These three innovations come as the event in Germany on 11-12 May coincides with the FIA WEC Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, with Envision drivers Sebastien Buemi and Robin Frijns, as well as Mahindra's Nyck de Vries, set to to give priority to the Belgian event.
A proposal previously submitted to Formula E teams in Sao Paulo to allow those participating in the WEC to race in Berlin on Sunday was not approved unanimously, as required by the regulations.
“We tested Joel many years ago at the rookie test in Marrakesh (in 2018) and had a very good opinion of him,” Envision team principal Sylvain Filippi told Motorsport.com of the driver choice.
“So it will be good to put him in the car and obviously he has also worked with Jaguar recently as a reserve driver. So not only do we know him as a driver, but he also knows the car and the Jaguar working systems.”
“With Paul it's completely different, he's new to Formula E but he's a very interesting young driver, so we're really keen to see what he can do. Obviously the expectations are very low, we don't expect these guys to go on to win the their first race”.
Eriksson is currently the reserve driver for Jaguar, the manufacturer that supplies engines to Envision, and the Swede has already participated in eight Formula E races for Dragon Penske in 2020-21.
Aron, however, will make his Formula E debut after moving to Formula 2 full-time this season with Hitech, in which he currently sits second in the standings after three podiums.
The Estonian will also participate in the rookie tests this weekend, ahead of the double round of the Misano E-Prix, replacing Jack Aitken. The Briton, who is Envision's reserve driver, will not be able to be in Berlin due to his IMSA commitments, so Aron had the chance to test the Formula E car ahead of its debut.
“It's a great opportunity to race for Envision Racing in Berlin. I'm looking forward to experiencing Formula E for the first time and working with the team,” said Aron. “We will work hard leading up to the race to prepare for the event, starting with this week's rookie tests in Misano.”
With de Vries set to miss the Berlin event, former IndyCar driver King will also make his Formula E debut, having served as Mahindra's reserve driver from 2021.
The Briton said: “It goes without saying that I am extremely excited to make my Formula E debut next month in Berlin. It is a team I know well after four years of working together and a car I have already a great familiarity and which I have helped to develop. My goal is to maintain the team's momentum on the development front and, of course, to enjoy the opportunity to return to racing.”
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