Following the announcement of the Vandoorne-Hughes duo at Maserati, today another piece is added to the puzzle of the 2025 Formula E driver market. On Tuesday, in fact, the ABT team confirmed that Lucas di Grassi will remain with the German team for next season, when he will use the engine developed by Lola and Yamaha for the first time.
The Brazilian’s decision to remain with ABT for next season comes as no surprise, especially for two reasons: on the one hand, di Grassi’s career in the all-electric championship has long been linked to that of the Abt team, having raced for the German marque over a seven-year period that included winning the 2016/17 drivers’ title.
On the other hand, Di Grassi strongly believes in the joint project with Lola and Yamaha and believes that Abt can take a step forward for next season with the new Powertrain, as he explained during an interview with Motorsport.com during the Misano ePrix weekend. In fact, the Brazilian returned to Abt at the start of the 2023/24 season after two years spent between Venturi and Mahindra following Audi’s farewell to the world championship, but the team has always suffered from the uncompetitive Powertrain supplied by the Indian manufacturer due to some delays in the homologation phase also caused by a management reshuffle.
Lucas di Grassi, Abt
However, he has struggled to match teammate Nico Muller this season, finishing 48 points adrift after scoring just three points finishes. Di Grassi did, however, take part in testing of the new Lola/Yamaha power unit and the new Gen3 Evo machine in June, with the car set to make its official Formula E debut next season.
“Abt is my family. I have experienced the best moments of my career there and I have full confidence in the people who work hard every day to achieve success, so I am happy that we are also facing new challenges together. It is a very exciting project,” said di Grassi, who will embark on his 11th season in Formula E, having been present since the first edition of the all-electric championship.
“It’s a very exciting project, with people who know what it takes to succeed in Formula E, together with two renowned brands like Lola and Yamaha, with a rich motorsport heritage and great technical ability. We have some intense weeks ahead of us. Together we will do everything we can to succeed as soon as possible.”
The 2024/25 season will mark Lola’s return to a world championship for single-seaters, with a project that aims to restore prestige to the English brand. For Lola, entering the top electric series represents the opportunity to approach the world of motorsport again but with a different commitment. First of all, as in the case of ERT, the FE offers the chance to work on new technologies, software and tools that can then be resold on the market: beyond the promotion on the racetrack, the series offers the opportunity to develop useful skills in the world of electric cars. Added to this is the collaboration with Yamaha, a global manufacturer that will be able to provide help in the development of the software.
Lola’s Formula E car
Photo by: Lola
The Formula E project has been led by Mark Preston, who knows the world of Formula E very well, having been team principal of Techeetah, a team with which he won three drivers’ titles with Jean-Eric Vergne and Antonio Felix da Costa between 2017 and 2020. Although it has not yet taken to the track, the British manufacturer has already confirmed its commitment in view of the future Gen 4 which will make its debut in 2027, which above all guarantees continuity to the project.
“Having a driver with such experience, skill and dedication as Lucas is a great boost for a new manufacturer entering the series,” said Preston, motorsport director for Lola Cars.
“These attributes, combined with his 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 look forward to getting on track together in Season 11,” added Preston.
We will have to wait, however, for the announcement regarding who will join Di Grassi in the next world championship: Nico Mueller’s farewell to Andretti, which will give him the opportunity to immerse himself in the Porsche environment with the possibility of aiming for an official seat in the future, has left a void in Abt, with the team now looking for an interesting profile to replace him.
#Grassi #remain #Abt #confidence #Lola #project