Jak Crawford and Thomas Preining have completed the line-up for the Formula E rookie test at next week’s Jeddah E-Prix weekend.
American Crawford, who is Andretti’s reserve driver, will make his second rookie test appearance for the team [having done so at the Berlin E-Prix last year], whilst Austrian Preining will make his third test outing for Tag Heuer Porsche.
Crawford is balancing his duties with a reserve role at Aston Martin’s F1 team and a full-time Formula 2 seat with DAMS Lucas Oil, his third year in the feeder category.
Preining, a Porsche works driver, won the 2023 DTM Championship, finishing fifth in his title defence last year, and was a reserve driver for its FE team in Season 6.
He, like Crawford, made an outing for the team in Berlin, as well as the rookie test at the Marrakech E-Prix in Season 8.
Crawford said he was “very excited” by the opportunity, adding: “I’m super excited to experience the increased acceleration and try out the new all-wheel-drive system [of the GEN3 Evo].
“I’m very familiar with the track [Jeddah Corniche] from driving there in Formula 2, so it will be interesting to compare the experiences.
“Ultimately, the aim will be to secure important data for the team to put us in the best position possible ahead of our race weekend.”
Andretti’s Team Principal Roger Griffiths said: “After a strong showing at the Berlin Rookie Test last May and extensive simulator time driving the GEN3 Evo, having Jak represent the Andretti Formula E team during the Free Practice 0 session is a key aspect in correlating the work in the virtual world with actual time spent on track.
“Additionally, increasing his familiarity with the car is vital should Jak need to step in to replace one of our race drivers.”
