Juncadella becomes official HWA reserve driver

Daniel Juncadella will act as the official test and reserve driver for the new HWA Racelab squad after completing the final day of testing for the team in place of Stoffel Vandoorne.

Juncadella was in action at the pre-season test with HWA while race driver Vandoorne had to leave for the United States to fulfil his Formula 1 commitments, with the team now officially taking him on as their third driver.

The Spaniard already has previous experience of Formula E having acted as the test driver for Mahindra Racing last season, and has also spent many years in the Mercedes family through his endeavours in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters.

Speaking on his new role, Juncadella is thankful for the opportunity and hopes to give the team his best as he aids the on-track performance of Vandoorne and Gary Paffett.

“I’m very grateful to the team for giving me this opportunity to continue our long-standing collaboration through Formula E,” said the 27-year-old. “Formula E is a new adventure for all of us. The team have a steep learning curve in prospect and can use all the support they can get.

“Hopefully, I can help Gary, Stoffel and the engineers master the challenge in my new role. My first test with the new Gen2 car was a great experience.

“I found my feet in the team right away and can’t wait to see how we will fare on our Formula E debut. But before then, we still have plenty to do.”

HWA boss Ulrich Fritz welcomed Juncadella to the team and praised the work ethic of the Spaniard as he believes his technical prowess will be beneficial in getting the most out of the car.

“We’ve known Daniel for a very long time and know exactly how good his speed is and how helpful the engineers find his feedback,” said Fritz.

“Daniel has a wealth of experience in setting up a wide range of racing cars and is thus perfectly able to support us on the racetrack as well as in simulator work.

“It’s exactly these strengths that we need in our debut season in Formula E. At the same time, we know that we can also rely on him if he has to step in at short notice.”