GP3 race winner Jake Hughes is looking at a role with the NIO Formula E team in 2019 after taking part in the Marrakesh rookie test.
Hughes, who drove for ART in the 2018 GP3 season, currently does not have a race seat for 2019 but has stated he has options in other championships, including taking on a test role with NIO. He drove for the Chinese team during the Marrakesh rookie test.
“I think that’s the logical first step to try and aim for,” he told FormulaSpy.
“Every man and his dog wants to be a race driver in Formula E at the moment so it’s quite difficult to get that. For sure opportunities like this rookie test and sim roles and dev roles are things I need to capitalise on. So that’s probably the first step.”
He added that he quickly felt comfortable with the car during the test, although both he and his co-runner Jamie Chadwick experienced reliability issues which limited track time.
“I got on with the car straightaway to be honest, had a lot of confidence in it. I’ve heard a lot of drivers talking about these complex cars and I think a lot of that applies more in the racing than the one lap pace like we’ve been doing.
“It’s a bit slower than some cars I’m used to but on a normal Formula E track you still get a good sense of speed and occasion as well.
“The car doesn’t have so much aero, despite the way it looks, and it’s quite heavy obviously so it’s not so much anything to find in those areas.
“It’s more in the battery and specifically the braking system, it seems that’s where you’ll get a lot of development, especially over one lap anyway.”
