NEOM McLaren shared the news that driver Rene Rast won’t continue with the team for Season 10 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. The German, who has had an unusual journey in the all-electric championship, joined the papaya team for their Formula E debut this year, and achieved the team’s only podium result in Diriyah.
Speaking to Formula E after the season finale in London, Rast reflected on his Formula E return with plenty of joy.
“I definitely think Formula E is one of the toughest championships out there,” Rast stated. “For drivers, for teams, for everybody involved. It's always a big challenge coming here trying to execute on the highest level and getting everything together. It can be frustrating at times. But still, I enjoy the racing.
“Formula E is a very different kind of racing. But I still enjoy working with professionals and racing against the best racing drivers in the world. So, that's still a big joy.”
Rast was scheduled to have his first taste of Formula E in Season 2 when he was to race for Team Aguri at the 2016 Berlin E-Prix, however ended up making his debut in 2020. The Minden-born driver replaced Audi’s Daniel Abt for the remaining six races of the year, where he finished on the podium in his fifth outing.
He returned for Season 7 representing Audi again, and picked up a further podium by finishing second in Puebla.
For Season 9 and the new GEN3 era, Rast made a Formula E comeback with McLaren. In just his third race for the team, he managed to secure the team’s first piece of silverware when he finished third in Diriyah. The former three-time DTM champion, had a few solid points finishes in the first six rounds, but then failed to score any more points after Round 7 in Berlin.
“It was an up and down season,” Rast summerised. “We started on a high and you could see how good the team was operating from the get go.”
That same race in Diriyah where Rene Rast finished in third, his rookie teammate Jake Hughes also achieved the Julius Baer Pole Position.
“We had a very good second weekend in Diriyah where we finished on the podium, Jake [Hughes] had a pole position. Then, basically, it kicked off halfway through the season and we were not always operating perfectly.
“Unfortunately, we did not score enough points towards the end of season, and I think we deserved much more. It's not the true picture we saw at the end of the season, but I think many many drivers and teams can say that.”