LYNN LINED UP FOR FE ROLE

Brit set to be part of Renault e.dams squad in the future

Williams F1 development driver Alex Lynn is being lined up for a Renault e.dams Formula E role.

The British driver has had a difficult GP2 campaign in which he has won twice but lies ninth in the points with one round remaining.

With Williams lining up European Formula 3 champion Lance Stroll to replace Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas set to stay on, Lynn – who has ruled out a third season in GP2 – is exploring alternatives to F1.

He drives for Jean-paul Driot’s DAMS team in GP2 and the Frenchman, who is the Renault e.dams senior team manager, said: “I have been discussing [options] with him. We’re waiting to know his programme for 2017.”

Asked if Lynn’s role would comprise test and development duties for the team, Driot replied: “To start with.”

Renault’s current FE line-up comprises defending champion Sebastien Buemi, who won the 2016/17 season’s Hong Kong opener, and Nicolas Prost, the son of e.dams co-founder Alain.

Lynn would be in contention to join the line-up as early as this season if Buemi misses the New York double-header that currently clashes with the Nurburgring WEC round.

But Driot said he was not making contingency plans for that event because he expected a solution to be found.

Lynn tested for the Jaguar team in the pre-season running and, despite missing out on a drive to Mitch Evans, said FE was still on his radar.

A full World Endurance Championship campaign next year is also a target for the 23-year-old, whose management team includes ex-toyota ace Alexander Wurz.

Lynn will complete the current WEC season as part of Manor’s LMP2 driver line-up, having made his debut in Japan two weeks ago alongside Tor Graves and Shinji Nakano in the second Manor ORECA.

The trio finished 33 laps down after a starter motor problem, but Lynn set the fastest LMP2 race lap. He will replace Roberto Merhi as team-mate to Matt Rao and Richard Bradley in the lead Manor for the Shanghai and Bahrain rounds.