Ahead of this weekend’s Miami ePrix, Dragon Racing have made a change to their lineup with Loic Duval replacing Oriol Servia.
The Audi works driver will line up alongside Jerome D’Ambrosio, with the reason for Servia’s replacement yet to be made clear.
The 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours winner and World Endurance Champion will race in the first of two USA races, with his future beyond that unknown.
Audi’s flexibility proved key to Duval’s availability to drive in Formula E.
“I was testing with Audi at Sebring last week when I received a text from one of Dragon Racing’s managers on Tuesday morning,” he said. “I’d already put my Super Formula commitments in Japan on hold for this year, so my schedule provides a bit more freedom to embrace fresh opportunities. I’m always up for a challenge and trying a new racing series can only be beneficial as it makes you a more rounded driver. It’s bound to be quite a unique experience since the fully electric technology is brand new to me. It would have been a real shame to miss out on such a great opportunity, so I’d like to extend my thanks to Audi for allowing me to race in Formula E. “
Duval joins the Formula E grid with immense experience, having also raced in various Formula Renault series, A1GP, Super GT, Formula Nippon and the Asian Le Mans Series.
However his lack of Formula E experience has to be accounted for, and Duval has been hard at work preparing for Miami.
“I traveled to England on Monday (March 9) to spend some time in the simulator, acclimatise to the different systems and see what the Miami ePrix track looks like,” he said. “In theory, it won’t be easy to arrive mid-season and race such unusual cars against drivers who’ve already had some experience behind the wheel. Energy management is quite specific, as is the race format when you switch cars at the halfway mark. I’ll have to integrate all these new factors and find my feet as fast as possible. But we’ve already seen other Formula E rookies perform well on their series debuts.”
