Motorsport TechnologyThe NIO 333 FE Team, partnered by Acronis, has announced that Tom Blomqvist will join regular Oliver Turvey as first team driver for the 2021 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship as well as revealing a striking new livery.
Anglo-Swede Blomqvist is no stranger to Formula E, having participated in six races of the 2017/18 season for Andretti and in the final two rounds of the 2019/20 season in Berlin for the Jaguar FE Team. He replaces Ma Quinghua and Daniel Abt, who both enjoyed stints with the team last season.
Please join us in officially welcoming @tom_blomqvist to the #NIO333FE Team for Season 7 @FIAFormulaE.
We look forward to seeing you in Valencia later this week with Oliver!#BlueSkyComing #PositivelyCharged pic.twitter.com/UYsWOoNZ77
— NIO 333 Formula E Team (@NIO333FormulaE) November 24, 2020
“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,” commented Blomqvist. “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.
“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.”
Blomqvist will join Turvey at the Valencia circuit this week, when press will get a first look at the NIO 333 FE 001. According to the team’s press release, the livery is ‘an evolution of the team’s familiar teal livery, introducing a dark, tonal blue contrast against the striking black carbon bodywork. The new design also features white pin-striping detail for a more dynamic aesthetic and provides an opportunity to distinguish the cars from previous livery concepts.
‘For new team management and operational organisation, Shanghai Lisheng Racing, it was a chance to incorporate the familiarity of NIO (who continue as Primary Partner) brand identity with the striking red from the 333 Racing brand. In China red represents fire, and is the national colour symbolizing happiness, beauty, vitality, good luck, success and good fortune.’
Britain’s Oliver Turvey has again been rewarded for his consistency with the team, having scored the majority of points for NIO in all five of the seasons he has so far competed in.
“I am delighted to be continuing in Formula E for Season 7 with NIO 333 Formula E Team,” said Turvey. “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. We have made progress through testing and I am sure that the hard work everyone has put in will result in a more competitive package for the season ahead. 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. 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!”
Christian Silk, Team Principal of the NIO 333 FE Team, added that he believes the team has made significant strides forward with the new powertrain to enable the team to challenge more regularly for points in 2021.
“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,” said Silk. “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.”
And Vincent Wang, CEO of NIO 333 FE Team, added that it may be a stroke of Chinese fate that Blomqvist has arrived to help propel the team further up the grid.
“I know that he is very well known within the motorsport community and I have been impressed by him ever since I was a broadcast commentator on FE events in China a few seasons ago,” said Wang. “When I saw him again in Berlin last season, he reminded me of that. There is an old saying in China, “A thousand miles to meet.” I believe that Tom’s joining the NIO 333 FE Team is also the embodiment of fate.
“The Team is very clear about our target for the new ABB FIA Formula E World Championship season. We hope that Tom can work with Oliver [Turvey] and the team to do his best to achieve our goal!”
Fraser Masefield