Jordan's Track Talk

Tag: Lucas di Grassi

  • Lola Yamaha ABT retains Di Grassi & Maloney

    Lola Yamaha ABT has confirmed it will retain the same driver line-up for the 2025/26 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, with both Lucas di Grassi and Zane Maloney continuing to compete for the team.

    The British manufacturer, in partnership with Yamaha and ABT, entered Formula E in Season 11 as part of the Gen3 Evo era.

    Despite facing the steep learning curve of competing in a championship with no prior experience, the squad made steady progress throughout its debut campaign.

    The team’s highlights included a surprise podium finish in Miami, where veteran di Grassi secured second place in only Lola Yamaha ABT’s fifth race.

    In total, the team scored 32 points in its inaugural season, with di Grassi’s expertise proving critical in helping the team move from the back of the grid towards the midfield.

    I’m pleased to confirm a second season with Lola Yamaha ABT in Formula E. Our first season was very positive with a podium in Miami and 32 points scored. We’ve worked extremely hard this summer and added reinforcements to the team to ensure our second season is even better. The long-term view and dedication of people from Lola, Yamaha and ABT to put this team where it deserves to be, winning races and fighting for championships, gives me so much motivation. I really enjoy working with the team and truly appreciate all the effort they’ve put in, which will hopefully result in many more successes in the future together.
    Di Grassi on the news.

    I’m very excited to be continuing with Lola Yamaha ABT for Season 12. Last year was mine and the team’s rookie season and I think we developed very well. I’m looking forward to working with Lucas and the entire team to continue that development into next season. Of course, it’s going to be a tough year but the more that we can carry on working hard and making progress with the car, while I continue to improve as a driver, the better we can do. Thank you to the fans for all the support and we look forward to seeing you all next season.
    Maloney on the news.

    Lola, Yamaha and ABT have all been working extremely hard to apply the learnings from our first season to put ourselves in the best possible position for Season 12 and we are thrilled that Zane and Lucas will be continuing to drive this progress forwards. The benefit of having a new driver to the series, along with one of the most experienced, has been clear from day one and their feedback and dedication is invaluable to the team.
    Mark Preston, Motorsport Director, Lola Cars.

  • Lucas di Grassi to race with ABT Lola

    Season 3 champion Lucas di Grassi will continue his long association with the ABT team as it heads into Season 11 as ABT Lola.

    The Brazilian and the German team have extended their 10-year cooperation to enter a new era together and from next season.

    ABT CUPRA will form a team with Lola Cars, using a powertrain developed by the iconic British brand together with Yamaha Motor Company.

    Di Grassi has competed in 131 Formula E races, more than any other driver and is among the most successful – with an unparalleled 47 podiums alongside that Drivers’ title to his name.

    The Brazilian has turned the first wheel of the new era himself, in mid-June at the shakedown of the Lola Yamaha race car in the UK – the first outing for the new GEN3 Evo design with a newly-developed powertrain.

    After a one-year break, ABT returned to Formula E at the beginning of 2023 with CUPRA as its partner and has since started with a powertrain from Mahindra Racing.

    The new set-up will see ABT continue to leverage its extensive experience to run the operations of the race team, with specialist support from Lola as manufacturer.

    ABT Lola will decide in the coming weeks who will take the second cockpit alongside di Grassi, before all teams meet for the official test in Valencia, Spain.

    We are delighted to continue our journey in Formula E with Lucas. Not only is he a great ambassador for our team and the entire championship, but like all of us, he is eager and fully motivated to finally be successful again. We know that working with a new manufacturer brings many challenges. This makes it all the more important for us to have the most experienced driver at our side in Lucas, in addition to the permanent members of the team.
    Thomas Biermaier, ABT CEO.

    Having a driver with such experience, skill and dedication as Lucas is a huge boost as a new manufacturer entering the series. These attributes, combined with his existing relationship with ABT, make Lucas the ideal person to have at the wheel for our return to motorsport. His knowledge and feedback during testing have already proven invaluable and we look forward to hitting the track together in Season 11.
    Mark Preston, Lola Cars Motorsport Director.

    ABT is my family. I have experienced the best moments of my career there and have full confidence in the people who work hard every day to achieve success – so I am happy that we are also tackling the new challenges together. It’s a very exciting project with people who know what it takes to be successful in Formula E, alongside two renowned brands in Lola and Yamaha with a wealth of motorsport heritage and technical prowess. We have a few busy weeks ahead of us. Together we will do everything we can to be successful as soon as possible.
    Di Grassi on the news.

