Nissan will lose Sébastien Buemi to Envision next season and may take advantage of the deal with ART to secure the signature of Théo Pourchaire, the current second-place finisher in Formula 2
Currently vice-leader of Formula 2, Théo Pourchaire could be part of the Formula E grid next season. The French driver, who competes in the category for ART, is already considering his next career moves, and moving up to Formula 1 is obviously his first option. However, if it is not possible to ascend to F1, Pourchaire is considering a move to Nissan to replace Sébastien Buemi.
Nissan is undergoing structural changes with a view to next season, especially after the confirmation that the brand will completely take over the team's operations in Formula E - previously it shared control with e.dams, DAMS' arm in the electric category. And according to the British portal The Race, ART has reached an agreement with the Japanese team and will be the team's partner in the development tests of the Gen3 model next season.
Pourchaire, in turn, has even participated in secret tests with the new Gen3 car in Spain, conducted by Spark Technologies with the aim of extracting information from the new prototype - something the company has been doing since the past, as when it tested with Nyck de Vries in 2015 or Antoine Hubert in 2017.
With the partnership between Nissan and ART - Pourchaire's team in F2 - firmed up, the French team will be the supplier of the Japanese one during the testing program of the new car - which will be carried out in July by the squad - but will not have a formal stake in controlling the team next year.
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As for next year's driver duo, Nissan already knows it will lose one of them. Sébastien Buemi, Formula E champion in 2015/2016, will leave the team for Envision, where he will be Nick Cassidy's teammate - Robin Frijns will move to Abt. Thus, one of the team's seats is already vacant for next season - and it could be filled precisely by Pourchaire.
The other seat is held by Maximilian Günther, who has a good internal rating and should remain with the team for 2023. Pourchaire was not the only option on Nissan's radar, and they have also talked to defending champion Nyck de Vries. However, the Dutchman is exploring other options within the grid and wants to participate in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Toyota, so his future is not yet assured.
Finally, regarding the testing of the new Gen3 cars, six of the seven teams supplying the category - DS, Mahindra, NIO, Jaguar, Porsche, and Nissan - have already received their single-seaters for the sessions starting this June.
The exception is Maserati, which will not receive a car. Although it is technically entered as a registered manufacturer, the team does not receive a single-seater due to its status as an additional brand of the Stellantis Group - which also owns DS - of companies under the same homologation.
The next round of Formula E takes place next month. The Marrakech eP, which has returned to the calendar to replace the Vancouver, Canada round, is scheduled to take place on July 2 and marks the last single-race weekend of the season.