saw Jehan Daruvala take part in a rookie session, and he has since advanced into a full-time seat this year with Maserati MSG Racing.
A driver must hold either a full E-Licence or a Free Practice Only E-Licence alongside an International Grade B licence in order to take part in the rookie test. Each driver will be given a training session on electrical safety and features of an FE car, as well as the technical and sporting regulations before they are allowed to participate.
Rookie drivers are only able to participate in up to two official test days during the Formula E season and a maximum of two sessions are reserved for rookies.
Formula 2 drivers taking part in the Formula E Berlin rookie test
Zane Maloney - Andretti
Zane Maloney is currently leading the 2024 Formula 2 championship with Rodin Motorsport. The Barbadian is the reserve driver for the Andretti Formula E team whilst sharing the same responsibility with the Sauber F1 team.
Maloney claimed the win in the first two races of this year’s F2 and took a further podium during the latest race in Melbourne. He finished 10th in last year’s F2 and came second in Formula 3 in 2022.
Maloney was the British F4 champion in 2019 after winning both the overall and rookie championship and claiming 10 victories.
Jak Crawford - Andretti
Jak Crawford will make his Formula E debut at the Berlin rookie test for Andretti. The American is eighth in the 2024 F2 standings racing with DAMS after competing for Hitech in 2023.
Before joining Formula 2, Crawford spent two years in F3 and Formula Regional, with the highest result of runner-up in Formula 4 in 2020. As well as competing in F2, the American is also part of the Aston Martin Driver Development Programme.
Kush Maini - Mahindra
Mahindra’s reserve driver Kush Maini will also take part in the Berlin rookie test. The Indian driver is currently fifth in the F2 standings where he competes for Invicta after moving from Campos who he competed with for the 2023 season.
Maini got his start in Italian Formula 4 in 2016, where he took one podium in his rookie season. He progressed up into British F3 in 2018 and a successful season saw him place third in the championship. In 2020 the Indian driver finished second in British F3 before moving to the F3 Asian championship in 2021.
Maini spent 2022 in Formula 3 and finished 14th before moving up to F2 for 2023.
Dennis Hauger - Porsche
Dennis Hauger is currently competing in Formula 2 with MP Motorsport and will join Thomas Preining for the Formula E rookie test with Porsche. The Norwegian driver is currently third in the F2 championship and this will be his first experience of Formula E.
Hauger previously claimed the Formula 3 championship in 2021 and the 2019 Italian F4 title. He also previously joined the Red Bull junior team in 2017 and was one of the Formula 1 team’s reserve drivers for 2023 before departing from the team.
Enzo Fittipaldi - Jaguar
Enzo Fittipaldi is racing in Formula 2 with Van Amersfoort Racing and is currently sixth in the championship standings. The Brazilian is from a family of motorsport legends and is the grandson of two-time Formula 1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi.
He is making his debut Formula E rookie test drive, following in the footsteps of his older brother Pietro who has taken part in the rookie test twice. Fittipaldi has claimed one victory in this season’s Formula 2, where he stood at the top of the podium in Jeddah.
Frederik Vesti - Mahindra
Last year's Formula 2 runner-up Frederik Vesti will join Kush Maini at Mahindra for the Formula E Berlin rookie test. This year he will compete in the European Le Mans LMP2 class alongside his team-mates Alejandro Garcia and Ferdinand Habsburg.
The Danish driver is also the F1 Mercedes team’s reserve driver where he shares the role with Mick Schumacher.
Vesti won the Formula Regional European Championship in 2019 and has also previously competed in F3 and F4.
Robert Shwartzman - DS Penske
Robert Shwartzman is the current reserve driver for Ferrari’s F1 team where he has been since 2023. The Israeli-Russian driver competed in F2 in 2020 and 2021 and finished runner-up in his final year with Prema where he was partnered with team-mate Oscar Piastri.
Shwartzman previously claimed championship victories at the 2018 Toyota Racing Series and the 2019 Formula 3 championship. This year he is also competing in the World Endurance Championship with team-mates Rober Kubica and Yifei Ye for AF Corse Ferrari.
Felipe Drugovich - Maserati MSG
Felipe Drugovich is the 2022 Formula 2 champion, after winning five races and 11 podiums over the season for MP Motorsport. The Brazilian has taken part in multiple Formula E rookie test drives previously, and he set the fastest time in Berlin last year and again in Rome later in the year.
For 2024, Drugovich holds the role of test and reserve driver for the Aston Martin Formula 1 team and is competing in the European Le Mans Series.
