Dragon Racing have confirmed that they will retain both Jerome d’Ambrosio and Loic Duval for the 2016/17 season of Formula E.
The pair have been teammates since Duval replaced Oriol Servia for the fifth race of the inaugural season, and helped the team finish second in the team’s championship that year behind Renault e.dams.
Things have been more difficult for the American team this season however, and despite d’Ambrosio picking up another win in Mexico after Lucas di Grassi was disqualified, Dragon have fallen behind Abt Schaeffler Audi Sport and DS Virgin Racing to sit fourth in the standings.
Despite that, d’Ambrosio was confident the team was moving in the right direction, saying “I am proud to be continuing with Dragon Racing for my third season in Formula E. Together we have made great progress in developing the car and I am confident that I will be adding to my two wins for the team next year.”
The team also announced that they would be forming a technical alliance with Faraday Future, the intelligent electric vehicle and mobility solutions developer.
The deal will also see Faraday become title sponsor of the team, and Duval is confident that the new backing will help the performance of the car for the 2016/17 season.
He said, “The entire team has worked extremely hard and we have shown the advances that we have made in our on-track performance. Consistency will be key in capitalising on the gains that we have made, in addition to building on our new technical affiliation. I am excited about our future together.”
Speaking after the announcement, Team Owner of Dragon Racing Jay Penske said, “Jérôme and Loïc have formed a very successful partnership and have been instrumental in the development of the team over the past two seasons, so I am very happy that they will be racing for us again next year.”
“Having established our collaboration with Faraday Future and retained the services of two highly talented drivers, I believe that we have the foundation to consistently push for race wins and become a leading contender for the Formula E Constructors’ Championship next season.”
D’Amrosio and Duval currently sit fourth and eighth respectively going into the double-header London ePrix this weekend.
