Mahindra Racing confirm D'Ambrosio and Wehrlein for Formula E esports competition
Mahindra Racing drivers Jerome D’Ambrosio and Pascal Wehrlein will swap real life racing for virtual racing this weekend as they line up for Round 1 of the ABB Formula E Race at Home Challenge. Jerome and Pascal will take to the virtual Hong Kong E-Prix track on Saturday 25 April for the opening race of this new eight-week esports competition, whichis the first major fundraising initiative in Formula E’s partnership with UNICEF that aims to help children around the world in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
Following the temporary postponement of the 2019/20 season, the eight-week ABB Formula E Race at Home Challenge blends together the real and gaming worlds. Fans will be able to watch all the action on the Formula E website, Facebook, YouTube and Twitch accounts. Mahindra Racing’s passioneers can also follow Jerome and Pascal on their individual Twitch streams as well.
The #64 (D’Ambrosio) and #94 (Pascal Wehrlein) drivers will participate in a one-lap qualifying session, which follows the Formula E championship’s four group format, with each group consisting of six drivers. The race takes the format of a ‘Race Royale’ battle; after lights out on the race, one driver will be eliminated after every lap until there are 10 drivers remaining to battle it out in one final ‘sprint to the finish’ lap to determine the winner. The race points system will be the same system the championship uses; 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 distributed to the top ten, with one point awarded to the driver with the DHL Fastest Lap, and one point to the driver who qualifies in the Julius Baer Pole Position.
With the proceedings set to kick off, Dilbagh Gill, Team Principal, Mahindra Racing, said, “Mahindra Racing is proud to participate and support the ABB Formula E Race at Home Challenge as it raises funds for the invaluable work that UNICEF is doing. In these unprecedented times, it’s important for the motorsport community to come together to support each other and those who are less fortunate, and this series is a fantastic way to do this. We are all missing racing in Formula E, but in the meantime I will be cheering Jerome and Pascal on from home as they fly the Mahindra Racing flag in esports!”
