Tag: Lucas Di Grassi

Mahindra Racing Formula E team continue to make progress in Monaco

Mumbai / Banbury, May 8, 2023: Mahindra Racing Formula E team leaves round nine of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship feeling positive with their race pace after a storming start to the Monaco E-Prix by Oliver Rowland.

Oliver lined up in 13^th place on the iconic Monaco grid after an improved performance in qualifying earlier in the day. After passing seven cars in the first two laps, he dropped back a few places due to taking attack mode early. Unfortunately, during the hectic race, he made contact with the back of Mortara’s Maserati, injuring his hand. He was also hit on the side by another competitor causing a puncture, meaning he had to pit the #8 for both a nose change and a left rear wheel change. Towards the later stages of the race, Oliver was struggling too much with the pain in his hand, so he and the team decided to retire the car to stop Oliver suffering any more pain.

Racing on his home streets, Lucas Di Grassi also made up seven places throughout the 29-lap race, crossing the line in P13 after starting in 20^th place. His qualifying session was hampered by a crash in FP1, the nature of the Monaco race weekend meaning all sessions are held on one day and started towards the back of the grid. After a relatively quiet race, Lucas crossed the line in 13^th place, but was promoted to 12^th position after a penalty for another competitor.

Retiring from the race with an injured hand, Oliver Rowland said: “I made a great start. I passed seven cars over the first two laps and even managed to save energy at the same time as well, so it was looking positive. I dropped back a couple of spots after using my attack mode early on, but from then on, I was purely focused on moving back up the field again. Unfortunately, I made contact with Mortara, which subsequently hurt my hand when the steering wheel bashed it. I then got hit by Rast and got a puncture so had to pit for a wheel and a front nose change which put us to the back of the pack. Once I returned to the track, I tried to carry on, but I ended up having to retire the car because I was in quite a bit of pain. Luckily no broken bones so we look ahead to Jakarta next.”

Reflecting on his second home race, Lucas Di Grassi said: “We had a tough day, starting with FP1 with a crash making us lose critical time in the first few laps of learning the track. Then we were playing catch up. In qualifying we made some improvements, managing the first set of tyres. I lost a set of tyres because of the crash so in qualifying the first part was actually quite good. Then in the race, we started P20 and we did a good race with a very good strategy and energy saving. I managed to pass seven cars making it up to 13^th, but that was the best we could do, especially with the late safety car at the end which really hurt our chances.”

Mahindra Racing CEO, Frederic Bertrand, said: “Oliver had such a fantastic start, passing multiple cars in the opening laps, so it is frustrating that he ended up having to retire the car, but of course it is much more important that he gets his hand looked at immediately. Lucas also had a good race, he made up places to finish 13^th, but the late safety car ruined any chance of us making up any more positions to score those points we are aiming for. The qualifying session was again disappointing, but it just goes to show that starting further up the grid, like Oliver did, makes it easier for us to attempt our points finishing target. We move onto Jakarta next.”

The next race for the team is the Jakarta E-Prix double header on 3-4 June.

Mahindra Racing has a strong set of partners, including Official Powertrain Partner ZF and e-fluids partner Shell. Maurice Lacroix, the luxury Swiss watchmaker, continues as the Official Timekeeper.

May 8, 2023
Mahindra Racing, the pride of India at Formula E

Mahindra Racing stats in Formula E: 101 Races, 5 Wins, 24 Podiums

Mahindra Racing has competed in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship since Season 1, representing the Indian car giant on a global sporting scale in single-seater motor racing.

Formula E is Indian car giant Mahindra’s first foray into international single-seater racing, and it has been committed to the series since its inaugural campaign. The company is a manufacturer of electric cars, and utilises its competition in the championship as a fast-paced test-bed to develop and refine its groundbreaking electric vehicle technology through its ‘Race to Road’ programme.

