Is 16 Old Enough to Race? Porsche Thinks So

Just three weeks after turning sixteen, Porsche puts Elia Weiss behind the wheel of a purpose-built electric race car

Three weeks after you turned sixteen, what were you doing? If you’re like me, maybe you were trying to figure out something about a car. More likely, you were fantasizing about your favorite cars while playing Forza or Gran Turismo. What you probably weren’t doing was driving an actual Porsche race car on an actual racetrack. But that’s exactly what Italian kart and Formula 4 racer Elia Weiss will be doing.

Weiss will be driving a 99X Electric in the upcoming Formula E rookie test. The single-seat car, specially designed for Formula E, accelerates from zero to 100 km/h quicker than an F1 car — around two seconds, the automaker says. The rookie test is a race featuring untested, usually younger, Formula E drivers, with the goal of both exposing newcomers to Formula E and gaining valuable experience. Stuttgart is making history by choosing Weiss as their driver, with the second-youngest driver in Formula E history being chosen last year by McLaren, at 17 years old. Considering that 16 is the minimum age allowed by the DMSB, this is an accolade Weiss will hold forever. For reference, the average age of a Formula E driver hovers around 31.

Although Weiss may be young, he’s got a fair bit of experience making things go quickly around a racetrack. Weiss won the German karting championship title just last year and conducts sim racing tests with OEMs like Audi, BMW, and Porsche. Further padding his resume is his upcoming participation in Italian Formula 4. The rookie says he has already practiced a bit with the Formula E car in a simulator. “I was able to get to know the systems, felt right at home there, and got on really well with the engineers. Other than that, I’m preparing myself as best I can.” He goes on to drive home the importance of fitness and strength when piloting the rapidly accelerating Formula E cars.

Porsche’s decision has left critics a bit puzzled. What does Weiss offer?

You aren’t alone if you’re wondering how Weiss got a gig like this. According to The Race, a few Porsche bigwigs noticed Weiss two years ago at the Karting World Cup finals. The publication raises some solid questions, though: most other Formula E rookie test programs are utilizing older drivers, and certainly racers with a few more competitions under their belts.

The answer, perhaps, is hidden in comments made by Florian Modlinger, Director of Factory Motorsport Formula E. “The energy management [of Formula E cars] is complex, which means that the mental challenges in particular are incredibly tough in Formula E. This reduces the pool of potential drivers.” Thinking about regen and energy usage, according to Modlinger, isn’t a skill every racer has. “While he was a guest in our simulator, we were particularly impressed by how he interacted with the engineers,” he says of Weiss. He goes on to say that the 16-year-old “comes across as a much more mature racing driver.”

Final thoughts

Experience is just one component of victory on the track. Especially in a budding motorsport like Formula E, there are other variables OEMs and teams need to account for when choosing drivers. All eyes will definitely be on Weiss come the July rookie test, especially with rival teams placing older and more experienced drivers in the same position.