While news this morning has emerged that Jaguar will enter the FIA Formula E Championship, starting with its third season in 2016-2017, one team that won’t be continuing for this year or the foreseeable future is Trulli Formula E.
Its withdrawal opens the door for Jaguar to take an entry into the 10-team series.
Trulli FE missed the opening two rounds of this year’s season at Beijing and Putrajaya for both technical and homologation reasons of its new car, the Motomatica JT-01.
Salvador Duran and Vitantonio Liuzzi were due to drive for the Jarno Trulli-led team.
“After failing scrutineering in the Beijing and Putrayaja ePrix and in light of our commercial agreement with Formula E Holdings, we are forced to announce the retirement of Trulli Formula E from the FIA Formula E Championship,” Francesco Test, CEO of Trulli GP, said in a release.
“As major supporters of this all electric series, we are please to leave space for a new OEM to enter the series and further help develop the series and electric racing technology.”
Series CEO Alejandro Agag thanked Trulli for his efforts to get the team on the grid; Trulli took over what had been earmarked as Drayson Racing’s entry early in the pre-first season process.
“We are disappointed that Trulli has decided to leave the championship,” Agag said in the release. “Having a driver of the status of Jarno Trulli involved in the early days certainly helped to boost the credibility of Formula E.
“Taking the decision to become a full manufacturer was a bold one, and one that was always going to present challenges due to the technical advances that Formula E is pioneering.
“While we are very sad to see Trulli leave, this does create an opportunity for a new team and manufacturer to enter and we are very confident about the future strength of the series.”
Trulli FE finished 10th and last in the opening season of the series, with Trulli’s fourth place at Punta del Este, Uruguay the team’s lone top-five finish. He also scored one pole position,