Kelvin van der Linde becomes first South African to participate in a Formula E race
South African motorsport sensation Kelvin van der Linde made his FIA ABB Formula E debut this weekend at the double-header in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.
Van der Linde made his first Formula E appearance stepping in for the injured Robin Frijns, discarding his reserve driver role to partner Nico Mueller. Van der Linde participated in a Formula E rookie test in 2020, but his involvement in other racing series never resulted in him partaking in a World series.
"Cheers, Saudi, thanks for the memories of my first single-seater race and my first World Championship event," Van der Linde said after his time in Saudi Arabia.
"So much learnt and so many positives despite a very tough weekend performance-wise for all Mahindra powertrain cars. Let's see what the future brings."
Racing for the ABT Cupra team, Van der Linde finished Race 1 in 18th place, while Race 2 did not yield notable results, either. The ABT Cupra Formula E team is not the strongest on the Formula E grid, but it is working hard at gaining ground, with Cupra announcing its reentry and partnership with ABT late in 2022.
First race in @FIAFormulaE completed. Let’s find out how @KelvinvdLinde experienced the #DiriyahEPrix.#ABTCUPRAFE #WeAreBack #ABBFormulaE #FormulaE pic.twitter.com/42rlutI176
Will Kelvin race in Cape Town?
Along with his brother Sheldon, Van der Linde actively participates in the German Touring Cars championship (DTM), racing for Audi and piloting an R8. Though both South Africans have made quite the impact in DTM, Sheldon was crowned the 2022 DTM champion - becoming the first local to do so!
Still, both brothers are immensely talented and skilled, which is why Kelvin had no trouble standing in for Frijns, who injured his wrist in the opening round in Mexico.
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