The identity of 2016-17 Formula E champion Lucas di Grassi's replacement on the grid is set to be finalised soon, as the Lola-Yamaha Abt team firms up who will take the retiring di Grassi's place for the start of the Gen4 era.

Zane Maloney also requires a new deal to stay on at the team, but the Formula 2 race winner is believed to be close to sealing that objective.

Maloney has only scored two points in his season and a half with the team. But his performances have been strong, especially this season, and he has already contributed to the Gen4 development programme with the team.

But with di Grassi committed to retiring, there's another seat to fill.

Deputy team principal Frederic Espinos told The Race recently that the target was "to have the driver decided before we really start the Gen4 test period".

"This is key, and I would say, even more than the driver, is to have the guy which is available to do the test of the Gen4. Because the guy needs to arrive, and it will be tight and so on," added Espinos. 

Along with team principal Mark Preston and engineering leads at the team, Espinos has long since pinpointed the drivers Lola-Yamaha is interested in for Gen4.

They sounded out Mitch Evans earlier this year and although an offer was believed to have been made, the current championship leader decided to opt for a Stellantis deal with the Opel brand that will come in under a new licence and bespoke team. 

That has left a small pool of drivers, all rookies, that have been scoped out. These are all recent F2 race winners: Robert Shwartzman, Richard Verschoor and Victor Martins. 

"I'm going to state the obvious, but there are two options it's a bit stupid what I'm going to say, and in French we call it 'Vérité de la Palisse' - a French expression used to describe an obvious, self-evident truth or a statement that is ridiculously self-explanatory," explained Espinos.

"So, we either take a driver from the existing ecosystem or we take a rookie. That's the two choices.

"I do believe that for us, and with Gen4 arriving and so on, it's better to take a rookie. That's my view. It's the right time, I mean, if there is a time to take a rookie, it's now, at the beginning of the Gen4 rules cycle." 

Testing will ramp up again for Lola this month with several days booked. Di Grassi will continue to bring his experience of overall development, while Maloney is also believed to be slated for cockpit time too.

Lola's initial runs with the Gen4 development car were far from straightforward but its most recent days have featured some breakthroughs. Having the definitive race drivers for next season will be a key objective as the summer goes on and the team, which is already in a state of restructure after the Lola/Abt split was announced in January, has to allocate its engineering resources.

"We need to have the drivers that will drive the car in the race having already done all the test sessions," explains Espinos. 

"That's really what we want to do, because this is how we need to have good inputs, how we will progress with them, and how we will build the car for them. And not the opposite, that they arrive, they discover everything and it's late.

"So, for me, that's really the target. I hope in June, we know what our driver line-up will be." 

The three contenders 

The favourite: Robert Shwartzman

Shwartzman has not driven since the Prema IndyCar team effectively folded in January. Since then, he has been frequenting several paddocks, including Formula E, looking at how he can build a 2027 programme and reinvigorate his career. 

The 2019 Formula 3 champion held several meetings over the course of the Berlin E-Prix weekend last month and one of these was with Lola-Yamaha Abt.

Although nothing has been signed, The Race understands that a firm offer for his services has been made and he is considered the strong favourite to join Maloney at the team for the first Gen4 season which is likely to kick off this December. 

The intriguing choice: Victor Martins

Why Martins is so intriguing is that he has so far been affiliated to Nissan in a testing capacity, most recently running for the team at the official rookie test at Jarama in March.

That was the last of his three run outs with the team and paddock rumour has long since suggested that Nissan may have an option on his services for next season.

Martins is highly rated by some at Nissan and could be a new team-mate for Oliver Rowland. Norman Nato, despite being quick and scoring a strong fifth place at the second Berlin E-Prix in May, is on a one-year deal but is also a valuable part of the Gen4 development programme and could still get a third-straight year with the team.

Martins is driving for the Alpine World Endurance Championship team this season, sharing a car with Jules Gounon and Frederic Makowiecki.

However, Alpine has given notice of its intention to cease its WEC programme next February, meaning that Martins will be fully available for 2027.

The outsider: Richard Verschoor

Verschoor tested with and impressed Lola at Jarama in March but it is believed he only has an outside chance of racing with the team next season.

That is likely to be due to some incompatibility with his commitments as a McLaren development driver: he will be involved in the testing of the McLaren WEC entry, while he is also competing this season in the European Le Mans Series with the Duqueine team in LMP2.