Joel Eriksson will make his FIA Formula E debut next month after being announced to replace Nico Müller for the Dragon/Penske Autosport team for the Puebla E-Prix.
Müller is unavailable due to his commitments in the DTM Series, so Dragon have made the decision to promote Eriksson to the seat for the race in Mexico, having previously been announced as their official reserve driver.
Eriksson is looking forward to his maiden Formula E outing for the team, which will come around the Puebla circuit, which was a late replacement after it was clear the series would not be able to race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City due to the COVID-19 situation in the country.
“To race in Formula E has always been a dream since the championship started and to finally be given the chance feels kind of unreal,” said Eriksson. “There’s a lot of work ahead of us, but I have a great team behind me, so I know they will do all they can to make me as prepared as possible before arriving in Mexico.
“After a strong collaboration with Dragon last season, I’m more than happy and very honoured to continue what we’ve started together. I will do my absolute best to help the team as much as possible and support the drivers between races.
“With the motivated personnel in Silverstone and Los Angeles, and the new Bosch alliance, we have the keys to achieve great results. I’m super motivated to get back to work.”
Eriksson knows he will have his work cut out to be competitive in Mexico having spent very little time in the Penske EV-5, but he says he will be giving it his all to have a strong outing.
“It will be challenging as I only have limited mileage in this car, but my main goal is to make the best out of it and gain as much experience as I can,” insisted Eriksson. “I do believe that scoring points in the races is absolutely possible if I execute well.
“I will give it my all to achieve this goal.”
Jay Penske, the Owner and Team Principal at Dragon/Penske Autosport, has welcomed the announcement that Eriksson would be the replacement driver for Müller at Puebla, and he is excited to see how the Swedish racer will fare in Mexico.
“I am pleased to welcome Joel back to the team,” said Penske. “He is a valuable resource for the organization and has tremendous potential to apply his race craft to the unique demands of Formula E and deliver results for the team on track in Puebla and behind the scenes throughout the rest of the season.
“I look forward to our first race together.”
