Formula E: Lotterer becomes Jani's teammate
PERFECT PORSCHE PAIRING Neel Jani will have the perfect team-mate when he joins Porsche next season. The Biel native has already raced with André Lotterer for Porsche and Rebellion at Le Mans. With the signing of André Lotterer for the second Formula E cockpit of newcomer Porsche, the driver pairing for the 2019/2020 ABB FIA Formula E Championship has been finalized. Neel Jani [...]
With the signing of André Lotterer for the second Formula E cockpit of newcomer Porsche, the driver pairing for the 2019/2020 ABB FIA Formula E Championship has been finalized. Neel Jani was confirmed as the first driver back in December 2018 and has since been entrusted with development work on various racetracks and in the simulator.
A logical choice
His appointment did not come as a surprise, but was an obvious choice. The 38-year-old German with Belgian roots has been a Porsche works driver since 2017 and has also been active in the electric racing series since then. In both Formula E seasons, he achieved two podium finishes for Techeetah and DS Techeetah respectively and finished eighth in both championships.
Teammates in the WEC
In Europe, Lotterer was a works driver for Audi for many years and Marcel Fässler's teammate in the World Endurance Championship. Together with the Swiss driver, he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times and became world champion in 2012. After Audi withdrew from the WEC, Lotterer switched to Porsche, where he formed a trio with Neel Jani and Nick Tandy (GB).
When Porsche also said goodbye to endurance racing to prepare for Formula E, the German and the Swiss drove for the private Rebellion team. They said their goodbyes at Le Mans in mid-June to concentrate on Formula E with Porsche.
For the Porsche race director, Jani/Lotterer are therefore the ideal combination.
Fritz Enzinger: "Both know each other and the team very well. We can also benefit from André's experience from the past two Formula E seasons. Neel and André form a perfect and strong driver duo for the Porsche works entry into Formula E."
Looking forward to the new collaboration
This conviction is of course mutual on the part of the new employee.
André Lotterer: "I'm really looking forward to competing for Porsche in Formula E. I've been part of the Porsche family since 2017 and have many fond memories of successes together, especially working with Neel. The fact that we are now the driver pairing for the Porsche Formula E team is a great thing. I'm looking forward to the new task and the future collaboration with the team."