  • Di Grassi to drive for ABT CUPRA

    Lucas di Grassi will be returning “home” to the team he won the Formula E Drivers’ title with back in Season 3 as ABT CUPRA confirmed he’ll be racing for the squad alongside the returning Nico Mueller in Season 10.

    Di Grassi is among the most successful drivers in ABB FIA Formula E World Championship history and is an ever-present in the series, and ABT – under the Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler guise – was the team that helped steer him to the top spot in the Drivers’ table back in 2016/17.

    The Brazilian returns to the squad where he enjoyed a successful seven-year spell for the second Gen3 campaign and CUPRA’s second season in partnership with ABT, after a spell at Mahindra Racing in Season 9 and at Venturi prior to that.

    The 39 year old’s Formula E CV is as strong as it gets. Di Grassi has won the most trophies of all Formula E drivers (40), taken the most victories (13) and the most TAG Heuer Fastest Laps (12) plus he is one of only two drivers to have been on the podium at least once in every season.

    Lucas will be competing alongside Nico Mueller for the first time for his new old team at the official ABB FIA Formula E World Championship tests in Valencia. All drivers of the championship will meet in Spain from 23rd to 27th October to prepare for the upcoming season.

    It just feels great to be back with ABT. Not only did I win two titles with this team, but I also have endless memories with all the people who work there with so much passion. I couldn’t be more excited to return after two years and I’m really looking forward to working together. Together, we will give our all to get back, step by step, the results that the whole team deserves.

    Di Grassi on the move.

    We know about the great challenge of battling against international competition as a small customer team. That’s why experience, technical know-how and full passion for the joint project count all the more for us – with Lucas, we have the perfect man on board for the future.

    Thomas Biermaier, ABT CEO and Team Principal.

  • Di Grassi & Mahindra part ways

    Mahindra Racing has announced that Lucas di Grassi will be leaving the team ahead of the 2023/24 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

    Lucas di Grassi, Formula E’s record appearance maker with 115 starts to his name from the very first race of the Gen1 era.

    The Season 3 champion is also Formula E’s joint-record race winner-tied with Sebastien Buemi on 13. His win percentage is right up there too, being third in the overall charts. He also won the series’ first rave in Beijing back in 2014.

    After winding up fifth, having challenged for the title in Gen2’s swansong season, di Grassi switched to Mahindra for the inaugural Gen3 campaign.

    A strong start with pole and third position come the opening round in Mexico City would be his high for the season, with just two points finishes following.

    He outscored his teammates, however with Oliver Rowland leaving the outfit mid-season being replaced by Roberto Merhi. Mahindra Racing ended the season in 10th in the Teams’ World Championship.

    I want to express my gratitude to all our team members for the experiences we shared during what proved to be a challenging year. This decision ultimately benefits us both, as our perspectives and visions have diverged. I wish Mahindra Racing the brightest future ahead!

    Di Grassi on the news.

    On behalf of everybody at Mahindra Racing, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Lucas for his contribution to the team over the past year. Lucas has played a valuable and integral role since joining us ahead of the GEN3 era, but both parties feel the time is right to pursue other options for the future. He will always remain part of the Mahindra Racing family, and leaves with nothing but our best wishes for his future endeavours.

    Fred Bertrand, Mahindra Racing CEO.

  • Di Grassi signs for Mahindra

    Mahindra Racing has signed the 2016/17 Formula E title winner, Lucas di Grassi to partner Oliver Rowland from next season.

    Di Grassi replaces Alexander Sims who leaves to pursue other opportunities after four seasons in the series and two of those with the Indian outfit. Together, Di Grassi and Rowland will continue on with testing the Mahindra Racing’s Gen3 in their programme.

    From winning the first ever Formula E race on the streets of Beijing back in 2014, to standing on the precipice of his 100th race this weekend, di Grassi has proven a competitive force throughout all 8 seasons.

    The Brazilian has racked up 13 race wins, a record breaking 39 podiums and three Julius Baer Pole Positions which totals to an unrivalled 994 points. In 2016/17 his title winning year, he won it with Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler – with ABT Sportsline set to return from Season 9 and will use Mahindra powertrains.

