Romeo Ferraris has confirmed its first two drivers for this year’s FIA eTouring Car World Cup, with former DTM racer Maxime Martin joining the team and Luca Filippi staying on board.
Martin, 36, was a regular in the DTM with BMW between 2014 and 2017, picking up three wins from his four seasons in Germany’s top touring car series.
The Belgian is also an experienced GT racer, and claimed a GTE-Pro class victory at the 20202 24 Hours of Le Mans.
“I am thrilled to début in a cutting-edge championship like the FIA ETCR and to measure myself for the first time at the wheel of an electric racing car like the Giulia ETCR of Romeo Ferraris,” said Martin.
“I have a long experience with tin-tops, and touring car races for me are a return to the past, but now there is the curiosity and enthusiasm provided by a new technical challenge.”
Filippi competed with Romeo Ferraris in the inaugural PURE ETCR series in 2021, so has prior experience of racing the Giulia ETCR.
The Italian was second overall at the Copenhagen event, just behind then team-mate and former DTM racer Philipp Eng. He ended the year seventh overall in the drivers’ standings.
“I am really excited to remain linked to Romeo Ferraris to renew the challenge in the FIA ETCR championship, after the positive experience of last year in an innovative and fascinating context,” said Filippi, who also competed in Formula E in 2017 – 2018.
“We were immediately able to show the potential of the Giulia ETCR project, and for 2022 we are aiming for even more important results.
“We will fight against very competitive opponents, but in addition to an excellent technical basis, I know I can count on a working group with which I felt at ease right from the start.
“It will be a pleasure to continue together with Michela Cerruti, Mario Ferraris and all the rest of the team.”
Romeo Ferraris Team Principal Michela Cerruti welcomed Martin to the team, whilst also praising the work carried out by Filippi to-date in developing the all-electric racer.
“Welcoming a driver like Maxime to our line-up is a great pride for Romeo Ferraris and confirms the excellent work done since the birth of the Giulia ETCR project.
“Maxime will be making his debut in electric car competitions but has a long career with high-performance cars such, and he knows what it means to be a works driver for a car manufacturer.
“This aspect has given him a mentality that I am sure will help us to progress even faster.
“Luca has become part of the family in our team, thanks to his talent and experience, which need no introduction, but above all for the human relationship that has been created in almost two years of collaboration.
“For this I am very happy to still have him in our squad of drivers for FIA ETCR, with a common goal: to put to good use what we have learned in the past season and to fight at the top of every appointment, to highlight ourselves in an already growing championship.”