FE: Audi's Rast fills in for da Costa at Aguri

Factory Audi sportscar racer Rene Rast will make his Formula E debut in Berlin with Team Aguri this weekend in place of Antonio Felix da Costa.

Aguri had been hunting for a stand-in driver for when da Costa's factory BMW drive in the DTM – which is racing at the Red Bull Ring this weekend – took precedence. Although Adam Carroll was initially in line for the seat and the team had previously sought an experienced FE driver, Aguri has now turned to series newcomer Rast.

"I have been in the simulator for the last few days to get a good feel for the car," said Rast. "While these cars have their own unique demands, I am confident that I can get up to speed quickly and use my experience in energy management to deliver a strong result for the team."

Rast was part of Audi's LMP1 line-up for the Le Mans 24 Hours last year, but the team's decision to slim down to two cars means his 2016 focus is on a limited GT schedule and a World Endurance Championship LMP2 program with the Jota-run G-Drive team. He has not competed in single-seaters since beginning his career in Formula BMW in Germany in 2003-'04.

Aguri team principal Mark Preston said the skills Rast had from being a works LMP1 driver would transfer well to FE.

"While we came close to agreements with some other famous names, Rene's energy management skills, professional approach and pace made him an obvious choice," he said.

Originally on Autosport.com