With Porsche having announced its pullout of LMP1 at the end of the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship season, one of the questions that follows is what will happen to its six full-season drivers.
At least one of them has a new season set later this year, with confirmation Thursday Neel Jani will switch to the FIA Formula E Championship with Faraday Future Dragon Racing.
Jani replaces Loic Duval in the lineup, the Jay Penske-led team still continuing on with Belgian Jerome d’Ambrosio in the other car.
The Swiss driver has had quite a run in sports cars of late, having won the 24 Hours of Le Mans and last year’s FIA WEC LMP1 title with Porsche, after some success with Rebellion Racing prior to that.
Of course Jani has also had a wealth of single-seater, open-wheel experience too. He also competed for A1 Team Switzerland in A1 Grand Prix, helping the team capture the 2007-2008 title and finishing runner-up in 2005-2006 and 2008-2009. In 2007, he raced for PKV Racing in the North American Champ Car series and is also a GP2 Series race winner and former Formula One test driver.
“We are thrilled to welcome Neel who will pilot our number 6 entry in Season 4” said Penske, Team Owner and Principal of Dragon Racing. “As a team, we have set our target of winning races and competing for the championship in the coming season, and Neel was an essential component of that equation. When you look at the best drivers in the world, from both a racing and car development perspective, Neel is at the top of the list. He’s an excellent fit within our program.”
“I am thrilled to join the Faraday Future Dragon Racing team in the next season of the FIA Formula E Championship,” Jani said. “I’ve recently tested the PENSKE EV-2 powered by Faraday Future and look forward to building my knowledge and experience with the team and competing in the acclaimed electric racing series.”