Abt Schaeffler Audi team boss Hans-Jurgen Abt says that he is hoping that his squad will once again be able to fight for the title in season three of Formula E.
The German team have finished third and second in the last two seasons, with Lucas di Grassi in the hunt for the drivers’ title going into the season finale on both occasions.
And despite expecting the grid to be much closer together, Abt is hopeful that his team will be still be towards the top of the standings.
He said, “Wherever Abt competes, we have the same aim: We want to win races and fight for the title.”
“We succeeded in that in the first two seasons, although whether it is possible to do it again we can only guess in Hong Kong. We have done our homework and prepared as best as possible.”
“The times in Formula E when you could speak of one or two main competitors are now gone. I am expecting a much closer fight than in the first two years, and greater parity in overall performance.”
“On the grid, there are only strong teams and very strong teams – of course, I hope we belong to the latter.”
The German team announced over the summer that they would be strengthening ties with the auto-giant Audi, having only previously had them involved as a sponsor.
They are now set to receive financial and technical support from the group in a bid to keep up with other manufacturer backed entries including Renault, Citroen, Jaguar and BMW.
Although it may take time for this to translate into gains on the track, di Grassi is hoping to go one better than last time.
“After a bronze and a silver medal, only a gold is missing from our collection,” he said.
“We are highly motivated and for sure want to play a leading role again. But teams and drivers will be even more closely aligned.”
“We are about to experience the most diverse and per-haps most exciting Formula E season yet.”