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Tom Blomqvist Joins NIO333 FE Team for Season 7

British driver Tom Blomqvist will partner Oliver Turvey at the wheel of the NIO 333 FE 001 for the series inaugural campaign as a world championship.

I am extremely happy to be joining NIO 333 for the 2021 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship season and cannot wait to get started with the team. I’m very grateful for the opportunity and the trust that the team has placed in me, and I can’t wait to repay them with success on track.

Season 7 will mark the start of a new chapter to the series, as the FIA World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) has recognized the electric single-seater racing series with the world championship status.

The 26-year-old is no stranger to the single-seater all-electric racing series; in the 2017/18 season, he drove for MS&AD Andretti, contesting six races during his campaign with the American team.

He would return to the series for the final two rounds of the 2019/20 season, replacing James Calado at the Berlin E-Prix, with Panasonic Jaguar Racing.

To be back in Formula E full-time is fantastic as the series has gone from strength to strength over the years, and I feel very proud to be back on the grid for Season 7

It has been great to get to know the team recently and build those relationships – together we are all highly motivated for the season ahead and the positive atmosphere is brilliant to be a part of,” said the British racing driver. 

Early in 2020, Blomqvist finished in second place in his debut at the 12 Hours of Bathurst, behind the wheel of the McLaren 720S GT3, alongside teammates Alvaro Parente and Ben Barnicoat

The NIO 333 Formula E Team also took the opportunity to unveil its challenger livery, the NIO 333 FE 001, that will run at pre-season testing later this week at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia, Spain.

As the team explained, “the material used to adorn the NIO FE 001 cars is 3M wrapping grade PVC free vinyl – the most environmentally friendly wrapping film currently available.”

On the team´s new driver´s line-up, Christian Silk, Team Principal, NIO 333 FE Team stated: We are very pleased to welcome Tom to the NIO 333 Formula E Team and reveal our stunning Season 7 car livery today. Tom returns to the ABB FIA Formula E Championship with him a wealth of motorsport experience behind him, including recent outings in 2020 endurance racing. We have a quick and experienced driving pairing now, with Oliver [Turvey] continuing with us for his sixth consecutive full season, and I am confident that the pairing shall be a successful one.”

Silk further outlined: “Since the Season 6 finale in Berlin, we have completed an impressive amount of testing mileage with the NIO 333 001 development chassis and made a very promising start with our new powertrain package in terms of reliability

Season 7 will be a fiercely contested competition; however, I feel that we are in a great position going into the FIA World Championship, and the whole team at NIO 333 is looking forward to the exciting challenges ahead.

Oliver Turvey, 33, also shared a few words on his new teammate and the new journey the team is just about to embark on.

I would like to welcome Tom into the team; I have known him for a number of years and I look forward to working closely with him to help push the team forward.

He added: “I am delighted to be continuing in Formula E for Season 7 with NIO 333 Formula E Team. Having raced for the team in every season since the championship’s inception it is great to be able to continue our journey together. It’s a really exciting time for the championship this season as it becomes an official FIA World Championship. I am proud to be racing in a championship that is not only competitive at the highest levels of the sport, but that promotes the use of sustainable technology in the cities that we race in around the world.

Everyone in the NIO 333 FE Team has put a huge amount of effort into the new car, and the disruption to the race schedule last season has given the team a chance to focus on the development of the new powertrain.

The new livery looks fantastic, so I can’t wait to get in the car for official testing in Valencia and for the first race in Santiago!

The 2020/2021 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship season opener will take place at Parque O’Higgins in Santiago, Chile.

The double-header event is scheduled for January 16th/17th, held behind closed doors for health and safety purposes due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Images courtesy of NIO 333 FE Team

About Cecilia Demartini
Cecilia is a freelance Journalist passionate about motorsport and writing.
Her articles appeared in a variety of online publications.
Her knowledge goes from F1, F2, and F3 to other series such as MotoGP, IndyCar, Rally, WEC, and particularly Formula E.