Rosenqvist replaces Wehrlein for Formula E season opener

Felix Rosenqvist will return to Mahindra Racing for the opening round of the 2018/19 ABB Formula E Championship in Saudi Arabia next month, replacing Pascal Wehrlein.

Rosenqvist raced for Mahindra through Season 3 and Season 4 of Formula E, but departed the team's official line-up for the new campaign after signing a deal to race in IndyCar next year with Chip Ganassi Racing.

Mahindra announced an all-new line-up comprising Formula E veteran Jerome d'Ambrosio and ex-Sauber and Manor Formula 1 driver Pascal Wehrlein, with both drivers featuring in pre-season testing.

However, Wehrlein will now not make his race debut until the Marrakesh E-Prix in January, with Mahindra announcing on Thursday that Rosenqvist would be making a one-off return in Saudi Arabia.

"I’m happy to be back with the guys at Mahindra Racing again for Riyadh. It will be a special occasion, marking the start of an exciting new era for Formula E with the commencement of Season 5," Rosenqvist said.

"Whilst I didn’t attend the official pre-season test in Valencia, I did a lot of running in the new car during its development stages this summer, so I should be prepared. I’m looking forward to getting back to work with the team once again and will do my best to help launch us into the new season with success."

Team principal Dilbagh Gill added: "We are delighted that Felix will be racing for Mahindra in Saudi Arabia in December. Felix has always been, and continues to be, a fantastic asset to Mahindra Racing and an important part of our family and history: we are looking forward to sharing more success with him in Saudi Arabia.

"He is extremely motivated, as are we, to secure the best possible results for the team as we begin our 2018/19 campaign. Working alongside Jérôme, we have a huge amount of Formula E success and experience to get started with; five race wins from the two of them.

"We are then looking ahead to January when Pascal will join us. We are enthused and motivated as a whole team and cannot wait to hit the track in December."

The full entry list for the season-opening Ad-Diriyah E-Prix in Riyadh is set to be released on Friday.