Beaming Birthday for SA’s Sheldon VDL in Formula E Rookie Test

South African racer Sheldon van der Linde brought his 25th birthday to a close by setting the afternoon’s third-fastest time in Monday’s Formula E rookie test.

In what was the Johannesburg-born driver’s fourth rookie outing for Jaguar TCS Racing, he was behind Ferrari F1 reserve Robert Shwartzman in the DS Penske and Jack Crawford in the Andretti.

The 2022 DTM champion set the fourth-quickest time in the morning, with only Shwartzman, Mercedes F1 reserve Frederik Vesti and 2022 F2 winner Felipe Drugovich ahead of him.

Reflecting on the test, Van der Linde said: “It was really cool to drive the Jaguar I-Type 6 again. It’s always fun to jump into the Formula E car and give Mitch [Evans] and Nick [Cassidy] something useful for the Shanghai E-Prix next week.”

He added: “It’s been a pleasure working with this team that is so passionate and welcoming. I’ve really enjoyed my time with them.”

Van der Lindes in action

Sheldon was not the only South African who took to Berlin’s iconic Tempelhof Airport  Street Circuit during the Formula E race weekend. His brother, Kelvin was behind the wheel for ABT Cupra in both rounds of the Berlin E-Prix, as a replacement for regular driver Nico Müller.

Kelvin, who is the ABT Cupra reserve and simulator driver, put on an impressive performance across the weekend. He narrowly missed out on a points finish on Saturday, ending the race in P11 and on Sunday, he made up six places to cross the chequered flag in P16.