ABT Sportsline has signed its dream duo for Formula E. Robin Frijns and Nico Müller will compete in the German team’s comeback in the electric world championship. For both of them, joining ABT is like coming home: after successful years with ABT in the DTM, Frijns and Müller are now embarking on their next adventure together in the electric world championship. The duo brings with them the experience of 91 races in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
FORMULA E
The series
As the world’s first all-electric FIA World Championship and the only sport certified net zero carbon since inception, the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship brings dramatic racing to the heart of some of the world’s most iconic cities providing an elite motorsport platform for the world’s leading automotive manufacturers to accelerate electric vehicle innovation.
The Formula E network of teams, manufacturers, partners, broadcasters and host cities are united by a passion for the sport and a belief in its potential to accelerate sustainable progress and create a better future for the planet. In addition to pure motorsport, the Formula E family is also committed to numerous social and sustainable projects.
Formula E made its debut in September 2014 – with a victory of ABT driver Lucas di Grassi – and has completed more than 100 races to date. While in the first four years the vehicles were still swapped mid-race due to the low battery capacity, since the fifth season only one race car has been used, which will be replaced by the new generation, the so-called Gen3, in 2023. The beginning of a new era, which ABT is once again joining from the very beginning.
The Formula E venues are traditionally a mix of temporary street circuits (such as in Jakarta, Monaco or Rome), spectacular locations in the cities (such as in London or Berlin) and race tracks popular with spectators, such as in Mexico City. In each case, fans experience an action-packed day, with free practice, qualifying and the race all taking place within the space of a few hours.
The drivers
Robin Frijns
Dutchman Robin Frijns raced for the ABT team in the DTM for three years, from 2018 to 2020, scoring 18 podiums and three wins. He also competed in Formula E for Andretti and Envision Racing for six seasons, taking two wins and 13 trophies. “I know the ABT team and Nico from the DTM, where we had a great atmosphere in the team and were very successful,” says Frijns. “That’s exactly how we want to continue in Formula E. Of course, it is a big step for all of us and we will have to learn a lot and also quickly. But I have full confidence in the ABT team, which has caused a stir in every racing series in its history. It’s great to be a part of it again.”
Nico Müller
Swiss driver Nico Müller raced for ABT in the DTM from 2016 to 2020, celebrating 31 podium finishes, ten victories and he twice finished runner-up in the championship standings during that time. In the sixth and seventh Formula E seasons, he completed 17 races for the Dragon team. He also supported the Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler team with testing and work in the simulator. “After our great years together in the DTM, I’m really looking forward to this new chapter with ABT and to my return to Formula E,” says Nico Müller, who lives in Switzerland with his wife and son.
The car
In the ninth season of Formula E started on 14 January 2023 in Mexico City and ended in July in London. For the first time, the third generation of purely electric racing cars was used, the so-called Gen3 model. ABT Sportsline cooperated with Mahindra Racing and competed with the powertrain of the Indian company, which is also a founding member of Formula E. “As a customer team, we were also able to bring our experience from seven years of Formula E with over 80 races and over a decade of electric mobility at ABT Sportsline to the partnership,” says ABT CEO Thomas Biermaier.
Sponsors
History: ABT in Formula E
ABT was a founding member of Formula E and competed in every race for the first seven years. Its greatest successes include winning the first race in Formula E history on 13 September 2014 in Beijing, Lucas di Grassi’s drivers’ championship title in 2017 and winning the teams’ title a year later. Still as a private team from 2014 to 2017, the team from Kempten took over the operation of the race cars for Audi from 2017 to 2021. After eight years, the team still holds the top spot with 47 podium finishes.
Events
Season 2023 calendar
14.01.2023 Mexico City (Mexico)
27. & 28.01.2023 Diriyah (Saudi Arabia, 2 races)
11.02.2023 Hyderabad (India)
25.02.2023 Cape Town (South Africa)
25.03.2023 São Paulo (Brazil)
22. & 23.04.2023 Berlin (Germany, 2 races)
06.05.2023 Monaco (Monaco)
03. & 04.06.2023 Jakarta (Indonesia, 2 races)
24.06.2023 Portland (USA)
15. & 16.07.2023 Rome (Italy, 2 races)
29. & 30.07.2023 London (Great Britain, 2 races)
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