Jamie Chadwick and Simona de Silvestro headlined a final flurry of announcements as the lineup for Formula E’s first all-female test was completed on Tuesday.
The pair will drive for Jaguar TCS Racing and Kiro Race Co. respectively at the half-day test at Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo Circuit on November 7.
de Silvestro’s outing will be her first in Formula E since the 2015-16 season when she competed for Andretti. For the last five years she’s been a test and development driver for Porsche, which will supply powertrains to Kiro in what will be its debut season, having taken over the former ERT team during the off-season.
“I’m thrilled to join Kiro Race Co for the Formula E Women’s Test,” said de Silvestro. “It’s a great opportunity to work with a new team and contribute to their development. I’m excited to see what we can achieve together.”
de Silvestro raced for Andretti in the first two seasons of Formula E. Zak Mauger/Motorsport Images
Kiro Race Co. has yet to confirm its race drivers for the upcoming season, but an announcement is expected later this week. In the meantime, the team’s chief operating officer Russell O’Hagan is “incredibly excited” to secure the experienced de Silvestro for the female driver test.
“Her vast experience and proven track record make Simona the perfect addition to our driver lineup,” he said. “We believe that her participation will play an important role in our ongoing preparation for the new season ahead as well as inspiring our fans and the wider motorsport community.”
For Chadwick, it will mark her first official Formula E outing since 2020, when she tested for NIO and Jaguar in Marrakesh. She also demonstrated a GEN3 car at the Portland E-Prix last season (pictured top).
“I’m very excited to be back working with Jaguar TCS Racing – a team that have had so much success recently – and to be back in the world of electric racing,” said Chadwick. “Formula E is such an exciting, future-facing championship and I’m really looking forward to testing out the Jaguar I-TYPE 7.
“It will be a great opportunity to grow my relationship with the team, meet many other talented drivers and get to experience the mind-blowing technology in these cars.”
Chadwick will be joined at the reigning Teams’ champions by sports car racer Lilou Wadoux, who has been competing in IMSA’s LMP2 category (in which she won at Watkins Glen) for AF Corse, and in Japan’s Super GT series with PONOS Racing. She was also a winner in the FIA World Endurance Championship LMGTE Am class at Spa-Francorchamps last year.
“This will be my first time in a Formula E car and I can’t wait for the experience,” said Wadoux. “This test is an amazing opportunity for me to get involved in the sport, one that is so well known for inspiring the next generation, and to get women more involved in motorsports.
Wadoux has podium finishes in sports cars in Europe, the U.S. and Japan. Yasushi Ishihara/Motorsport Images
“I’m so grateful for the opportunity and look forward to getting behind the wheel of the Jaguar I-TYPE 7.”
Mahindra also revealed that Lena Buehler will drive for it at the test. Like Kiro and Lola-Yamaha Abt – which will field Miki Koyama – Mahindra will only field one driver in the test.
“I’m very grateful to have this opportunity to take part in the Women’s Test with Mahindra Racing,” she said. “It’s one of the championship’s iconic names, and with two strong drivers, and a wealth of engineering knowledge and experience, I know I’ll have not only a fantastic opportunity to learn, but also be given the best preparation possible for my first time in the Formula E car.
“This test is such a great initiative, and the GEN3 Evo is going to be a very interesting car to drive. The goal is to learn as much as possible, both in and out of the car, and make sure I’m spending time with the team, understanding the processes and so on to grow as a driver. Above all, I just want to enjoy the experience.”
Formula E female driver test lineup
Jaguar TCS Racing – Jamie Chadwick, Lilou Wadoux
TAG Heuer Porsche – Marta Garcia, Gabriella Jilkova
DS Penske – Jess Edgar, Beitske Visser
Nissan Formula E Team – Abbi Pulling, Sophia Floersch
Andretti Formula E – Chloe Chambers, Nerea Marti
Envision Racing – Alisha Palmowski, Alice Powell
NEOM McLaren – Ella Lloyd, Bianca Bustamante
Maserati MSG Racing – Tatiana Calderon, Carrie Schreiner
Lola-Yamaha Abt – Miki Koyama
Mahindra Racing – Lena Buehler
Kiro Race Co. – Simona de Silvestro