The team scored its breakthrough win in the 2016/17 campaign and in 2017/18, went on to score two further victories thanks to Swedish driver Felix Rosenqvist, who raced alongside German driver Nick Heidfeld.

In the 2017/18 season, the team got off to a strong start before technical issues reduced Felix Rosenqvist’s title hopes to nothing more than a distant dream. The team finished fourth overall, one place behind where it finished at the end of 2016/17.

In Season 5, the team was fronted by long-standing Formula E, and former Dragon driver Jerome d’Ambrosio as well as rookie driver Pascal Wehrlein. Another victory followed as d’Ambrosio scooped a win in Marrakesh, and was denied a second of the season by in heartbreaking fashion in Mexico City as Wehrlein saw the winner’s Moet & Chandon champagne stolen from his grasp at the last by Lucas di Grassi just meters from the finish line.

After a strong season Season 5, Mahindra headed into the 2019/20 campaign with the new M6Electro. Jerome D’Ambrosio closed out a two-year stint with the team with 16th in the standings and four top ten finishes over the season, seeing him edge former team-mate Pascal Wehrlein’s Berlin replacement Alex Lynn by just a point. Lynn’s exploits at Tempelhof were impressive. Three Super Pole appearances were backed up with good points in the final three rounds on the way to 17th in the Drivers’ table.

Such was the intensely competitive nature of Season 7 that Mahindra found itself down in ninth spot in the Teams’ table. A stunning maiden win on home soil for Alex Lynn – as well as an expert suplex by Team Principal Dilbagh Gill in celebration in the pit-lane – crowned a glorious weekend for the team in London. A string of five retirements in 11 races stunted Alexander Sims’ progress after an encouraging podium in Rome. He wound up ninth with Lynn finishing the season 12th in the Drivers’ running thanks to podiums in New York and Valencia, on top of that victory in the UK capital.

It’s an all-British line-up again for the team in Season 8, with Oliver Rowland joining Alexander Sims for 2021/22. A difficult season did bring a higher finish in the team standings, but it was Mahindra’s lowest points haul since the first season. Rowland saved their best to the end in Seoul, an impressive qualifying performance saw the Brit take his first podium with the team.

For Season 9, Rowland continues with Mahindra for Gen3 as Sims steps aside to focus on sports cars. The bespectacled Brit will be replaced by Mr Formula E and one of the most successful drivers in the series; Lucas di Grassi, as they chart a course for more silverware and consistency.

Drivers – Oliver Rowland

Mahindra Racing entered a technical partnership with the returning ABT Sportsline for Gen3, and Oliver Rowland returns for a second campaign with the Anglo-Indian squad, as he and the team hope to kick up a gear at the start of Formula E’s new era.

Starting his career in karting at the age of seven, Rowland spent a decade racing in various series around the United Kingdom before progressing to Formula Renault, taking a place on the grid of the 2010 Formula Renault UK Winter Series with CRS Racing. At the same time, the British driver received funding from the Racing Steps Foundation, which helped him graduate into single-seater racing.

Oliver Rowland, British, born 10 Aug 1992
57 Races, 1 win, 6 Podiums.

Moving to Formula Renault 3.5 in 2013, Rowland finished his campaign in fourth with seven podium finishes, before taking the championship title in 2015 with Fortec Motorsports. That same year, he made his debut in Formula E with Mahindra Racing, filling in for driver Nick Heidfield in the Punta del Este E-Prix where he finished 13th.

After making his debut in GP2 in Silverstone the same year, Rowland competed in the series for two seasons, finishing third overall in 2017. Entering into Formula One in 2017, Rowland was signed to the role of development driver to the Renault F1 team.
In 2018 the Sheffield-born driver was confirmed as Williams Martini Racing’s official Junior Driver ahead of securing a full-time seat with Nissan e.dams.

Joining Formula E full-time after one outing for Mahindra in the 2015/16 season, Rowland partnered with Sebastien Buemi for the team’s debut season. Finishing second in the teams’ championship after six podium finishes, six pole positions and 16 Super Pole qualifying appearances, the team ended the season with its first ever victory during the final race weekend in New York, which went to Rowland’s teammate Buemi.