Former W Series drivers taking part in the Formula E Berlin rookie test
Alice Powell - Envision Racing
Alice Powell will take part in her first full Berlin rookie test after working with Envision Racing since 2020 as their test and development driver. The Brit is a five-time W Series race winner, where she competed in 2019-21.
Powell finished second in the championship in 2020 with Racing X and third in 2019 and 2021 with Hitech GP and Bristol Street Motors Racing respectively.
Marta Garcia - ERT
2023 F1 Academy champion Marta Garcia will take part in her debut rookie test for ERT. She previously competed in the W Series, placing 4th in the debut season.
In 2024, the Spanish driver will compete for the all-female Iron Dames in the Formula Regional European Championship.
Other drivers taking part in the Formula E Berlin rookie test
Jonny Edgar - DS Penske
Jonny Edgar had a successful karting career before claiming the Formula 4 championship in 2020. He spent the following three years in F3 but was unable to finish higher than 12th in the overall standings.
The British driver now competes in the LMP2 series of both the European Le Mans Series and IMSA SportsCar Championship. Edgar spent six years on the Red Bull junior team alongside Dennis Hauger, Jack Doohan and Harry Thompson. He is also the cousin of F1 Academy driver Jessica Edgar.
Thomas Preining - Porsche
Thomas Preining is the current works driver for Porsche and has some experience with Formula E, working as the team's test and development driver between 2019 and 2020. The Austrian is currently competing in the DTM series and claimed the championship title in 2023.
Sheldon van de Linde - Jaguar
Sheldon van de Linde will return to Jaguar after taking part in last month's Misano rookie free practice. He also took part in last year’s Berlin rookie test where he impressed many when he went fastest in the opening session.
The South African driver had previously claimed the 2022 DTM championship and titles in the South African Polo Cup Championship and Volkswagen Cup South Africa.
Nicolas Pino - Maserati MSG
Nicolas Pino will take part in the Formula E Berlin rookie test for Maserati MSG Racing alongside 2022 Formula 2 champion Felipe Drugovich. The Chilean driver is part of the Stellantis Young Driver Programme and is currently competing in the World Endurance Championship’s LMGT3 class.
In 2023, Pino finished third in the LMP2 class of the 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside his team-mates Rene Binder and Neel Jani.
Dries Vanthoor - Envision
Dries Vanthoor will get his first experience of Formula E as he takes part in the Berlin rookie test alongside Alice Powell. The Belgian driver is currently racing in the World Endurance Championship and previously held titles in the 2020-2022 GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup and 2021 GT World Challenge Europe.
Ugo Ugochukwu - McLaren
Ugo Ugochukwu will replace Taylor Barnard in the McLaren rookie test drive after the British driver was called up to replace Sam Bird in Monaco and Berlin. The American is part of the McLaren Driver Development programme and has finished runner-up in the Italian Formula 4 championship and won the Euro 4 title.
Gregoire Saucy - McLaren
Gregoire Saucy will join Ugo Ugochukwu at McLaren for the Formula E Berlin rookie test drive. The Swiss driver claimed the 2021 Formula Regional Championship and had previously had a successful karting career.
He previously competed in the 2022 and 2023 Formula 3 championship but has since moved to the LMGT3 class of the World Endurance Championship.
Mikel Azcona - ERT
Mikel Azcona took part in the Misano rookie test for ERT last month and will return to the team for Berlin. The Spaniard won the 2022 World Touring Car Cup, as well as previously claiming the Europe Touring Car Series twice.
Azcona also took part in last year’s Berlin rookie test alongside former Formula 1 driver Daniil Kvyat.
Caio Collet - Nissan
Former Formula 3 driver Caio Collet will take part in his second Formula E test session for Nissan, after taking part in the Misano E-Prix rookie practice session last month. The 2018 French F4 champion has been working with Nissan since the start of 2024 doing simulator work.
Gabriele Mini - Nissan
Alpine Academy driver Gabriele Mini will join Caio Collet at Nissan for the Berlin rookie test for his debut session. The Italian driver won the 2020 Italian F4 championship and currently competes in F3, where he is third in the standings.
Tim Tramnitz - ABT Cupra
Red Bull junior Tim Tramnitz is currently competing in Formula 3 after finishing third in the Formula Regional Championship last year. He previously took part in the rookie free practice in Misano and will return for the Berlin rookie test with ABT Cupra.
Ricardo Feller - ABT Cupra
Ricardo Feller is a successful GT driver and has claimed the 2023 GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup, and the 2021 GT Masters and World Challenge Europe Endurance silver cup. He took a DTM victory during the first race of the season at Oschersleben last month and is in his third year of the series.
