Formula E race winner Felix Rosenqvist will make a shock return to Mahindra for the 2018/19 season opener in Riyadh.
He will be making what appears to be a wildcard appearance in place of Wehrlein for Riyadh.
“I’m happy to be back with the guys at Mahindra Racing again for Riyadh,” he said.
“It will be a special occasion, marking the start of an exciting new era for Formula E with the commencement of season five.
“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.”
Rosenqvist looked to be out of the running for an FE seat for the coming season after signing an Indycar deal with Chip Ginassi, with Mahindra signing fellow winner Jerome d’Ambrosio and rookie Pascal Wehrlein in an all-new line-up.
It was rumoured he may try to balance the two series, but too many schedule conflicts between Indycar and FE made it a decreasingly likely option.
“We are delighted that Felix will be racing for Mahindra in Saudi Arabia in December,” said Mahindra team principal Dilbagh Gil.
“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 Jerome, we have a huge amount of Formula E success and experience to get started with; five race wins from the two of them.”
Wehrlein will return to the car to make his FE debut in Marrakesh in January.
