Porsche surprise as youngest ever Formula E driver handed test

Porsche has confirmed that it will field 16-year-old Italian Formula 4 driver Elia Weiss in next month's Berlin rookie test, with him to become the youngest ever Formula E driver.  Weiss turned 16 just last Sunday and has been selected by the factory Porsche outfit to drive its Gen3 Evo at the Tempelhof Airport Circuit, alongside DTM driver Ayhancan Güven. It is a bold move by the Stuttgart-based outfit, with the rookie test often featuring experienced racing drivers.  However, it is a move which shows that Porsche has significant faith in Weiss, at a time when Formula 1 is continuing to see teenage rookie drivers.  Weiss races for Cram Motorsport in Italy after winning the German Karting Championship last year – he is also part of Motorsport Team Germany.  The initiative supports young drivers and includes simulator sessions in the motorsport departments of Audi, BMW, Mercedes-AMG, and Porsche. He is one of Germany's rising talents, and qualified for the necessary International B license on his 16th birthday, making him eligible to drive Porsche's 99X Electric. "I'm incredibly proud – no doubt everyone dreams of being able to drive for Porsche!" said Weiss. "The fact that I get to do this is insane. It's a huge step for me, which is why I have a lot of respect for it.  "But I've already practiced in the simulator in Weissach. It was all really positive: I was able to get to know the systems, felt right at home there, and got on really well with the engineers.  "Other than that, I'm preparing myself as best I can. In a Formula E car, you need a lot of strength and fitness, so I'm training particularly hard in those areas at the moment."