A turnaround in the case of Andre Lotterer: Contrary to earlier assurances, he will remain in Formula E as a driver and will drive for the Porsche customer team Andretti
Bang for the buck in Formula E: Andre Lotterer will not retire as a driver after all and will drive for Andretti for the 2023 season! This is made possible by the new drive partnership between the US racing team and the German sports car manufacturer.
Nevertheless, it is a U-turn. Even when the partnership with Andretti was already fixed, Porsche spoke of an end to Lotterer’s career as a Formula E driver. At the end of June, it was still said that Lotterer should take on “a different role in the team”.
Team boss Roger Griffiths explains the change: “Andre’s experience and enthusiasm are a good fit for our team and for our goal of being at the forefront of Formula E. With Jake as a teammate, we have a great team. With Jake as a teammate, we have a brilliant driver pairing.” The switch to Gen3 means there are definitely surprises in store in the first year of the new era. That’s where Lotterer’s vast experience helps.
The Duisburg resident, who lives in Monaco, will now be driving a double programme after all, something that was still ruled out in June. He is also part of the LMDh programme with the Porsche 963. The calendars of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and Formula E are being aligned. However, due to the ever-increasing number of Formula E races, such a programme is becoming increasingly challenging.
Lotterer becomes teammate of Jake Dennis in the Andretti team and replaces Oliver Askew. While Dennis has a valid contract until the end of 2024, Lotterer has only been announced for the upcoming season.
“I’m excited about Andretti, Season 9 and the start of the Gen3 era,” said Lotterer. “It should be a great combination with Jake. Together we want to flush the team into the top tier of Formula E. “
Andretti was an entry team for BMW for years. After the Munich-based company pulled out, ex-IndyCar champion Michael Andretti’s team continued to race for the 2022 season with the BMW i-FE.21 powertrain. Dennis took one win this season in London. For Gen3, they switched to Porsche.
Andretti says: “We work towards being at the top of every championship we compete in. Andre brings a tremendous amount of experience to us. This is another step in building a team that can race for wins and the world championship. We are looking forward to the exciting line-up with Andre and Jake. “
