Jaguar bring back Sheldon van der Linde For Misano Test

Sheldon van der Linde will be returning to the Formula E paddock later this week, as the 24-year-old prepares for Friday’s Free Practice 0 test. The 30 minute session will see all 11 teams volunteer a ‘rookie’ driver, with Jaguar the latest team to confirm their entrant.

The South African, and brother of Kelvin van der Linde who stepped in at ABT CUPRA in Season 9, got up to speed quickly when he took part in the championship’s official Berlin Rookie Test last April. Former DTM champion and sportscar driver Van der Linde took top spot in the morning's running at the test, with his time just half a second away from the fastest time seen over the SABIC Berlin E-Prix weekend, set in similar, dry conditions.

“Getting behind the wheel of the Jaguar I-TYPE 6 is always an exciting opportunity for me,” Sheldon said about the Misano opportunity. “This will be my third rookie test for the team, at a track I know well from past experience so that will be crucial to gain some insights for the team during FP0. 

“My target is to help Nick [Cassidy] and Mitch [Evans] hit the ground running for their championship campaign.” 

FEATURE: Five things to look forward to in Misano

Jaguar TCS Racing currently top the Teams’ World Championship standings with 100 points, having just celebrated their 100th E-Prix in Tokyo last time out. Nick Cassidy sits second in the Drivers’ table, with Mitch Evans in sixth. 

“We are excited to welcome Sheldon van der Linde back for the rookie test session for Jaguar TCS Racing in Friday’s FP0 session,” Jaguar TCS Racing Team Principal, James Barclay added. “Sheldon is a fantastic racing driver with a proven track record already in his young career. His laps around the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli will also provide the team with a solid platform to work from heading into the rest of the weekend.”  

A chance to impress in electric racing’s top tier

Teams can field someone who's sampled Formula E machinery before but they must not be drivers included on the Season 10 Entry List and they must not have competed in a Formula E race in their career before. The idea is to give the best young talent a pathway to race at the very top of the motorsport ladder with a taste of Formula E and the opportunity to impress prospective teams in the world's leading electric race series.

The choices the teams have put forward to Formula E and the FIA will be revealed in the lead up to Misano, with ABT CUPRA already signaling that Tim Tramnitz will once again be in the car after his outing last season and Envision Racing welcoming Jack Aitken back to name just a few.

Meanwhile, Porsche have announced a trio of drivers set to get behind the wheel this season for the German outfit in the Berlin Rookie Test and FP0 in Misano.