Things have not exactly gone smoothly for the Trulli Formula E team. It finished last season dead last, and has failed to make it to the first two races of this season. And now it's calling it quits.
The team was originally started by Drayson Racing, the same outfit behind the electric racing prototype that topped 200 miles per hour. Drayson was actually the first team to sign up for the FIA Formula E Championship, but subsequently handed it over to Jarno Trulli to run. Between 1997 and 2011, the Italian driver competed for the likes of Prost, Jordan, and Toyota, winning the 2004 Monaco Grand Prix for Renault.
Trulli himself drove in every race last season, achieving a best result of fourth place in Punta del Este but scoring no further points and retiring before the finish line in four out of eleven rounds. Things didn't go much better for the rotating roster of other drivers he brought on board. Neither Michela Cerruti nor Alex Fontana managed to score a single point, and Tonio Liuzzi (another retired Italian F1 driver) scored but a single ninth-place finish. That landed the team dead last in the inaugural championship standings.
With such a dismal track record, the Trulli team failed to make it to the starting line for either of the races so far this season, and now the series organizers have announced that it's dropping out altogether from the remaining rounds this season. The troubles are ascribed principally to the Motomatica powertrain which the team developed and to which it clung despite its technical problems.
"Having a driver of the status of Jarno Trulli involved in the early days certainly helped to boost the credibility of Formula E," said series chief Alejandro Agag. "While we are very sad to see Trulli leave, this does create an opportunity for a new team and manufacturer to enter and we are very confident about the future strength of the series." Trulli's departure opens the door to Jaguar, which announced at the same time that it will enter next season with its own team and powertrain.
The team was originally started by Drayson Racing, the same outfit behind the electric racing prototype that topped 200 miles per hour. Drayson was actually the first team to sign up for the FIA Formula E Championship, but subsequently handed it over to Jarno Trulli to run. Between 1997 and 2011, the Italian driver competed for the likes of Prost, Jordan, and Toyota, winning the 2004 Monaco Grand Prix for Renault.
Trulli himself drove in every race last season, achieving a best result of fourth place in Punta del Este but scoring no further points and retiring before the finish line in four out of eleven rounds. Things didn't go much better for the rotating roster of other drivers he brought on board. Neither Michela Cerruti nor Alex Fontana managed to score a single point, and Tonio Liuzzi (another retired Italian F1 driver) scored but a single ninth-place finish. That landed the team dead last in the inaugural championship standings.
With such a dismal track record, the Trulli team failed to make it to the starting line for either of the races so far this season, and now the series organizers have announced that it's dropping out altogether from the remaining rounds this season. The troubles are ascribed principally to the Motomatica powertrain which the team developed and to which it clung despite its technical problems.
"Having a driver of the status of Jarno Trulli involved in the early days certainly helped to boost the credibility of Formula E," said series chief Alejandro Agag. "While we are very sad to see Trulli leave, this does create an opportunity for a new team and manufacturer to enter and we are very confident about the future strength of the series." Trulli's departure opens the door to Jaguar, which announced at the same time that it will enter next season with its own team and powertrain.
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