Former Formula E champion Lucas di Grassi has joined Mahindra Racing. The Indian squad hasn’t revealed the exact term of di Grassi’s contract, but it is understood to be a long-term deal. He’ll be racing alongside Oliver Rowland from next year.
· Di Grassi won the 2016/17 Formula E title
· Close ties with Mahindra’s new customer team Abt
Di Grassi replaces Sims at Mahindra Racing
Di Grassi has been competing in Formula E since the very inception of the all-electric championship and even won the 2016/17 title. Following his recent victory at the 2022 London E-Prix, he equalled Sebastien Buemi’s record of 13 wins and also has a record 38 podiums to his name. The 38-year-old will also be making his 100th E-Prix start in Seoul later this weekend.
He’ll be replacing Alexander Sims, who after four seasons in Formula E has decided to leave the championship to focus on his endurance racing career. Oliver Rowland is set to stay with the team.
Both Rowland and di Grassi will be part of Mahindra Racing’s Gen3 testing programme before Season 9 kicks off in January 2023. It will mark the debut of the new Gen3 car, which has been pegged as Formula E’s fastest, most powerful and sustainable race car yet. Of course, Season 9 will also see Formula E come to India for the very first time, with the Hyderabad E-Prix confirmed for February 11.
Dilbagh Gill, CEO and team principal of Mahindra Racing is hoping di Grassi’s signing will help the team take some strides towards its first Formula E title. “Our ambition is for Mahindra Racing to become FIA Formula E World Champions and Lucas’ experience and drive will be instrumental in achieving this,” he said.
Mahindra Racing has suffered a dismal season this year, with the Indian team down in ninth place with just 25 points. Gill has largely attributed this to the fact that rules required the team to continue with essentially the same car as last season, combined with the new “merit-based” qualifying format. But next year will more or less wipe the slate clean with the all-new Gen3 cars.
The Abt connection
Mahindra Racing recently also announced that Abt Sportsline is its first customer racing team. The deal will see Mahindra supply its ZF-developed powertrains to Abt, as the team returns to Formula E in 2023 after a year away. Both parties are also collaborating on software and development.
Di Grassi, of course, enjoys close ties with Abt himself, having collected 12 out of his 13 wins – and his title – with the team (which partnered with Audi back then).
“Joining Mahindra represents a new challenge in my career and the timing could not be better: with the introduction of Gen3 in season nine of the FIA Formula E World Championship, everyone is starting from scratch. Having a seven-year relationship with ABT Sportsline, in which we won the world championship together, will give us a good springboard – the team will use the Mahindra Racing powered by ZF powertrain and this additional data and my close connection to the engineers will stand us in good stead,” di Grassi said.
“The short-term target is to win races and long-term is to help Mahindra Racing to win the world championship and become an icon in electric racing worldwide. We will build an exciting and sustainable future together.”
Also see:
Mahindra to supply Formula E powertrains to Abt Sportsline
Hyderabad E-Prix confirmed: Formula E to race in India