Ahead of his Formula E rookie test on home soil, Morocco's Michael Benyahia has revealed that he is targeting a full-time drive in the all-electric championship in season five with Venturi.
The 17-year-old joined Venturi late last year and his test with the Monaco-based outfit following this weekend's Marrakesh ePrix will mark his third time behind the wheel of one of the single seater machines having participated in pre-season testing in Valencia and driven in a street demonstration in 2016.
"I'm very excited to be here [in Marrakesh]," said Benyahia. "I've done a lot of work with the team and spent a lot of time on the simulator, learning a lot about the track and the car."
Despite Venturi having a strong driver lineup in Maro Engel and Edoardo Mortara, who looked set to win in only his second race in the championship at last month's Hong Kong ePrix, Benyahia remained buoyant about his opportunities for a drive with the team next season.
"It's really my main job to be developing the car for the team but hopefully next season, I'll be a full-time driver for Venturi. I'm really hoping to learn as much as possible on Sunday – that's my goal."
As Formula E continues to spread across the globe and brings electric racing to new cities, Benyahia highlighted how Morocco is beginning to evolve towards electric power, particularly through sustainable and renewable energy.
"Having Formula E in Morocco – my home country – is fantastic. The country is really rapidly evolving towards electric now. We're developing lots of solar panels and wind farms, which are close to the ocean, so we're really developing how we go about generating electricity.
"With all that, having Formula E here is really helpful for the country and the environment in Morocco," he added.
Discussion about this post