British W Series racer Alice Powell has been confirmed as one of the Envision Virgin Racing drivers for the 2020 Marrakech rookie test.
Formula E team Envision Virgin Racing announced W-Series top-driver Alice Powell as one of its two entries for the upcoming Rookie Test, held in Marrakech on Sunday 1 March.
Powell, a former GP3 Series racer and Formula Renault champion, returned to single-seater racing after a long budget-imposed hiatus thanks to the all-female championship in 2019, where she finished 3rd in the overall standings and famously won the Brands Hatch season finale with a commanding performance.
It will be the first experience in the Formula E machinery for the 27-year old Brit, who is now however competing in a full season of the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY, the equally all-electric support series of Formula E. She currently sits in third place after the first three rounds of the championship in Diriyah and Mexico City.
“It’s great to have Alice on-board for the Marrakesh test, as someone who has already driven in an electric championship, she’ll bring a great understanding of the technical elements of the car." - explained Sylvain Filippi, Envision Virgin Racing’s Managing Director.
“She’s spent a lot of time getting to learn the car and the track on our simulator in Silverstone and as a team we’re looking forward to getting her out on track."
Alice, one of the leading female racing drivers worldwide, is also an ambassador for Dare To Be Different (D2BD), a non-profit organisation founded by Susie Wolff that targets an increased involvement for women in the several fields of motorsport.
“Firstly, I’d like to thank the team for the opportunity to test their Formula E car" - said Powell. "It’s an amazing experience and I can’t wait to jump into the car now, especially having spent time on the team’s simulator."
“My work as an ambassador for D2BD allows me to inspire young female drivers and this test will really help further that. I’m also looking forward to working with the team and helping them to extract as much data as possible from the test to help them this season.”
The British driver made history in 2012, as she became the first woman to score points in GP3 Series. Following her racing return, Powell has been one of the drivers that made the most out of the exposure granted by the W-Series championship, earning a drive in the premier American sportscar series IMSA, as well as the Jaguar I-PACE eTrophy seat with Ran Racing.
The Formula E test would represent a well-earned comeback to the world of elite formula championships, a further achievement for the whole movement of women in motorsport.
"Alice is also a great role model to aspiring young women in racing, something we as a team fully support.” - added Filippi.
Formula E allowed an extra-slot for teams that lined up a female driver at last year's rookie test in Ad Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, but so far only three women have taken the start of a race event. Hopefully, Alice Powell will one day join Katherine Legge, Michela Cerruti and Simona De Silvestro in this list.
In Alice's words:
"It’s an amazing experience and I can’t wait to jump into the car now, especially having spent time on the team’s simulator."