In his second season with Nissan e.dams, Rowland put in a consistent run of point-scoring finishes across 2019/20 that culminated in a debut victory at the penultimate round of the season in the final Berlin double-header.

Heading into his third season in all-electric street racing, Rowland continues his strong partnership with Nissan e.dams alongside Sebastien Buemi.

Season 7 was a slow burn, with bad luck curtailing front-running pace – certainly for the Brit. Rowland rounded off with another podium at Tempelhof, adding to silverware in Puebla. Converting his London DNF after that tangle with Stoffel Vandoorne (Mercedes-EQ) could well have seen Rowland trouble the standings’ top three.

Rowland moved to pastures new to complete another all-British driver line-up alongside Alexander Sims at Indian outfit Mahindra Racing for Season 8, following three seasons with Nissan e.dams. It was 14^th again in the running, with a podium in Seoul the highlight.

Drivers – Lucas di Grassi

Lucas di Grassi was the winner of the first-ever Formula E race – the 2014 Beijing E-Prix – and is the most successful driver in the history of the championship. For the 2021/22 season, it was pastures new at ROKiT Venturi Racing, after a seven-year association with Audi’s Formula E team came to an end.

Adding to his storied history, the Brazilian became the first ever to reach the 100-race mark in Seoul, and di Grassi strode to yet another top six finish in the standings, with fifth spot and 126 points and a win in London to add to his collection. For Gen3, it’s all-change again, with a move to Mahindra Racing – the ultra-experienced racer tasked with adjusting to Formula E’s third great era.

Lucas di Grassi, Brazil, born 11 Aug 1984
101 Races, 13 Wins, 40 Podiums.

Born in Sao Paulo in 1984, Lucas di Grassi was the first driver to commit to the series, playing a founding role in the ABB FIA Formula E Championship alongside the series’ Founder and CEO Alejandro Agag. He played a key role in the development of the original prototype car that was used as a proof-of-concept for Gen1, used from the championship’s inaugural 2014/15 season. In 2016, he became the first man in history to drive a racing car on the Arctic Ice Cap, when he took a starring role in the incredible Project Ice adventure.

Starting out his motorsport career after driving karts at his uncle’s kart shop in Interlagos, di Grassi made his competitive karting debut at the age of 10. A journey up the single-seater ladder, as well as victory in the prestigious Macau Grand Prix in 2005, overall runner-up in GP2 Series and in 2010, a season in Formula 1 with Virgin Racing. In 2012, Lucas di Grassi became an Audi factory driver, clinching three podium finishes in the gruelling 24 Hours of Le Mans – and he’s represented the brand ever since.

The Brazilian has driven for Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler throughout his time in Formula E, finishing third in Season 1 before taking the 2015/16 title down to the wire, narrowly losing out to Nelson Piquet Jr. It was third time lucky, though, as he overcame a 10-point deficit to claim the 2016/17 Drivers’ title in Montreal.

Heading into the 2017/18 season as reigning champion, di Grassi once again overcame the odds and fought back after a tough start to the season, eventually placing second overall behind TECHEETAH’s Jean-Eric Vergne. He took it down to the wire once again in the final round of the 2018/19 campaign, going head-to-head with Vergne for the second consecutive year as well as Nissan e.dams’ Sebastian Buemi. Neither managed to put a stop to Vergne’s domination, however, with di Grassi rounding off the season in third place.

Di Grassi was one of only three full-time drivers to have finished every race in 2019/20 on the way to sixth in the Drivers’ table. His race-pace and combative style netted him the most progress, at just over six positions gained per race, of any driver. Qualifying was a thorn in the side for Audi through Season 6, and limited the Brazilian to two visits to the rostrum. For 2020/21, di Grassi remains with Audi, behind the wheel of its Audi e-tron FE07 – the German marque’s first car with an all-new in-house designed and built powertrain.

