Edoardo Mortara goes into the Rome E-Prix double header weekend on top of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship standings, and the Swiss racer will be doing everything he can to maintain that position.
The ROKiT Venturi Racing driver has started the 2021-22 season strongly, with three top six finishes, including a race victory in the second race of the Diriyah E-Prix weekend back in January, and he is looking for another strong weekend in Italy.
Mortara holds a five-point advantage over defending champion Nyck de Vries in the title battle, and providing they are able to qualify well in Rome, he believes the team has what it takes to be a leading contender once more.
“It feels like a long time since Mexico City and I’m looking forward to being back in the car this weekend,” said Mortara. “Rome is a circuit I enjoy – it’s a city with great food, great people and a great atmosphere – it’s also my home race so it feels even more special for me to race there.
“Racing in front of a home crowd is a unique experience and there are few feelings in motorsport that can match the energy of your home circuit.
“In the first three races of the season, we enjoyed some strong performances – if we can qualify well in both races this weekend, I think we could be in a good position to maintain our current momentum.”
“We know that we have a strong package” – Lucas di Grassi
Like Mortara, team-mate Lucas di Grassi has high hopes for the Rome E-Prix weekend, and the Brazilian feels Venturi has a strong package this season that can help him fight for more podiums and victories.
Di Grassi finished third in race two in Diriyah but missed out on points last time out in Mexico City to leave himself eighth in the championship standings, but he knows it is early days as he seeks to fight for his second Formula E title this season.
“For me, Rome is a really interesting track to race – it poses a unique challenge in terms of driving so I’m excited to race there again,” said di Grassi. “I finished on the podium there in 2018 but a drivetrain problem last year meant that I missed out on the win which was very frustrating.
“Although it’s still early in the season we know that we have a strong package that can contend for podiums and victories and as a double-header event, we have two opportunities to score points this weekend.
“As always I have very high expectations for myself and if we can extract the most from the car in qualifying and start inside the top eight, we can challenge for more podiums.”
