Formula E – Franck Montagny on track with Andretti Autosport

Wednesday, the teams registered in the future world championship of Formula E took to the track at Donington in England, for the first collective runs, just to familiarize themselves with the Spark single-seaters.Renault SRT_01E. Among the already confirmed drivers, Daniel Abt and Lucas di Grassi (Abt), Sam Bird and Jaime Alguersuari (Virgin Racing), Bruno Senna and Karun Chandhok (Mahindra Racing), we found the Frenchman Franck Montagny, new Andretti Autosport driver. “It’s a new championship with a unique approach to racing, explains the former Super Aguri driver in F1. This is not just a new series but a new era of motorsport. The car is very special and honestly I had a smile on my face from the first lap. I didn't want to stop. It's a lot of fun to drive and if I have fun inside the car, I think people will enjoy it on the outside. »

These first turns of the wheels were an opportunity to test the different possibilities of the car 100% electric which will begin its season on September 13 in China in Beijing. “I tried full power once on a lap just to get a feel for it and it's really fantastic, but I guess it's not the way we're going to race. Power is not the most important thing, we have to bring the show to the people and I think we can do that. I feel at home with the Andretti team and it's a very good family. I have worked with them since 2008, and despite a break, I have always stayed in touch. »

The teams which have not yet revealed their crews tested several drivers during this Wednesday, but no names have filtered out. The first official tests will still take place at Donington on July 3.