Away from the circuit, the Brazilian is CEO of the autonomous racing car project Roborace as well as Founder and CEO of his own electric bike start-up in Brazil. Di Grassi lives with his wife and children in Monaco, just 200 meters from the start/finish line of the famous race track.

Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler’s current run in Formula E drew to a close with a win for its 2016/17 champion Lucas di Grassi on home soil in Berlin. A one-two in Puebla was another big moment as di Grassi steered to seventh in the Drivers’ table.

Pastures new in Season 8, in a Silver Arrow 02 driven by a title-winning Mercedes-EQ powertrain at ROKiT Venturi Racing saw fifth in the standings, and a highlight of the race win in London plus podiums in Seoul, New York City and Diriyah. Di Grassi did assemble a late title push but fell short of ultimate champion Stoffel Vandoorne’s miserly consistency in the end.

February 10, 2023
Pole and podium for Mahindra in Mexico: Formula E

Mumbai / Banbury, January 15, 2023: Mahindra Racing started Season 9 of the FIA ABB Formula E Championship in stunning style this weekend as Lucas Di Grassi clinched the first pole position of the Gen3 era and finished third in a fantastic opening race in Mexico City.

Starting from pole, Lucas held the lead through two safety cars before dropping to second behind eventual winner, Jake Dennis. After a tense battle with Pascal Wehrlein, Lucas slipped to third, but held on to the lead of a five-car train that were right on his tail throughout the latter part of the race. He crossed the line third, grabbing the team’s first podium in 2023 and Lucas’ 40^thpodium in Formula E history.

Oliver Rowland had a more difficult race, struggling with the pace of the car and rear tyre degradation in qualifying, making it a mammoth task to even get into the points. He crossed the line P13 in the #8 Mahindra M9Electro.

Speaking after the race, CEO Frederic Bertrand said: “I think it’s been the dream weekend you could want as a Team Principle starting with a new team. We managed the weekend well so it’s very satisfying getting pole and being on the podium at the end. Ollie also came back into the game after a difficult qualifying, he had good pace towards the end. A mega result for the team but we need to make sure we can do this at the rest of the events. It’s a great achievement for Mahindra Racing but also all the partners who have worked so hard on creating the Gen3 car. ZF has done a great job on the powertrain and Tech Mahindra have supported us in the performance of the car. It’s great to see all our sponsors sharing this result with us.”

After getting his first pole and podium for Mahindra Racing, Lucas Di Grassi said: “What happened today was like a Mexican miracle. To be on pole and to be on the podium and going home with 18 points after a tough beginning to the season is a testimony to the hard work the team are putting in to make the car the best we can. I gave it my all today to try and make the team proud. I’m very happy to leave here with this result, it feels like a victory to us. But this is just the beginning. We need more consistent results and we have got to work hard for this.”

Commenting on his race, Oliver Rowland said: “It’s been a pretty tough weekend here in Mexico. I struggled quite a lot in practice and qualifying. We changed a lot for the race, which was a little bit better, but still not perfect. It’s disappointing to not score any points here, but hopefully we can learn from what happened this weekend. Obviously Lucas did a great job and got some good solid points for the team and hopefully we can move forward in Saudi.

This result marks a sensational start to Season 9 and the Gen3 era for the Indian-flagged, UK-based team. The aim is now to continue this run of form into the rest of the season with the next round taking place in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia in just two weeks’ time on 27-28 January.

Mahindra Racing has a strong set of partners, including Official Powertrain Partner ZF and e-fluids partner Shell. Maurice Lacroix, the luxury Swiss watchmaker, continues as the Official Timekeeper.

January 15, 2023
Lucas Di Grassi wins finale’s double-header opener

Victory for Lucas Di Grassi on Audi’s farewell weekend, a fighting drive by Edoardo Mortara, a non-score for Nyck de Vries and a race of two halves’ for DS Techeetah set the scene for a pulsating final day of the 2020/21 campaign…

Berlin, 14 August 2021: Lucas Di Grassi delivered Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler a sublime second victory of the 2020/21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in Berlin today (14 August), as he stormed into title contention on the German manufacturer’s home soil.

