David Beckmann and Yifei Ye will drive the Porsche 99X Electric at the official rookie test of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship on Berlin’s Tempelhof Street Circuit on 24 April.
One day after the Berlin E-Prix, where rounds 7 and 8 of the innovative racing series will be contested, the two will head out on the city circuit in Germany’s capital in the Porsche 99X Electric cars of permanent drivers António Félix da Costa (POR) and Pascal Wehrlein (GER). David Beckmann gained his first track experience with the new Porsche 99X Electric as the official test and reserve driver for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team during pre-season tests on the Circuit de Calafat. For Yifei Ye, this will be the first time in the cockpit of the innovative electric racing car from Weissach, which has won four of six Formula E races so far this season.
David Beckmann joined the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team as a test and reserve driver before the start of this season. Previously, he performed the same role for the current Formula E customer team Avalanche Andretti and contested the FIA Formula 2 Championship. He celebrates his 23rd birthday on 27 April. Twenty-two-year-old Yifei Ye will contest this year’s World Endurance Championship (WEC) with a customer team’s Porsche 963 hybrid prototype as the Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific selected driver. In 2021, he won the Asian Le Mans Series and the European Le Mans Series. His only contact with Formula E to date has been at the 2022 London E-Prix where he worked as a pit reporter for Chinese television.
David Beckmann and Yifei Ye have already achieved great success together: at the wheel of an ORECA 07, they won the LMP2 class at the 1,000 Miles of Sebring, the season-opening round of the WEC in Florida on 17 March.
Florian Modlinger, Director Factory Motorsport Formula E: “The rookie test is a great opportunity to show young drivers what Formula E is all about. It’s also about familiarising them with our Porsche 99X Electric, which is a very complex racing car and not easy to drive. For rookies coming into Formula E, the test offers them a good chance to experience what they’ll come up against in this racing series. As a team, we want to use this event to introduce young drivers to Formula E and see how they perform in a Formula E car. David has already tested for us. Now we’re looking forward to seeing how well Yifei gets on with our Porsche 99X Electric.”
David Beckmann: “Being able to drive the Porsche 99X Electric in Berlin just a few days before my birthday is a great present. For me, it’s a fantastic experience to enter the new era of Formula E with Porsche this season. I already got the chance to drive the new Porsche 99X Electric on the racetrack at the official Formula E test in Calafat. It was very impressive. I’m really looking forward to the rookie test and getting to know our car even better. Of course, I also hope to be able to share some useful insights with my team.”
Yifei Ye: “I’ve always wanted to drive a Formula E car and I’m grateful that Porsche is giving me that opportunity. For me, this is an interesting new challenge that I’m really excited to get stuck into. Beforehand, I’ll follow the races in Berlin closely from the pits and try to learn as much as possible from António and Pascal. That will definitely help me to familiarise myself with the Porsche 99X Electric as quickly as possible. With Porsche, I’m concentrating on the WEC for now. But I’m still young and can certainly imagine contesting Formula E races one day. Electric motorsport has a bright future.”