    Joining Mahindra represents a new challenge in my career and the timing could not be better: with the introduction of Gen3 in season nine of the FIA Formula E World Championship, everyone is starting from scratch. Having a seven-year relationship with ABT Sportsline, in which we won the world championship together, will give us a good springboard – the team will use the Mahindra Racing powered by ZF powertrain and this additional data and my close connection to the engineers will stand us in good stead. The short-term target is to win races and long-term is to help Mahindra Racing to win the world championship and become an icon in electric racing worldwide. We will build an exciting and sustainable future together.

    Di Grassi on his move.

    There’s no doubt that Lucas [Di Grassi] is one of the greatest Formula E drivers in the history of the sport – the stats and the silverware do the talking – but, for us, his appeal is much wider than that. We are the only team that has been net carbon zero since inception, earning us the title of ‘The Greenest Team in Motorsport’, and it is fundamental to our existence that we are driving forward technological developments in electric mobility with passion and knowledge both on- and off-track. We believe Lucas is perfectly positioned to do this and we are ready to get him bedded into our ground-breaking Gen3 programme within the coming weeks. Our ambition is for Mahindra Racing to become FIA Formula E World Champions and Lucas’s experience and drive will be instrumental in achieving this

    Team Principle, Dibagh Gill on signing Di Grassi.
  • Round 14- London E-Prix

    Round 14- London E-Prix

    Free Practice 3-

    Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy fired to the top of the timesheets in Free Practice 3, ahead of the SABIC London E-Prix Round 14 with a 1m 12.933s the weekends quickest time so far, pipping Antonio Felix da Costa and Robin Frijjns.

    Cassidy had cut through the field to fourth yesterday before a penalty for Nyck de Vries for his defence towards the end of the race elevated the Envision driver to a spot on the podium. He would be encouraged by his pace to carry over today as will the team as Frijns was all but matching him by 0.093s back in third.

    Track conditions were tricky out there, with both Venturi’s spinning – Mortara finding the Tecpro barriers at the chicane, the Swiss got away without any amjor damage but it was illustrative of the challenge offered up at the ExCeL.

    Qualifying-

    Jake Dennis sealed a second consecutive Julius Baer Pole Position in as many days in London, as the Brit set off in search of a SABIC London E-Prix Round 14 win and a potential Grand Slam.

    Dennis steered to an astonishing 1m12.535s lap in the Final Duel with yet another amazing performance behind the wheel of his Avalanche Andretti. Lucas di Grassi was his opponent but the ROKiT Venturi Racing driver had made a mistake on his flying lap as well as struggling with Dennis’ pace.

    Antonio Giovinazzi made his first ever duels appearance and will more than certainly be thrilled with the third fastest time of the session – by far his best this season.

    Standings leader, Stoffel Vandoorne failed to make the cut in the Groups, though none of his closest rivals progressed to the duels either- leaving the title fight to play out via a battle from the midfield. Stoffel secured 13th, Mitch Evans his closest rival in one spot back, whilst Edoardo Mortara sits 17th and Jean-Eric Vergne is best placed out of the top four.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Dennis, P2: Di Grassi, P3: Giovinazzi, P4: Da Costa, P5: De Vries, P6: Buemi, P7: Cassidy, P8: Askew, P9: Gunther and P10: Vergne.

    Round 14-

    Lucas di Grassi took his maiden win for ROKiT Venturi Racing in the SABIC London E-Prix Round 14, after overcoming home hero and pole sitter, Jake Dennis over a hard-fought and strategic 38 lap battle in the UK capital.

    Di Grassi, emerged through his last of three mandatory Attack Mode activations with enough in hand to ensure he’d make it by Dennis, when the Brit jumped for his last 30kW boost. The Brazillian then stretched his advantage over the final few laps, and into added time to take the chequered flag first.

    Nyck de Vries, came home third, whilst his Mercedes-EQ teammate and standings leader clambered to fourth from 13th on the grid. His closest title rival Mitch Evans had made his way as high as fourth from 14th at the start of the race, but a late technical problem put-paid to his Round 14 and deal a hammer blow to his title challenge, with retirement from proceedings and a non-score.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Di Grassi, P2: Dennis, P3: De Vries, P4: Vandoorne, P5: Da Costa, P6: Buemi, P7: Frijns, P8: Bird, P9: Sette Camara and P10: