After announcing the signing of Rene Rast as first driver, the McLaren team is considering several names to fill the vacancy in the grid for season 9, in which the Gen3 car will make its debut.
One of the names on the British brand’s agenda is Jake Hughes, who left Formula 2 stating that he would like to dedicate himself more to Formula E – in which he was a Mercedes test driver and has already tested the NIO single-seater – and could be the big name for 2023.
In the midst of his career, he highlights the Formula 4 BRDC title in 2013 and the runner-up in the Formula Renault 2.0 Alps in 2015. Hughes then competed in GP3 Series in 2016 and 2018 for the DAMS and ART Grand Prix teams respectively.
In 2019 and 2020, he competed in FIA Formula 3 with HWA. The following year, he partially participated in the Formula 2 season with the same team.
According to the English media The Race, Hughes is listed as favorite, but there are other drivers who also aspire to the position at the iconic firm.
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The Candidates
Maximilian Günther, who was left without a seat at Nissan with the signing of Norman Nato and Sacha Fenestraz for 2023, is one of them. Oliver Turvey, who should have his departure from NIO confirmed soon, would also be an option given his knowledge of Formula E.
Turvey will be replaced precisely by Sérgio Sette Câmara, one of the racers with whom McLaren was negotiating. The Brazilian finished the season well despite the constant failures presented by the Dragon Penske car.
Finally, Felix Rosenqvist‘s proposal arose, although everything indicates that he will remain in IndyCar. After being McLaren’s strong name to lead the Formula E project, the Swede has not shown much interest in moving to the electric single-seater category and has already made it clear that he prefers to stay in the United States.
It is speculated that Rosenqvist would have proposals from other teams, but he has not yet finalized any of the offers that have been put on the table.