From third on the grid around the Tempelhof Airport circuit, Di Grassi – a winner in the German capital two years ago – initially held station, closely shadowing fellow former champions Jean-Éric Vergne and António Félix da Costa ahead, with the DS TECHEETAH drivers trading places at mid-distance as the defending title-holder advanced to the front of the field.

No sooner had he conceded the top spot than qualifying pace-setter Vergne found himself under pressure from not just one but two Audis, with René Rast having scythed his way up the order in ATTACK MODE from 12^th on the starting grid. The pair wasted little time in making their move as they relegated the Frenchman to fourth, but they were not done yet, and a peerless display of teamwork saw Di Grassi and Rast depose da Costa from the lead in one fell swoop.

Once Rast’s ATTACK MODE had run out, the German began slipping back down the order, but his team-mate was still very much on a mission and after relinquishing the initiative to ROKiT Venturi Racing duo Edoardo Mortara and Norman Nato when he activated his own ATTACK MODE, he swiftly set about reclaiming it.

As the top three pulled away from Rast, Di Grassi relived Nato of second place with 13 minutes remaining, before rapidly zeroing in on Mortara in the lead. It was not long before the 2016/17 champion was through, and despite a late counter-attack from his Swiss rival, he held on to secure his 12^th career Formula E win – a result that has vaulted him up the order from 14^th in the Drivers’ table to sixth with just one race remaining.

The runner-up spoils for Mortara have elevated the Venturi ace to second in the title standings, only three points adrift of the summit, while Mitch Evans similarly kept his own championship aspirations very much alive with a hard-fought third place for Jaguar Racing.

From seventh on the grid, the New Zealander immediately gained a position at the expense of Nissan e.dams’ Sébastien Buemi before continuing to move forward, pulling off an ultra-committed switchback pass on Nato through Turns Six and Seven to squeeze through to third. Thereafter, he drove a defensive line to keep the Frenchman at bay, as the Venturi rookie narrowly missed out on the rostrum but nonetheless celebrated the best result of his season to-date in fourth.

Jake Dennis was another to launch a late assault on the podium, the BMW i Andretti Motorsport man showcasing his excellent racecraft as he recovered from a slow start to wind up fifth and gain a spot to third in the championship chase. Behind the Briton, Vergne and da Costa ultimately faded to sixth and seventh, around a circuit where they had dominated only 12 months earlier.

Maximilian Günther in the second BMW i Andretti Motorsport entry and Rast were the remaining two drivers in the hunt for silverware in the closing stages – ultimately placing eighth and ninth, as the latter posted the race’s fastest lap – with André Lotterer taking the last point on offer in tenth.

Amongst the big names that failed to score, Sam Bird survived a first lap tag that sent him into a half-spin only for his Jaguar Racing machine to crawl to a halt on the start-finish straight just over ten minutes in, bringing out the safety car and spelling the British driver’s third straight retirement since briefly re-taking the championship lead in New York last month.

Having begun the E-Prix from the back of the grid, Stoffel Vandoorne (Mercedes-EQ) and Robin Frijns (Envision Virgin Racing) could manage no better than 12^th and 15^th at the chequered flag, while Nyck de Vries in the sister Mercedes lost time due to a collision with Mahindra Racing’s Alex Lynn that necessitated a visit to the pits and left him a lap down.

The Dutchman still leads the championship, albeit now by a reduced margin, with the gloves set to come off tomorrow (Sunday, 15 August) for one final showdown on the streets of Berlin, when the 2020/21 FIA Formula E World Champion will be officially crowned. The 15^th round of the season on the circuit’s reversed ‘NILREB’ layout will get underway at 15:34 CET

August 14, 2021