The French manufacturer has unveiled that Malthe Jakobsen is the sole contender to step in for Jean-Eric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne at the upcoming Formula E event in Berlin, as they will be on duty for sister marque DS with Penske.
Jakobsen, a 20-year-old Dane, was designated last summer by Peugeot as its WEC junior driver, responsible for test and reserve duties.
Jean-Mart Finot, the motorsport head for all brands within the Stellantis group, emphasized that no final decisions have been reached regarding the lineup shuffle for the Spa 6 Hours on May 11th. However, he asserted that the plan does not involve recruiting drivers from outside the Peugeot family.
“We will not be looking outside of the Peugeot family — we are a team,” he stated firmly. “It would not be relevant to bring in a new driver just for one race.”
Regarding Jakobsen potentially filling one of the vacant seats, Finot remarked, “We will see; we have time to decide. Two drivers in both cars is feasible.”
He also clarified that neither Vergne nor Vandoorne would skip Berlin to race at Spa with Peugeot, emphasizing the indispensability of drivers for the DS cars to run.
Muller is set to compete at Spa due to his Peugeot contract taking precedence over his commitment to race for the Abt Cupra squad in FE. Similarly, drivers such as Sebastien Buemi, Nyck de Vries, and Robin Frijns will have to miss at least the Saturday race in Berlin to fulfill their WEC obligations.
Norman Nato of Jota Porsche and Edoardo Mortara of Lamborghini are reportedly contractually bound to their respective FE teams, Andretti and Mahindra, during the only clash between the two series this year.
Meanwhile, the Ganassi-run Cadillac team has confirmed its intention to field two drivers, Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn, in the six-hour WEC races this season.
