Lucas di Grassi confirmed at ABT Lola

Lucas di Grassi and ABT will extend their collaboration. The champion of Formula E 2016-2017 will thus begin its eleventh season in the championship of car electric, despite a 23rd place in the standings last season, that is to say the last of the starting drivers, finishing even Taylor Barnard, who only competed in three races with McLaren.

This bad exercise on the part of the Brazilian has not damaged the confidence of ABT which will begin a new chapter. The German team has in fact joined forces with Lola Cars for the return of the British brand to motorsport.

« We are delighted to continue our adventure 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 experience success again ", says Thomas Biermaier, CEO of ABT.

The experience of the man who will be 40 on August 11 worked in his favor. “ We know that working with a new manufacturer has many challenges, thus expresses Biermaier. It is therefore all the more important for us to have the most experienced driver by our side in Lucas. »

Di Grassi has 131 Formula E races under his belt and remains the driver with the most podiums in the discipline to his name (47).

« Having a driver with such experience, skills and dedication is a huge asset for a new manufacturer joining the series, adds Mark Preston, director of Lola Cars Motorsport. These qualities, combined with his existing relationship with ABT, make Lucas the ideal person to have behind the wheel for our return to motorsport. His knowledge and feedback during testing has already proven invaluable and we can’t wait to hit the track together in Season 11. »

« ABT is my family. I experienced the best moments of my career there and I have full confidence in the people who work hard every day to succeed. I am therefore happy that we are taking on the new challenges together ", says di Grassi, who carried out the burn-in of the Lola Yamaha single-seater in mid-June.

« This is a very exciting project with people who know what it takes to succeed in Formula E, alongside two renowned brands, Lola and Yamaha, who have a rich motorsport heritage and technical prowess, adds the São Paulo native. We have a busy few weeks ahead of us. Together we will do everything we can to succeed as quickly as possible. »

ABT Lola must now decide who will accompany Lucas di Grassi for the next Formula E season which begins in the Brazilian's hometown with the São Paulo E-Prix on December 7.

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