Next month’s Jeddah ePrix will not only see the introduction of energy boosting pit stops but also the first chance to look at rookie talent with an extra 40-minute practice session on Thursday 13th February.
The session will be the third of its kind after previous initiatives at Rome in 2023 and Misano last spring. The extra session is written into the regulations in an attempt to give drivers with no racing experience in Formula E to get real-time running in addition to the official rookie day which will again be held at Berlin in July after the rounds at Tempelhof Airfield.
Formula E formally confirmed the free practice session this morning with drivers set to be announced from tomorrow onwards by teams, who will each run one driver in a car of its choice between the two they run.
Spare Motors, Batteries, Gearbox of the Sporting Regulations must come from the selected race car number’s quota for the season. The tyre usage is not limited and any of the allocated sets can be used during the Rookie Session. In addition, the tyre supplier will provide one additional set of tyres for the nominated race car number. This set is to be used exclusively during the Rookie Free Practice Session and must be returned to the tyre supplier after the end of the session.
5 Drivers Set for Jeddah
Jak Crawford
Crawford was confirmed as an Andretti test and development driver in November. That position came after a promising test for the team in Norman Nato’s Andretti run Porsche in Berlin last May.
Crawford will undertake a second season with DAMS in F2 in 2025, his third in the category. He also held an Aston Martin F1 testing role last year, getting mileage at the Red Bull Ring and Abu Dhabi.
But ’25 is set to be a crucial one in the young American’s career as probably only title success in F2 (his previous best placing being fifth last season) will get him properly on to the F1 radar, although as it stands a race seat even now for 2026 looks a long shot.
Therefore, he and his management team, the Infinity Sports Management company that also looks after George Russell, will be keen to fully scope out Formula E as a potential Plan B for their client in the near future.
Crawford is free for the Jeddah session and also the Berlin rookie test and is highly likely to do both for Andretti.
Alex Dunne
Although not yet confirmed, Irish driver Dunne is expected to race in F2 this season alongside being at the majority of Formula E races after being confirmed as the reserve and development driver at NEOM McLaren for 2025. He is set to get his first track experience in the NMFE run Nissan in Jeddah.
Dunne will follow hot on the heels of long-time friend and karting rival Taylor Barnard, who has taken the Formula E paddock by storm after clinching his first podium at Sao Paulo last month in only his fourth ever EPrix.
Dunne told The Race in Mexico City that Barnard’s success “hasn’t surprised me. I’ve been very good friends with Taylor since I was 10, and I know what he’s capable of.
“I spent a lot of time with him. We’re very good friends, so we do a lot of stuff like sim racing at home together. I know I know what Taylor is capable of, and I think out of all the people I know, I would say Taylor is definitely one of the more talented drivers.
“I think it also shows that the atmosphere and the environment in McLaren is very good as well. Even if you’re a very talented driver, I think to jump in and perform like that, you need to have a good, good team around you, and a good relationship.
“I’ve only been with the FE team for a week. This is the first time I’ve met everyone, but so far, the atmosphere is really nice, and everyone’s been very welcoming. You can feel it feels more like a family rather than people you’re just working with. In that sense, it’s nice and the atmosphere is good.”
Jamie Chadwick
Chadwick’s history in Formula E stretched back to the start of Gen2 when she tried out a NIO at a test in Diriyah. Further runs for Jaguar have come in Gen2 and Gen3Evo and she is highly regarded by Jaguar TCS Racing whom she will likely run for in Jeddah, as she is already confirmed for the Berlin rookie day in July.
Chadwick’s 2025 looks more fluid than recent seasons where she has undertaken full Indy NXT campaigns. She has opportunities in sportscars with the Genesis brand that will debut in 2026 and will probably run with an LMP2 team in the European Le Mans Series in 2025 and also possibly make her Le Mans debut in June.
A role as an official reserve and development driver in Formula E combined with a possible race drive with Genesis in 2026 would be a solid programme for Chadwick.
Gabriele Mini
Mini will partner Sebastien Montoya, son of former Williams and McLaren F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya, in the Prema F2 squad this season, the team with which he made his category debut while finishing runner-up with the Prema F3 operation last year.
The Italian though also has close ties with Nissan and appeared for the team last July in Berlin where he just shaded the teams official reserve then Ciao Collet.
Mini, managed by Nicolas Todt’s All Road Management stable, could make further appearances for Nissan this year although nothing has officially been confirmed by the Japanese manufacturer.
Nissan has Sergio Sette Camara lined up set for the seat that will need to be filled when Norman Nato follows his contractual obligation with Cadillac Jota for the Interlagos WEC/Berlin FE clash in July. Nato had signed his sportscar deal before his single year agreement with Nissan was confirmed in September
Zak O’Sullivan
Recently confirmed with the Kondo Racing team in Super Formula for this season, O’Sullivan and his management team had been doing the rounds at several Formula E teams for a role.
While that now won’t be a full time prospect, he could still appear in Jeddah and Berlin as he looks around for a potential 2026 berth if his Japanese adventures don’t pan out as planned.
Despite wins at Monaco and Spa, the British driver finished a lowly 16th in last year’s F2 series with ART, a campaign where he missed the final six races due to budget problems.
