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Ahead of the rookie test to be conducted by the ABB FIA Formula E season at the Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan on Sunday, January 13, the day after the Marrakesh E-Prix, DS TECHEETAH weekend named James Rossiter and Tatiana Calderón its rookie drivers.
This will make it the second time that James will conduct the rookie test for the team in addition to his development work for the team, and it’s also the second time that Tatiana will test the DS E-TENSE FE19 after her initial test after the Ad Diriyah E-Prix in December.
Speaking on the team, DS TECHEETAH Team Principal, Mark Preston, said, “We’re very excited to have extended our work with Tatiana Calderón, who will drive in the rookie test together with our Development Driver, James Rossiter, on Sunday after the race. Tatiana really impressed us in the Ad Diriyah test despite the limited running due to some red flags, so we wanted to give her another chance in the DS E-TENSE FE19 so see what more she can extract out of it and to gain further knowledge from her feedback. James has been invaluable to us during the development period and has continued to help us with the sim sessions in the lead up to the season. It’s the second rookie test he will commence for us and so it will be really good to see him back in the car.”
For DS TECHEETAH Development Driver, James Rossiter, “It’s great to be back on track in the DS E-TENSE FE19 and it will be good to see the team again after the holidays. We’re in the sim this week to familiarise ourselves with the Gen2 car on the Marrakesh track before heading down to Morocco. The last 12 months with the team has been really good and it’s been a nice addition to the family with DS onboard. I’m relishing my role and really enjoying working with a team that’s leading the way and pushing the boundaries for EV performance, both on and off track, and I’m excited about what’s to come.”
Excited DS TECHEETAH Rookie Driver, Tatiana Calderón, said, “Getting another shot at being involved with DS TECHEETAH is great. I loved my time in the car and with the team in Ad Diriyah and even though I didn’t get to drive as much as expected due to the red flags we managed to secure some good laps. Needless to say, I’m keen to get more laps under my belt at this test and it will be really good to continue working with the team at the Marrakesh test. The DS E-TENSE FE19 is really fun to driver and it’s unlike anything I’ve ever driven before. It’s a lot to take into consideration as it’s not as straight forward as other Formula cars, they all have their different challenges but that’s what makes it fun!”
Tatiana Calderon
Tatiana Calderón drove the DS E-TENSE FE19 at the in-season test on December 16, 2018 in Ad Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, following the inaugural E-Prix in the Kingdom.
She successfully competed in the FIA European Formula 3 Championship for three seasons in 2013 to 2015 and later in the GP3 series from 2016. She was announced as a Formula 1 test driver in 2018 and drove a Formula 1 car for the first time a couple of weeks ago, following the Mexican GP.
“When the promoter approached us about the opportunity to offer a test session to a talented female racing driver at the first in-season test, we jumped at the opportunity. We immediately started thinking about drivers that would be suitable for the test, and Tatiana was on top of our list. She’s incredibly talented and we think she will do a stellar job at the test with the experience she is able to bring. It’s also very exciting to be able to showcase the wonderful world of Formula E with a first-hand experience of testing the DS E-TENSE FE19 on track. I’m hoping that it will give her a taste for the series and I hope to see her racing in Formula E in the near future,” said Team Principal, Preston.
And Tatiana said, “I’m incredibly eager to test the DS E-TENSE FE19 in December. Formula E is a really exciting space and it’s great to be able to get a sense of the series through the test. It will be the first time that I will drive a fully-electric racing car on track, so I’m curious to find out how I will have to adapt my driving style to drive the car in the most efficient way. I’m thrilled to be working with DS TECHEETAH following their successful results last season and I’m looking forward to helping them with their work at first in-season test.”
