Lucas di Grassi has put an end to speculation about his future by committing to his current Abt Schaeffler Audi Sport team for next year.
The championship leader said that he was in talks with over half of the other teams on the grid, with one rumoured to be the new Jaguar outfit, however he chose to stay with the team that has seen him score three wins so far this season.
Speaking ahead of the Berlin ePrix this weekend, di Grassi said: “I had a lot of options and over half of the grid got in contact with me, which was nice and interesting to think about some other projects, but I will stay with Abt for next season.”
“The complexity of Formula E in technical terms is increasing and a lot more manufacturers are coming in which is great but it raises the level substantially. As a team Abt has shown it can fight with manufacturers that have big resources and know-how.”
Di Grassi’s commitment to Abt comes despite their package being less competitive than that of championship rival Renault e.dams. While Audi currently support the team, they are not involved to the same extent as other manufacturers, and with Jaguar set to enter the sport next year di Grassi is aware that the team will need full backing from a manufacturer if they are to keep up in the development race.
He said, “We will need very soon a full manufacturer behind us that we will be able to fight harder in the long haul. Next season the quality of drivetrain will develop and it will become a more compact grid in terms of competitiveness so I think the work in between the season will be even more concentrated.”
“I am very confident that the work Abt have done will enable me to fight for wins and podiums again next season.”
Di Grassi currently leads the championship by eleven points with three races to go, having finished on the podium in every race bar Mexico, where he was disqualified from first after his car was found to be underweight.
