Vergne Confirmed as Wildcard for SRO E-Sport Spa Race

Photo: Formula E

Two-time and reigning Formula E champion Jean-Eric Vergne will join the otherwise largely unchanged Pro grid for Sunday’s SRO E-Sport GT Series race at Spa-Francorchamps.

The Frenchman, whose sports car experience largely comes from a successful stint in LMP2 competition, will drive a Ferrari 488 GT3 in the virtual 60-minute sprint race that serves as Round 2 of the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS-based esports series.

Vergne has received esports training from the Coach Dave Academy, the driver coaching platform led by David Perel, which was recently signed as the SRO E-Sport GT Series’ official training platform.

In the real-world, Vergne usually drives for DS Techeetah in the ABB FIA Formula E Championship, where he won the titles in 2017-18 and 2018-19.

He follows on from Ferrari Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc, who made a start as the high-profile ‘wildcard’ entry last time out.

The remainder of the Pro field is mostly identical to the season-opener held at Silverstone two weeks ago, with race winner Jordan Pepper joined by top-level GT3 racers such as Raffaele Marciello, Albert Costa, Christian Engelhart from a total of ten brands.

2009 Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button is also on the grid, driving a McLaren 720S GT3 carrying his Jenson Team Rocket RJN livery.

The event broadcast will get underway at 1:45 p.m. CEST (7:45 a.m. EDT / 12:45 p.m. BST) on Sunday, with the Pro race taking place first, ahead of the Silver race reserved for sim experts.

Jake Kilshaw

Jake Kilshaw is a UK-based journalist. He is a graduate of Politics and International Relations.