NIO 333 FE Team Announces Driver Line-Up and Car Livery for 2021 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship

Shanghai, China/Oxford, UK: The NIO 333 FE Team has today announced its 2021 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship driver line-up and revealed the livery for its NIO 333 FE 001 challengers that will break cover at the official FIA all-teams test at the Valencia Circuit in Spain this week.

The team is delighted to welcome experienced Anglo-Swede racing driver Tom Blomqvist as its second driver alongside Briton Oliver Turvey who remains with the team for a sixth full Formula E season behind the wheel of the squad’s Season 7 Gen2 race cars. Tom has previous experience in the Formula E Championship; he participated in six races of the 2017/18 season for Andretti and in the final two rounds of the 2019/20 season in Berlin for the Jaguar FE Team.

Tom Blomqvist, Car #88 NIO 333 FE Team

"I am extremely happy to be joining NIO 333 for the 2021 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship season and cannot wait to get started with the team. I’m very grateful for the opportunity and the trust that the team has placed in me, and I can’t wait to repay them with success on track.

To be back in Formula E full-time is fantastic as the series has gone from strength to strength over the years and I feel very proud to be back on the grid for Season 7. It has been great to get to know the team recently and build those relationships - together we are all highly motivated for the season ahead and the positive atmosphere is brilliant to be a part of.”

In Season 7, the NIO 333 FE 001 will sport an evolution of the team’s familiar teal livery, introducing a dark, tonal blue contrast against the striking black carbon bodywork. The new design also features white pin-striping detail for a more dynamic aesthetic and provides an opportunity to distinguish the cars from previous livery concepts.

For new team management and operational organisation, Shanghai Lisheng Racing, it was a chance to incorporate the familiarity of NIO (who continue as Primary Partner) brand identity with the striking red from the 333 Racing brand. In China red represents fire, and is the national colour symbolizing happiness, beauty, vitality, good luck, success and good fortune.

In the team’s joint venture toward the Championship’s goal of “racing for a cleaner future – faster”, the material used to adorn the NIO FE 001 cars is 3M wrapping grade PVC free vinyl - the most environmentally friendly wrapping film currently available.

Since the Season 6 finale in Berlin, August 2020, the team has successfully completed nine full days and 2828.4kms of private testing on tracks around the UK. Following this week’s official test, round 1 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will get underway in Santiago, Chile, with a double-header event on 16th / 17th January 2021.

Further Team Quotes:

Oliver Turvey, Car #8 NIO 333 FE Team

“I am delighted to be continuing in Formula E for Season 7 with NIO 333 Formula E Team. Having raced for the team in every season since the championship’s inception it is great to be able to continue our journey together. It’s a really exciting time for the championship this season as it becomes an official FIA World Championship. I am proud to be racing in a championship that is not only competitive at the highest levels of the sport, but that promotes the use of sustainable technology in the cities that we race in around the world.

Everyone in the NIO 333 FE Team has put a huge amount of effort into the new car, and the disruption to the race schedule last season has given the team a chance to focus on the development of the new powertrain. We have made progress through testing and I am sure that the hard work everyone has put in will result in a more competitive package for the season ahead.

I would like to welcome Tom into the team; I have known him for a number of years and I look forward to working closely with him to help push the team forward.

The new livery looks fantastic, so I can’t wait to get in the car for official testing in Valencia and for the first race in Santiago!”

Christian Silk, Team Principal, NIO 333 FE Team

“We are very pleased to welcome Tom to the NIO 333 Formula E Team and reveal our stunning Season 7 car livery today. Tom returns to the ABB FIA Formula E Championship bringing with him a wealth of motorsport experience behind him, including recent outings in 2020 endurance racing. We have a quick and experienced driving pairing now, with Oliver [Turvey] continuing with us for his sixth consecutive full season, and I am confident that the pairing shall be a successful one.

Since the Season 6 finale in Berlin we have completed an impressive amount of testing mileage with the NIO 333 001 development chassis and made a very promising start with our new powertrain package in terms of reliability. Season 7 will be a fiercely contested competition; however, I feel that we are in a great position going into the FIA World Championship and the whole team at NIO 333 is looking forward to the exciting challenges ahead.”

Vincent Wang, CEO, NIO 333 FE Team

“I am pleased to introduce to you our new driver for the new season, Tom [Blomqvist]. I know that he is very well known within the motorsport community and I have been impressed by him ever since I was a broadcast commentator on FE events in China a few seasons ago. When I saw him again in Berlin last season, he reminded me of that. There is an old saying in China, "A thousand miles to meet." I believe that Tom's joining the NIO 333 FE Team is also the embodiment of fate.

The Team is very clear about our target for the new ABB FIA Formula E World Championship season. We hope that Tom can work with Oliver [Turvey] and the team to do his best to achieve our goal!”