Kelvin van der Linde will make his debut in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship on the second race weekend of the new season: the 26-year-old South African will replace regular driver Robin Frijns in the number 4 race car from the two races in Diriyah (Saudi Arabia) onward as Frijns has to take a break for the time being following an injury to his hand.
« We are in constant contact with Robin and wish him a speedy recovery. Even though everyone in the team misses him a lot, we’re giving him all the time he needs to fully recover from the injury – that’s our absolute priority, » says team boss Thomas Biermaier. Robin Frijns suffered fractures to his left hand in a collision on the first lap of the Mexico City E-Prix and underwent surgery that same evening in Mexico.
« Kelvin has been part of the ABT family for years in a variety of roles. He has been involved since the beginning of our comeback project and was intended as a reserve driver right from the start, so it was immediately clear to us that he would take over Robin’s cockpit, » says Biermaier. « The task and challenge for him to start in a World Championship race without any testing is of course gigantic. But Kelvin is highly motivated, works hard and the whole team will support him without any pressure. » Since the decision on Sunday, van der Linde, who also lives in Kempten, has spent every day from morning until late evening at ABT. On the agenda: regulations, race car manual, data analysis and countless hours in the simulator.
« To compete in Formula E is a dream of mine – but of course I wanted the circumstances of my debut to be different. I’m very sorry for Robin and I hope he’ll be fit again quickly, » says Kelvin van der Linde. The youngster competed for ABT in the DTM in 2021 and 2022 and was a title contender right up to the finale in his debut season. He also got a taste of Formula E: in 2020 he completed a rookie test day in Marrakesh and was a participant in a virtual Formula E series on the simulator during the pandemic. He is also supporting ABT CUPRA in simulator preparation this season. « I am happy about the trust and the challenge. Now I have a few long days ahead of me and then I will do my best to stand in for Robin as well as possible. »
The two races in Saudi Arabia will be held on January 27 and 28 in Diriyah, a suburb of the capital Riyadh. The start is at 8 p.m. local time on both days.