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DS Virgin Racing has announced an all new line up for next season’s FIA Formula E Championship, with WTCC World Champion Jose Maria Lopez partnering British driver Sam Bird.
The 33-year old Argentine, who currently leads this year’s WTCC World Championship, comes with an impressive pedigree having won the title twice. Prior to touring cars, Lopez had a successful career in Formula Renault Italian Championship and Formula Eurocup FR V6.
Jose Maria Lopez said: “This is a really exciting move for me and I’m looking forward to the challenge of Formula E with DS Virgin Racing. I have already had some experience working with the DS Performance team on the season three car, so I am confident that we can achieve great things together next season. As a championship, Formula E is going from strength to strength and I’m particularly looking forward to going back to Buenos Aires where the team had such great success last season.”
Lopez will partner Sam Bird, who will enter his third season with the team having finished a strong fourth in the 2015/16 Formula E Drivers’ Championship. The British driver has won three Formula E races with the team and also picked up the FIA Formula E Pole Position trophy at the end of season award ceremony.
He said: “This season has been another positive step forward and I really believe that DS Virgin Racing is going places. We showed consistent pace in the second half of the season and if we can convert that into more race wins, then we should have a car that is capable of challenging for the championship next season. I feel at home with the team and really can’t wait to see what next season has in store.”