Calderon and Rossiter to test for Techeetah in Marrakesh

DS Techeetah will field Tatiana Calderon alongside James Rossiter at the upcoming Formula E rookie test in Marrakesh.

The test, which takes one day after the second race of the 2018/19 season on January 13, will mark Calderon’s second outing with the Chinese squad, adding to her appearance at the first in-season test that followed December’s Ad Diriyah E-Prix.

Following on from her best season in GP3, Calderon is targeting a move up to Formula 2 for 2019 with the Charouz Racing System outfit that will act as the Sauber Formula 1 team’s junior squad.

“Getting another shot at being involved with DS TECHEETAH is great,” said Calderon.

“I loved my time in the car and with the team in Ad Diriyah and even though I didn’t get to drive as much as expected due to the red flags we managed to secure some good runs.

“Needless to say, I’m keen to get more laps under my belt at this test and it will be really good to continue working with the team at the Marrakesh test.”

Team principal Mark Preston revealed the Colombian had impressed Techeetah during her first taste of Formula E machinery in Saudi Arabia.

“Tatiana really impressed us in the Ad Diriyah test despite the limited running due to some red flags,” he added.

“So we wanted to give her another chance in the DS E-TENSE FE19 to see what more she can extract out of it and to gain further knowledge from her feedback.

Rossiter, who raced in both Super Formula and Super GT in 2018, was hired as Techeetah’s development driver last summer, having previously taken part in the inaugural young driver test in Marrakesh.

"The last 12 months with the team has been really good and it’s been a nice addition to the family with DS onboard,” Rossiter said.

“I’m relishing my role and really enjoying working with a team that’s leading the way and pushing the boundaries for EV performance, both on and off track. I’m excited about what’s to come.”

Techeetah is the second team to confirm its full driver line-up for the upcoming test, after Mahindra announced ex-Williams F1 driver Sergey Sirotkin and simulator and development driver Sam Dejonghe will conduct its running.

British Formula 3 race-winner Jamie Chadwick will also return to Formula E action with the NIO squad that she drove for in the Saudi Arabia test.