Lucas di Grassi will remain in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship for it’s eighth season after being announced to race for the ROKiT Venturi Racing team alongside Edoardo Mortara.
The decision by the Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler team to pull out of Formula E at the end of season seven left di Grassi’s future in the balance, but the Brazilian has been drafted in at Venturi to replace Norman Nato, despite the Frenchman’s maiden victory in the Berlin E-Prix.
Di Grassi says the Venturi team has shown great progress in recent years, particularly with Mortara being involved in the championship battle right until the final race of the season, and he hopes to help continue the progress when season eight begins in January in Saudi Arabia.
“Anyone who knows me know how competitive I am – driving for a team that I know can fight at the front and really challenge for the championship is essential for me,” said di Grassi. “ROKiT Venturi Racing was simply the best choice and I’m really happy to be part of the team.
“I’ve followed Venturi since Season 1 and I know that they have a strong history in Monaco. The team performed very, very well last season. You can see that the team has progressed a lot in recent years, the momentum is really there and they have shown clear improvements in every area.
“Edo had a fantastic season, really strong, he was fighting for the title until the very end and there were many times over the season that I was racing both Venturi cars and I could see how competitive they were.”
Di Grassi is excited to be lining up alongside Mortara, with the Brazilian feeling the Swiss driver is ‘very talented’. He believes the duo will work together well and bring the team the results they deserve.
“It’s not just about the team though,” added di Grassi. “I’m really happy to drive alongside Edo, we’ve known each other for a very long time, we part of the Audi program together, I respect him as a driver, as a human – he’s a very talented driver and a great character, I think we’re going to work really well together.”
“I’m really happy to be continuing with the team” – Edoardo Mortara
Mortara is delighted to be returning for season eight with Venturi, and he is equally excited to work alongside di Grassi as the Brazilian is to work alongside him.
The Swiss racer is hoping the recent positive trajectory the team have been on will continue into the new season as he looks to build on his most impressive season in Formula E to date, which included a race win in the Puebla E-Prix and second place in the Drivers’ Championship standings.
“I’m really happy to be continuing with the team and it’s a pleasure to welcome Lucas to the family,” said Mortara. “We had a very strong season this year, my best so far in Formula E which was also testimony to the hard work of the team around me.
“We’re on good trajectory and we want to maintain that moving forward. Competing against Lucas in the past he has always been extremely competitive and he’s very good when it comes to energy management – one of the most critical points to being successful in Formula E.
“The progress we made in Season 7 was great but there is still plenty to do and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can achieve together.”
