After a year away, The Grand Tour returned to Amazon Prime last week. The second episode just aired Thursday, and it introduced viewers to the new resident Eboladrome hot shoe.
We learned late last month that The American was on his way out. The cantankerous personality never really gelled with audiences, and the boys spend the better part of the year holding auditions. From former F1 drivers to test pilots, the search has ended — and The American’s replacement couldn’t be more different.
For starters, she’s a woman. What’s more, she eschews the low-hanging fruit of rambling off American stereotypes and gets down to the business of running cars to their ragged edge. The focus is back on the cars instead of characters, but so much so, viewers don’t even hear the mystery driver’s name.
The credits confirm the new driver as none other than UK racer Abbie Eaton. The 25-year old has an impressive racing resumé, with wins in the MX-5 SuperCup and British GT Championship series. Not only that, Eaton holds the distinction of being the first woman to win in her class in the Blancpain Endurance Series.
In this week’s episode, Eaton grappled with the Mercedes-AMG GT R. She offered a single sentence, and then proceeded to place the big green Merc very high on the timing board. We won’t spoil its exact spot, though.
Eaton’s low-key introduction and near-silence feels like a big course correction after The American. We’ll have to wait and see how her character develops over the remainder of The Grand Tour’s second season.
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