Pascal Wehrlein has ended speculation surrounding his future for 2019 after being announced as a Mahindra Racing driver for Season 5 in Formula E.
The young German had been targeting a return to F1 next season after cutting ties with Mercedes last month and reportedly declining the chance to join the HWA squad in the all-electric series.
But now, the former DTM champion and Sauber driver becomes the latest high profile driver to make the jump to a rapidly growing Formula E category which already features names like Jean-Eric Vergne, Sebastien Buemi, Lucas di Grassi with Felipe Massa and Stoffel Vandoorne also set to join.
“I’m very happy to be joining Mahindra Racing, said Wehrlein. “It’s a small team but with really high ambitions and I have the same high ambitions.
“I want to achieve the best possible results and I have a feeling the team is the right environment for me. I’m looking forward to the season and I will give my best.”
What this move also does is takes Wehrlein out of the running for the seat alongside Daniil Kvyat at Toro Rosso for 2019, a drive he was considered one of the favourites for.
The possibility of him combining the two series is also unlikely as a number of dates at the start of next year’s F1 calendar clash with Formula E races.
Round 1 of the Season 5, which features an all-new car which will be the first to complete a full race distance without a mid-race swap, takes place in Riyadh on December 15th.