With a renewed partnership with Jaguar for Formula E’s Gen4 era, Envision tested the British manufacturer’s new car last week during a private session in Estoril, Portugal. A decision made by the team suggests that, alongside recent recruit Maximilian Günther, another driver is in contention for a seat: Zak O’Sullivan.
According to the Formula E Notebook, the former Williams F1 test driver was present at the session and drove the Jaguar car alongside Günther, as well as Stoffel Vandoorne and António Félix da Costa—who represented the factory squad. The Belgian, currently the team’s reserve driver, is expected to step into Mitch Evans’ seat (who is heading to Opel) next season.
Günther received authorization from DS Penske to take part in the test, which featured a substantial presence of Envision personnel alongside other manufacturers, as Stellantis and Lola were also on track. The fastest lap, though unofficial, was set by Zane Maloney.
While the session was purely a test for upcoming seasons, it is worth noting that O’Sullivan flew directly from Estoril to Sugo, where he competed in Super Formula. Although committed to the Japanese series through the end of the year, Zak is reportedly open to a switch to Formula E, and the absence of both Sébastien Buemi and Joel Eriksson from the test naturally raises questions.
For the Swiss veteran, who has tested Jaguar’s Gen4 machine on previous occasions, uncertainty lingers around a date clash between the Shanghai ePrix and the WEC’s 6 Hours of São Paulo, as Buemi competes for both Envision and Toyota. A second conflict between the Monaco ePrix and the 6 Hours of Spa was recently resolved following a schedule adjustment.
On Eriksson’s side, there is a positive impression regarding his work in his first full season as a race driver in Formula E. The Swede has even outperformed Buemi in qualifying head-to-heads (8 to 7), with one podium finish each, though he sits 20 points behind in the Drivers’ Championship.
Formula E returns on August 15 and 16 with the final event of the 2025/26 season, the London ePrix double-header.
