Ahead of the inaugural Cape Town E-Prix it has been confirmed that rookie Kelvin van der Linde will once again replace Robin Frijns at the ABT CUPRA Formula E Team, with the Dutchman still not in the right condition to make his return to the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
Van der Linde has replaced Frijns since the second round of the season in Diriyah, after Frijns fractured his hand and wrist in a crash on the opening lap of the race in Mexico City. It was certainly the worst possible start to the season for the experienced driver; however, he has recovered incredibly quickly given that it had been speculated that he’d miss the bulk of the season.
For him to have even considered racing in South Africa is remarkable, given that his crash took place just over a month ago. With him having been in with a shot of returning in Cape Town, it’s likely that Frijns will be seen at the sixth round of the 2022/23 season in Sao Paulo, Brazil, with it not taking place until the end of March. Frijns therefore has another month to recover before the inaugural race in Brazil, meaning that this coming weekend might be the last we see of van der Linde for the time being.
Considering that the Diriyah E-Prix was both his first race in the all-electric series and his first race ever in a single-seater, van der Linde has represented himself superbly. The South African has been very impressive since taking Frijns’ spot, given his unmissable lack of single-seater experience. He finished sixteenth and eighteenth in Saudi Arabia before retiring at the recent round in Hyderabad; however, his weekend was ridiculed by reliability issues.
He’ll be hoping for a smooth weekend at what will be his first home E-Prix, marking a special way to make what could be his final appearance in Formula E. The sport’s first South African will give those in attendance in Cape Town a home-hero to cheer on, as ABT CUPRA continue to push for their first points of the season.
The team announced the news regarding who was going to drive in Cape Town on social media, where they said: “Update on our line-up: Together with the team and the FIA doctor, @RFrijns has decided to give his hand a little more time and not to start in Cape Town. South African @KelvinvdLinde will replace Robin on his home soil.”
