Over the last few seasons of Formula E, the series and its competing teams have brought female drivers on board in varying capacities. Since 2024, regulations require teams to field at least one female driver during the now-annual Formula E Women’s Test.
From familiar faces like Marta Garcia, Abbi Pulling, and Bianca Bustamante to up-and-coming talents like Jessica Edgar and Juju Noda, making female competitors a natural part of the series is clearly on Formula E’s agenda. Much like Extreme H and the E1 Series, the championship is working toward seeing full-time female drivers on the grid in the near future.
Several of these women attended the Formula E Season 12 Finale in London this past August, including Ella Lloyd and Abbi Pulling. During that weekend, Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds also laid out a specific timeframe for securing women in full-time seats, telling reporters:
“Our ambition will be within the next two to three years that we see women competing at the championship level alongside the elite male racing drivers you see on the grid here.”
In that same interview, Dodds noted that while dedicated testing sessions have successfully placed drivers into development roles, the series must force the next step to close the gap to an actual race seat, hinting at a “massive expansion” of the programme.
We sat down with two of the other female drivers in attendance that weekend (Chloe Chambers of Mahindra Racing and Alice Powell of Envision Racing) to discuss their respective roles, the latest season, and what a Formula E race weekend looks like for them.
Earning The Role In Formula E
Though the series has gone to incredible lengths to increase female participation, a development role in Formula E still requires a proven ability to navigate complex electric machinery, especially with the introduction of GEN4 in 2027.
For Chloe Chambers, strong performances in F1 ACADEMY paved the path to Mahindra Racing. After a promising initial Formula E outing at a women’s test with Andretti, the paddock tracked her progress, and Mahindra Racing took notice. Chambers rewarded their interest by topping the timing sheets at a subsequent pre-season women’s test in Valencia, securing her place as their official Test and Development Driver and debuting in the role at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Meanwhile, Alice Powell’s tenure at Envision Racing is built on years of trust and highly technical engineering feedback. She had been involved with the team since 2019, but the Briton only stepped into the team’s machinery during the 2020 rookie test in Marrakesh. Powell’s ability to quickly grasp the car’s demands, combined with her precise technical feedback, saw her become Test, Development and Simulator Driver by 2021. She has retained this role as a core fixture of the British squad ever since.
Settling Into The Life As Test and Development Driver
Once embedded in the team, race weekend responsibilities vary by driver. For Chambers, the role offers a rare chance to step back from the wheel and observe a world championship garage in action.
“For me, these race weekends are a little more relaxed. I get to sit in on the engineering meetings and then watch the sessions from engineering. It’s nice to be able to just learn and hopefully take some things back with me into my own racing that I hear from the team and from the drivers.”
Part of that learning curve means adapting to Formula E’s condensed schedule. Unlike traditional series that spread practice, qualifying, and the race across three days, Formula E fits every on-track session into a single day. On double-header weekends, they repeat the format the following day.
“I really like that because it makes your trips a little shorter. It also kind of puts the pressure on the teams a lot, and the drivers as well to perform quickly and to get your feedback in quickly, get your changes done quickly, and to be able to reset your mindset for, say, going into qualifying for practice and then into the race for qualifying.”
This fast-paced environment, combined with occasional seat time, helps Chambers build a technical foundation that sets her apart from competitors racing strictly in junior formulas. She gained valuable track time with a few outings during the women’s test, got behind the wheel of the GEN3 Evo during the Miami E-Prix Rookie Free Practice session, and drove it again at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
“That time in the car is so rare for drivers outside of the full-season drivers already. So, even just a day extra in the car that I can get compared to anybody else really is going to be a good opportunity to take with me in case I ever do end up back in the car for a last-minute deal.”
From Track to Simulator: How A Test and Development Driver Contributes To The Team
Across the paddock at Envision Racing, Alice Powell balances a multifaceted role. While she jokes that her weekend pass simply reads “guest management” as she guides upcoming title sponsors like Paysafe around the current car ahead of their major role in the team’s GEN4 era next year, her technical contribution remains a staple for the team.
Beyond Formula E, Powell’s schedule is notoriously packed. She is heavily involved in broadcasting and commentary for Formula 1 across various networks and continues to help coach drivers such as Abbi Pulling. Yet, her core development work revolves around translating real-world data from the track back to the simulator at base.
“Trying to get the sim as close to the real car is obviously difficult. It’s what the sim team does back at base so well. And I think that’s important for the main drivers, that when they do come and jump in, everything’s all set up and it tries to feel as similar as possible. So, I think for me to have that experience and pass my feedback on, I think it’s great.”
Having taken part in five Formula E tests with Envision Racing, most recently driving the GEN3 Evo at Valencia in 2025, Powell uses these sessions to maintain that correlation, ensuring the simulator behaves exactly like the physical car.
“It helps with me getting some time in the car to then translate that across to the simulator. So, I find them really useful to take part in, and obviously I’ve been part of the team since 2019. So, for them to still sort of have that trust and that faith in me, and I would say I’m a pair of safe hands to go out with is really nice.”
Building the Foundation for the Future
Beyond the technical data, development roles immerse drivers in the human element of an elite racing team. Powell points to this culture as a highlight of her long tenure with Envision.
“I think it’s just such a nice group of people. There’s people that are still here from when I joined. Everyone that has joined since, people move on and stuff, and new people come in. It’s always friendly. It’s such a friendly, homely atmosphere.”
Despite her highly technical role, Powell remains deeply invested in the team’s on-track fortunes. She points to Joel Eriksson securing his first podium at the 2026 Shanghai E-Prix — the team’s home race — as a major highlight with the team this year. The two crossed paths when Eriksson was a reserve driver before stepping up to a main seat.
Envision Racing has had its fair share of tough moments throughout Formula E too. The team has suffered severe mid-season slumps and agonising missed opportunities, particularly their struggle to maintain championship form during the highly competitive middle stretch of the recent GEN3 era.
Looking ahead to the finale, Powell noted the thrill of watching the action unfold from the garage.
“Seb was looking really, really strong, just missing out in the final group in qualifying. So, who knows? I think it will probably be carnage up front! And I’m actually just so excited for the race as a whole. Going down to the wire for a Championship is always exciting. I know we’re not part of it, but I think everyone is going to be watching in anticipation.”
As Formula E pushes toward Jeff Dodds’ ambition of a mixed-gender grid within the next three years, embedding drivers like Chambers and Powell into the day-to-day operations of a race weekend serves as a necessary bridge. By exposing them to the intense, highly technical reality of the paddock, the series is laying the groundwork for when a full-time seat finally opens up.
Really interesting insight into a role fans don’t always see much of. Test and development drivers can have a huge influence without ever appearing on the race grid — especially with a new generation of car being developed. It’s a good reminder how much work happens away from race weekends.