Andretti Formula E has reaffirmed Felipe Drugovich as one of its drivers for the beginning of Formula E’s GEN4 era, extending the Brazilian’s stay with the American team into Season 13.
Drugovich joined Andretti ahead of Season 12 after winning the 2022 Formula 2 title and serving as Aston Martin’s Formula 1 reserve driver. He has since adapted quickly to the all-electric championship, earning his maiden Formula E podium in Monaco alongside four top-five finishes and two front-row starts.
The confirmation comes ahead of the Shanghai E-Prix double-header, where Drugovich will attempt to extend a run of four consecutive top-10 finishes. He is the only driver on the grid to have finished inside the top 10 at each of the previous four races.
Andretti underlines its long-term commitment to Drugovich
Andretti Formula E Team Principal Roger Griffiths explained that the team had always viewed its relationship with Drugovich as a long-term project rather than a short-term arrangement.
“When we brought Felipe into the team, we centered our relationship as a long-term commitment from both sides with him playing an important part in our future. He’s shown strong speed, great professionalism and has already achieved his first podium in his rookie season, demonstrating his capability of integrating quickly into the team.”
Drugovich’s speed and adaptability have helped him establish himself within Andretti during his first Formula E campaign. The decision also provides continuity as the championship prepares to introduce its faster and more powerful GEN4 car from Season 13.
Andretti will enter the new regulations with an experienced and increasingly settled line-up, pairing Drugovich with Season 9 Formula E World Champion Jake Dennis.
Drugovich excited to build towards the GEN4 era
Drugovich welcomed the opportunity to continue developing with Andretti and stressed that both parties had always intended to build a lasting partnership.
“I’m very happy to continue this journey with Andretti Formula E. From the moment I joined the team, the goal was always to build something that could carry into the future and I’m excited to be part of the team as we enter the GEN4 era.”
The Brazilian’s confirmation allows him to focus on completing his rookie season strongly before turning his attention towards Formula E’s next technical chapter.
Before the GEN4 era begins, Drugovich and Andretti face the closing stages of Season 12, starting with two races at the Shanghai International Circuit.
Dennis targets another strong result after Sanya victory
Andretti arrives in Shanghai with momentum after a landmark weekend in Sanya. Dennis took pole position and victory, while the team secured its first Formula E front-row lockout. The result also marked Andretti’s 13th win and 42nd podium in the championship.
Dennis believes that performance gives the team confidence, although he expects the Shanghai International Circuit to present a different challenge.
“We can obviously take some confidence heading into Shanghai, given the way we dominated the whole weekend in Sanya. The team is working tirelessly to try and continue our strong performance, and hopefully, we can arrive at a similar level. The conditions in Shanghai will be somewhat similar to those we experienced in Sanya, with high temperatures and humidity, although the characteristics of the track are significantly different, so it’s going to be a very different event.”
“We’ve generally been able to qualify quite well in Shanghai, but have not been able to convert that during the race. I’m hopeful that with our improvements compared to last year, we should be in a better position to try and fight for points from the front end of the race.”
Andretti has recorded three points finishes and led 11 laps across Formula E’s previous visits to Shanghai. However, the team has not always converted its qualifying speed into strong race results at the circuit.
Drugovich encouraged by improving consistency
Drugovich also produced a strong performance in Sanya, matching his best Formula E qualifying result with a place on the front row before recording his third top-five finish of the season.
His recent run has provided reassurance after an opening phase of the campaign in which he worked to understand how to extract more performance from the Andretti Porsche package.
“It’s been very encouraging to see the consistency we’ve been able to build over the last few race weekends. After the first handful of races, there was a little bit of a question, not from the team but from myself, regarding how I can keep improving and get something to click to fight up at the front. I think it’s starting to come together now, and I feel like I’m on the right path. It’s still a path full of learning as we get through each race, but it feels like I’m doing that pretty well, and hopefully, we can keep going in this direction.”
Drugovich has now recorded five top-10 finishes from his first 11 Formula E races. His improving qualifying form has also taken him into the Duels twice, while his Monaco podium demonstrated his ability to compete at the front.
Drugovich sets points and podium targets for Shanghai
Shanghai’s 3.051-kilometre West Long layout features long straights, sweeping corners and heavy braking zones. Drivers must also manage their available energy carefully, while PIT BOOST will provide an additional strategic factor during the opening race of the weekend.
Although Drugovich has not previously raced at the circuit in Formula E, he visited the venue while working as Aston Martin’s Formula 1 reserve driver. He believes the track’s characteristics could suit his driving style.
“Shanghai seems as if it’s going to be a race that has a lot of importance on trying to distinguish what kind of race it is quite early on in terms of energy management and PIT BOOST strategy, but I’m quite confident that Shanghai can be a good track for me. It’s a type of circuit that I like, and I would say it’s similar in style to Miami, so that’s good. I’m looking forward to getting out there, as it seems like it will be quite enjoyable to drive the Formula E car there.”
“In terms of defining success at the doubleheader event, to score decent points in both races is going to be the aim and to maintain that consistency. I’m obviously always going to be striving for a podium finish, and hopefully, if God allows me to, to finish on the top spot of the podium would be truly amazing.”
Drugovich heads into the double-header seeking to strengthen his run of consistent results while building further momentum towards his confirmed future with Andretti in the GEN4 era.
