Jehan Daruvala, the 24-year-old Indian reserve driver for Mahindra Racing, is set to take to the track alongside Roberto Mehri and Jordan King for the Formula - E Berlin rookie test on Monday 24th April. What's interesting about this test is that Mahindra Racing is the only team to field three drivers, and they're one of the few teams to field their test or reserve drivers as part of the test.
Daruvala joined the Indian team at the start of the season and will complete the full day of testing for the team. The Indian driver left the Red Bull junior programme earlier this year and affirmed that Formula E is his current goal. He said that his role as Reserve Driver has enabled him to already drive laps in the simulator, and he is eagerly anticipating the chance to get behind the wheel of the M9Electro for real. As an Indian, he expressed a particular sense of pride in driving for the only Indian manufacturer on the grid and conveyed his gratitude to Mahindra Racing for granting him this opportunity.
King, who has acted as the team’s sim and development driver for the past two years, will have his first outing in Formula E machinery. The Briton has previously taken part in both WEC and IndyCar and acted as a development driver for Manor and Alpine Formula One team. King said that it would be beneficial to take the weekend's simulator work to the track on Monday morning and continue with the progression and learning. He thanked the team for the chance to represent them, and he expressed his excitement to hit the track.
Mehri, who has bounced around the single-seater series over the past few seasons, making appearances in Formula 2, Super Formula Lights, and S5000, as well as campaigns in Super GT, will share a car with King. The Spaniard had one season in Formula One in 2015 with Manor before leaving and heading to WEC. "I will put in all my effort to do a good job for the team. Adapting to a new challenge is exciting, and I look forward to it," he said.
Mahindra Racing is the only Indian outfit competing in Formula E, although Tata-owned Jaguar is also part of the electric racing series. Daruvala is also racing for MP Motorsport in the ongoing Formula 2 season. After three rounds, he is sixth in the drivers’ standings with 32 points, courtesy of his third-place finish in both sprint and feature race in Jeddah. Kush Maini, the other Indian in Formula 2, drives for Campos Racing and is ninth with 26 points.
The Berlin rookie test is a unique opportunity for teams to test the skills of young drivers or give their reserve drivers a chance to gain valuable track time. The Formula E rookie tests consist of six hours of running, split into morning and afternoon sessions. Each team is allowed to field two cars, and a maximum of three drivers per team can take part.
