Season 12 Formula E title protagonist Mitch Evans has already tested the Stellantis Gen4 development car after being cleared by his current employer Jaguar to do so.
Formula E Notebook can reveal that Evans first tested early this month at a secret Andalusia circuit test in southern Spain before then getting further seat time at Guadix just before the Tokyo EPrix.
Evans is set to be announced as one of Opel’s first Formula E drivers after the end of the present season after agreeing a deal with the German manufacturer earlier this year. He will complete his final races for Jaguar after a decade long association with the Big Cat, next month at the London EPrix finale.
Evans joined fellow Stellantis contracted drivers, Jean-Eric Vergne, Nick Cassidy and Theo Pourchaire at the tests, where a separate development team of engineers is working on performance testing of the new car.
The Stellantis test programme is being led by Simon Merchet, the development leader who has worked for Stellantis (nee PSA) since 2011. Additionally, experienced former F1 and sportscar engineer Teena Gade is heading up the simulation aspect of the testing.
The test at Guadix was shared with the Porsche team which had Nico Mueller and Ayhancan Guven on hand as they continue to put miles on the car dubbed the Porsche 975 RSE.
Evans will continue to test the Stellantis car after the London EPrix as the programme heads to the homologation period, which begins at the end of September and runs through to mid-October.
Both Evans and Opel declined to answer questions posed to them when asked at the Tokyo EPrix.
Opel is assembling its complete team which it will run from its base in Russelheim, Germany, in liaison with the Stellantis Motorsport headquarters in Satory, France.
Team principal Joerg Schrott was in attendance at the Tokyo EPrix last weekend with the Opel GSE Formula E teams new team manager, Francis Shammo also visiting ahead of the teams debut later this year. Shammo joined the team in April after a long stint at Porsche, predominantly in sportscar racing.
