Formula 3 driver Fernando Barrichello, the youngest son of former Ferrari, Jordan and Williams F1 racer Rubens, will drive the Jaguar Gen4 car at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this week.
Barrichello, who attended the Madrid EPrix in March along with his father, currently races for AIX Racing in F3. He has previously competed in the Euroformula Open championship, where he won three races for Team Motopark.
Speaking to Formula E Notebook on Barrichello’s absorption in to the Jaguar TCS Racing team for the Goodwood event, Team Principal Ian James said that the Brazilian “has been on our radar for a while, and we had an opportunity recently to put him in our simulator and run him through his paces, and he performed very well.
“We’re trying to bring young drivers in to the fold at this stage, what we’re looking for is not somebody that’s just quick, but can also give valuable feedback to our engineering team as well, and he did very well in that respect.”
“I’ve always been super keen to make sure that we expose up and coming talent to Formula E,” continued James.
“I don’t think it’s something that we necessarily have made the most of the opportunity in the past. So, the fact that we’re running the car up to the hill at Goodwood gives us, gives us the chance to get Fernando in the seat, so it’s too good an opportunity to pass up.”
20 year-old Barrichello said that he was “honoured to drive for Jaguar TCS Racing at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. It is the first time I have driven the famous Hillclimb, and to do it with a World Championship-winning team is a real privilege.
“It is going to be very exciting to drive the Jaguar GEN4 proto_TYPE at Goodwood. There is so much anticipation around the new GEN4 era of Formula E that to drive the car at such an iconic event as Goodwood is going to be incredible.”
Jaguar has been testing its Gen4 car in recent weeks at Navarra in Spain, where it ran current reserve and development driver, Stoffel Vandoorne. Both Vandoorne and Shanghai EPrix runner-up, Antonio Felix da Costa, are not available for Goodwood however as they are racing for Peugeot and Alpine respectively at Interlagos this weekend. Mitch Evans has not driven the Jaguar Gen4 car as he is set to leave for the Opel team at the end of the present season.
Talking to FEN about the Gen4 testing so far, Antonio Felix da Costa said at Shanghai last week that he had so far “ been a little bit involved.”
“I did one full day in the car and there’s another day planned before London. But to be honest I am not too focused on it at the moment.
“I like to do a day on the sim every now and then just to not feel like I am left behind in initial development, but I am very focused on this season. I am trying not to get the two projects mixed up, so as soon as London is over it will be time to crack on with that full speed.”
